Tag Archives: changemaker

Interview #3 – Dr. Amanda Kiessel, Good Market

While working on my business plan for a social enterprise I was planning to start-up last year, I was looking up social enterprises in Sri Lanka especially as I am fascinated by how enterprises define themselves as a social enterprise. Many of my online searches came across articles that referred to Good Market as a social enterprise. Having visited the lovely Good Market shop on Reid Avenue, I was even more interested in learning from its founder, Dr. Amanda Kiessel, about how Good Market came to life.

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  • Three words that you would use to describe Good Market.

People. Planet. Fun.

  • It is always fascinating to hear about how interesting ideas come to life. So, do share your ‘eureka’ moment when the idea for Good Market came to you and when did you decide to make it a reality.

I’ve been in Sri Lanka for 14 years and I’ve been fortunate to work with amazing local organizations.  I knew groups throughout the country that were doing great work on health issues, social services, and environmental sustainability.  They were producing organic food and socially responsible products.  At the same time, you’d find people in Colombo that were interested in mindful consumption, but didn’t know where to find the products.  The idea was to have a space that would bring those producers and consumers together.  We thought there would be 10 to 15 vendors.  The big surprise was the response.  We started in December 2012 with 32 vendors, which was far more than we expected.  There are now over 300 Good Market approved vendors and new applications coming in every week.  The customers are incredible.  They ask great questions and push the vendors to constantly improve. 

I think the eureka moment came after the market started when we realized that people were looking for public spaces and community.

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  • What were some of the challenges that you had to overcome in making Good Market a reality?

The initial challenge was finding a venue.  We were looking for a space that would be available on the weekends, centrally located and easily accessible by public transport.  Some venue managers didn’t think people would come to a weekly market.  Others had high payment expectations.  We didn’t want to use external funding or sponsorship because we’d seen too many donor-dependent initiatives that started off with a bang but stopped when the funding stopped.

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  •  How do you define Good Market as a social enterprise?

There are many different definitions of a social enterprise, but for the Good Market, a social enterprise is an organization that is mission-driven and self-financing.  We have Good Market vendors that self-identify as social enterprises.  We also have vendors that are non-profit organizations that are trying to be more financially sustainable or responsible businesses that are trying to expand their social or environment benefit.

The Good Market is registered as a Guarantee Limited Company and operates as a not-for-profit social enterprise.  The focus is on financial sustainability.  If there is any surplus, it is reinvested towards the mission to expand services for consumers or vendors.

  • What does Good Market focus on? How has it evolved since it was started?

We focus on curation and connection.  Good Market is a curated marketplace which means all of the vendors go through an application and review process, and the products and services have to meet Good Market standards and be good for people and good for the planet.  Our goal is to help vendors connect with like-minded consumers and with each other.

We started with a weekly event as a way to bring people together.  We now have weekly events in multiple locations and a shop that’s open daily.  We’re currently working on a web app that has the potential to promote vendors beyond Sri Lanka.  The services have evolved, but the core focus is the same.

  • How has the trend for social enterprise start-ups in Sri Lanka evolved over the past decade?

Sri Lanka has a long history of socially and environmentally responsible initiatives.  Some are community-based, some have come out of religious groups, and some (like the cooperative movement) have direct government support.  According to the World Giving Index, Sri Lanka is one of the top 10 most giving countries in the world.  The term “social enterprise” might be new, but this type of start-up is part of Sri Lanka’s culture and history.  The biggest change we’ve seen is greater recognition that these initiatives are part of a larger international movement.  As international aid for NGOs declines, we’ve also seen greater interest in social enterprises as a sustainable alternative to aid dependency.

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  • What do you consider some of the factors that could be improved for a better environment for local social enterprises?

Other countries are developing special forms of registration for social enterprises (e.g. CIC in the UK and B Corp in the US).  A special form of registration would help raise awareness and create a better environment for local social enterprises.  Currently, most people assume that a company registered as a Private Limited is profit driven and a company registered as a Guarantee Limited receives donor aid.

It would also be helpful to have preferential services and investment funds for social enterprises.  This is something that many groups are currently working on (e.g. Lanka Social Ventures, Social Enterprise Lanka, Lanka Impact Investment Network).

  • What do you consider the impact of Good Market on local communities?

Since most producer groups that sell through the Good Market have fewer than 50 members, I’m not sure that we’ve had impact on geographical communities.  There has certainly been impact on interest-based communities.  There are frequent meetings between people working on similar issues (disability awareness, organic agriculture, etc.)

Good Market Shop

  • I understand that socialenterprise.lk is another initiative of yours. Please briefly describe what the site aims to do.

Social Enterprise Lanka (socialenterprise.lk) was started by Eranda Ginige.  His goal is to build the social enterprise sector in Sri Lanka.  While not all Good Market vendors are social enterprises, we feel those who are deserve special recognition and support, and we’ve been linking them with Social Enterprise Lanka.  We are very excited about this initiative.

  •  To wrap up this interview, do share one of your favourite quotes or verse that inspires you whenever you are in need of a pick-me-up or some inspiration.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

[Photo credits: Dr. Amanda Kiessel]

Interview #2 – Ellen Needham

I first met Ellen Eileen Needham when she arrived in Sri Lanka around eight years ago to start up Emerge Lanka. I remember that I admired her confidence to come to a country she had not visited before, when still in her early twenties, and start up a social enterprise that worked with teen survivors of sexual abuse by providing them training on bead jewelry making.

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Since its initial start when the target market were potential buyers back in USA, her home country, Ellen tells me that the social enterprise has evolved now to have a large local market within Sri Lanka. They recently were awarded the second place at Project Inspire, a global social enterprise competition hosted by the Singapore Committee for UN Women and MasterCard.

Given my interest in social enterprises and my interest in Ellen’s story, I decided to interview her for Perspectives Quilt.

  • Tell us a bit about yourself.

I grew up in a small town in Indiana, and from an early age I was mesmerized by travel—my grandfather would travel all over the world and send me back postcards from Zambia, China, Greece, and more. Since then I have sought a life (from the type of jobs I’ve taken to the man I’ve married) that allows me to experience this world more fully.

Through travel to Sri Lanka, I met my husband who was at the time also working in the country—we were engaged during a trip back to Sri Lanka in 2014 and married a year later.

I recently moved across the USA (from the East to the West coast) in the pursuit of new experiences and opportunities. I’m currently learning to ski and embracing the outdoor life that Lake Tahoe, about an hour from my home, has to offer.

I also enjoy being physically active—I played volleyball through college, and continue to look for new opportunities (rock climbing, yoga, mountain biking) to push myself.

  • What made you decide to join the Emerge initiative?

I first got involved with Emerge as a senior in college when I was introduced to a classmate, Alia Whitney-Johnson, who had recently come back from Sri Lanka and was sharing her experiences. I was drawn into the Emerge story immediately, particularly the strength and courageousness of the girls Alia had met.

I decided to join Emerge because I was excited about the possibility of contributing and helping to build an organization that addressed issues that I was passionate about. And ultimately, it was Alia’s dedication, drive, and compassion that convinced me to commit my time to Emerge.

  • How did you feel about leading the expansion of Emerge in Sri Lanka?

When I arrived in Sri Lanka in 2008 Emerge had several goals: first and foremost was to make the organization sustainable. What was less clear was how we would go about doing so, and the lack of clarity was both exhilarating and overwhelming. As an engineer by training, I approached leading the formalization and expansion of Emerge Lanka Foundation like I would any complex problem: identify the goal, system, and key variables (people, places, etc.) and then test out different options until one worked, learning throughout the process. This was trying; I can recall several times I felt like I wasn’t going to be able to succeed, and was going to let the team and our girls down.

  • What were some of the challenges you faced when you started up in Sri Lanka?

While living in a country different from your own is never easy, I was incredibly fortunate to have Emerge supporters and, at the time, our only staff member Nirukshi, to help guide our work. What I found hardest about starting up in Sri Lanka was figuring out just how things got done. Often it would be a relationship, or a certain external perception of the person you were working with that would be the difference between moving forward and not. Sometimes being a foreigner was advantageous; other times, the only person who could get the job done was a Sri Lankan. Navigating these relationships was by far the most challenging part of my time in Sri Lanka.

  • When you refer to Emerge as a social enterprise, what do you mean?

We call Emerge a social enterprise because it occupies the space between a pure-play for profit company and a charity, or nonprofit. While Emerge does fundraise and solicit donations, our goal (and model) is to be self-sustaining on the programmatic level. Through Emerge, we teach women important skills—a byproduct of this is the creation of jewelry, which we then sell to generate savings for the individual girl as well as cover programmatic costs.
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  • How would you describe the impact that Emerge Lanka has made on the lives of the women it works with? Please share an anecdote.

To me, Emerge is a collection of stories of the courageous young women we work with. While I can share the facts: the support of 556 girls, the sale of more than $125,000 worth of jewelry, the stories of Emerge are just as powerful. One story that particularly struck me last year was that of a past program participant who is in the midst of completing nursing school. She wrote a letter to the Emerge office in which she shared that she “worked hard and was able to fulfill your hope by becoming second in my batch out of 108 students.” You can view her entire letter here: http://emergeglobal.org/5413-2/

  • What has been the most positive impact that Emerge Lanka has had on you?

Working for Emerge Lanka has taught me the power of unconditional love, given me perspective regarding the things that really matter in life, and shown me how powerful and resilient we can all be.

  • What do you plan to do next?

I recently started a role at Patagonia, a global outdoor clothing company with environmental and social responsibility at its core. I’m looking forward to learning a new industry (retail) while contributing meaningfully to a company that cares deeply about the impact it has on the world.

  • What do you do to de-stress or recover your equilibrium when things do not go according to plan?

I try to keep perspective, and remember how fortunate I am to have an amazing family, career that I meaningfully contribute to, and the freedom and flexibility to pursue what I’m passionate about. Also, nothing beats a good massage!

  • Wrapping up this interview, do share a favourite quote or verse that you look up whenever you feel you are in need of inspiration.

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein

[Photo Credits: Ellen Needham]