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So I have idea of a way to take money from the pockets of corporate big wigs and put it in the hands of the artisans. When Jessie and I went to Southeast Asia in 2006, we had the amazing opportunity to spend a lot of time with local entrepreneurs and business owners. One thing that I found was how inexpensive some of the hand-crafted products were. So we had the idea of bringing these products to the US and target a disposable income market. Something that would sell for maybe $6 in Viet Nam could sell in a global market for at least $30. we could pay the artisan 3x what they would make otherwise and keep the profits for growing the business.
I think that if folks knew that profits from their purchase would go towards helping small time entrepreneurs grow their businesses and help to strengthen foreign economies they wouldn’t mind spending a little more for hand crafted goods, unless you think Sam Walton could use some more money.
What do you think I could do to refine and strengthen this idea? Other comments?
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Thesmith 
Grand idea. Marketing it that way would be one of your biggest challenges. You might have to actually increase the prices of the items in order to attract the kind of clientèle interested in helping individuals in third-world situations. You could try and sell them on the compassionate position of the business and the quality and unique design inherent in handmade goods. I think it could work.
Comment by Shane February 28, 2008 @ 8:05 pm