Social Entrepreneur Profile
Laurel
Brandstetter
Founder
and CEO
Mad Imports
Shadowed
by:
Tiffany Berman, Celia Gerryn,
Caroline Weinstein and Jennifer Wilson
Entrepreneur
Contact Data:
262 Court Street, Suite 3
Brooklyn,
NY 11231
Phone: 718.802.9757
Email: laurel@madimports.org
Website: www.madimports.org
Basics:
Founding Date: 2003
Corporate Form: Sole
Proprietorship
Geographic Focus: United States, United Kingdom,
Japan and beyond
Full-time employees: 1
Industry: Fabric & Apparel
Social Mission Areas: Education,
Environment, International Development, and Women
Mission:
Mad Imports is a socially
responsible company that markets handmade fashion accessories from
Madagascar and Kenya. The sale of these products enables families to
gain economic independence and earn fair compensation for their talent
and hard work. Mad Imports is committed to responsible trade, is
sweatshop free and is a member of the Fair Trade Federation.
Q
and A with Students:
Q:
Can you tell us about Laurel
Brandstetter?
A: Laurel Brandstetter is the
founder and owner of Mad Imports, a fair trade company that markets
handmade accessories handmade in Madagascar and eastern Africa. She
launched the company in 2003 as an outgrowth of a Madagascar-based
development project started by her relative, James Sellers.
Her wealth of professional
experience in the fields of city planning, community organizing and
entrepreneurship has enabled her to create a successful business model
that seamlessly incorporates a social mission. As such, Mad Imports
directly supports sustainable community and economic development
projects in its partner artisans’ communities, with a focus on product
design, small business development and education.
Ms. Brandstetter holds a BA
in Urban Studies and an MA in Urban Planning, Design and Development.
She has served as a public health volunteer in Central America and
Madagascar and is actively committed to reducing global economic and
social disparities.
Q:
What led you to choose to shadow her?
A: We were attracted to this business because it is run
by a young woman who wants to make an impact in the developing world by
selling fashionable items in the US. We thought that she must be
interesting if she's doing that, so we approached her.
Q: What issues
did your social entrepreneur face during the project?
A: (1) whether or not to hire a designer, who regularly
contracts with Mad Imports, as a full-time employee (2) whether or not
to expand to a larger warehouse (3) how to secure additional funding
for the business.
Q:
What was interesting, surprising or inspiring about shadowing this
SE?
A: Mad Imports has been able to touch the lives of over
30 families in Madagascar and two villages of women in Kenya through
the manufacturing of its handbags and stationery. This venture has been
able to improve the environment in Madagascar by providing a source of
income that is not dependent on abusing overworked land. It has also
allowed many children to be better educated. We found it surprising
that customers in the United States have not responded to the social
mission; instead, they praise Mad Imports for its stylish and practical
products. This highlights the disparity between the first and third
worlds and also shows how difficult it can be to manage diverse sets of
constituents in building a double-bottom-line venture.
Q:
What did you learn about being a social entrepreneur from this project?
A: We learned how difficult it
can be to have one person managing the social and financial aspects of
the business. Laurel regularly goes to Madagascar to work with her
manufacturers, and also runs the daily business at home, selling to
fashion retailers in the developed world. Those are VERY different
skills and it takes a unique individual to do both well.
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