What do you do? Why do you do it?

Good morning everyone! 

Hope you enjoyed your Valentine’s day and (for my Canadians) Family Day weekend. Even though weekdays seem to blend into weekends now, it’s still nice to have a chance to stop and remember the people we are grateful for.

Last Thursday, I had the chance to attend a Mindful Marketing Hour with Lilli Markle and Bee Umana. It was such a nice opportunity to work on our “pitches” and remind ourselves of what we do and why we do it. 

For myself and my friend Devon (Journey Coach), the conversation continued the next day as we had a Zoom Coffee Date! We continued to bounce ideas off each other and she encouraged me to explore my mission statement further. 

A quick thank you to Devon for inspiring this week’s blog post! Often I think that everyone following me knows what my business is about. Or has known me for awhile that I don’t have to explain it! But that’s not the case! 

So today I thought I would expand on my Instagram bio, “Connecting fair trade brands to conscious consumers who want to make a positive impact.” Without further ado...here we go: 

When I say fair trade brands I don’t necessarily mean fair trade certified. I realize that there is a cost to fair trade certification that not all brands can afford. So, when I am researching a brand to partner with, I make sure their products are “fairly traded.” To me, this means that whoever made the products is paid fairly, treated well, and has a say in the work that they do. 

Conscious to me means “aware of” or “mindful of.” It describes people who are intentional about what they buy. They know that traditional retail often includes child labour, modern slavery, unsafe work conditions, low pay, and poor environmental standards. These customers are looking for a solution. Which brings me to my next point...

I realize that the term “positive impact” can seem very vague. I wish Instagram let me add more to my bio! But that’s why I’m expanding on this here :) When I talk about positive impact I am including people, the planet, and animal welfare. People (I expanded on above) that are paid and treated fairly. The planet- this means eco-friendly/recycled materials or zero waste products. And animal welfare- if animals are involved in production (wool, eggs etc.) that they are treated as ethically as possible. 

This is an interesting point that I’m glad Devon nudged me to consider! I connect fair trade brands with conscious consumers who want to make a positive impact so that...what? Why do I do this? For me, it’s about dignity. We are already buying coffee, bananas, chocolate, clothes, soap etc. I’m not asking anyone to buy more than they already are. But, I want us to consider where our purchases are coming from. 

Are the individuals behind those products being treated fairly? I want to hear from the artisans first hand (this is in my post-covid plans) and share their stories. What does it mean if they get paid fairly for their labour? Then, they can go on to pay for schooling, health care, clean water, healthy food...and the ripple effect goes on! 

Thank you so much for reading along today! It really helps me to remember why I do what I do and share that with you all! 

I love talking about this so please reach out if you have questions and I’m happy to expand on anything :) 

Have a great day!

Mel