On Wednesday 15th April we commenced our #supportingsmallbusinesses webinar series with the lovely Charlotte Bingham-Wallis, co-founder of From Belo, sharing her wisdom on the ‘Importance of Community and Kindness.’ We want to take this opportunity to thank Char for offering up her valuable time and really helping us understand how a sense of community and kindness is important in these uncertain times.
Charlotte Bingham Wallis Co-Founder of From Belo Talks about Community & Kindness
From Belo is an accessories brand founded by Char and business partner Maria, built on the premise of fashion and kindness. The main aim of their business is to create a better social impact after they were inspired by working with some of the poorest communities in Brazil. They wanted to give communities the same opportunities they had to be able to thrive and break out of the chain of poverty they are in.
Their bags help provide work and fair wages allowing the most vulnerable people within the community to be properly fed and access basic necessities.
Supporting Small Business Webinar: Community & Kindness
The webinar focused on how community and kindness can really go a long way in benefiting your business from your team, to throughout the supply chain and to your consumers. Char shared insight on how consumers are looking for products that have a purpose and they want to know that the products they are purchasing have meaning and create a positive impact and how as ethical brands, we can use this to our advantage and show that we are stronger than ever. We can educate consumers and show that we are supporting the community. It’s not just an attractive story but we can think about building our awareness and building our connections and can also create a loyal community.
Supporting Small Business Webinar: Community & Kindness Key Takeaways
3 key takeaways:
- Consumers are looking for something that’s kind and has a purpose. It’s found 22% of people of all ages are looking to buy a product with a purpose that they know can make a change. People are looking for something that makes them feel good when they purchase it.
- People are looking for kindness, positivity and transparency right now and ethical brands have the opportunity to educate people. We can show our strengths as small businesses. We know where our products are from and we know we are working for a community and trying to make a positive impact doing little things to show we are part of the community.
- Creating a happy workplace and showing the team they’re appreciated can help productivity. If we can show we are part of the wider team not just a business bubble it’s not just an attractive story but we can think about building our awareness and building our connections and can also create a loyal community. If you are the brand that has supported that person those people will remember you and come back to you.
Visit From Belo profile on Ethical Brand Directory
Webinar Participant Q&A
Q: You spoke about ethical impacts and agreed this is very critical. How are you measuring your impact?
A: At From Belo their impact is measured through how much they recycle. They know how many plastic bottles they recycle, how many metres of seatbelts, how much weight in fabric – from offcuts, car seats that are collected from car manufacturers and the fashion industry. They also calculate how many meals are donated as every product donates a certain amount of meals within a community, so it’s clear to the consumer what impact they are making. This allows consumers to engage and actually see what they are able to achieve with their purchase.
Q: How are From Belo supporting artisans and factory workers in the supply chain during covid19?
A: From Belo’s priority is making sure their artisans and manufacturers are all well. In accordance to brazillian guidelines, working hours in factories have been reduced, proper PPE has been distributed, the working area is well ventilated and only the maximum amount of people that are allowed in one area are working.
Q. How are you adapting your business in this uncertain time and are there any areas you wish you were more prepared for?
A. As a young company with lots of things to work through, they are developing their digital strategy. The digital element is something really important. Emotionally, they felt prepared as a small company based in brazil where there are a lot of challenges, such as landslide power cuts floods which stopped production but helped them prepare. Which helped them think about problem-solving. They didn’t feel prepared in terms of digital strategy but experiences of things going wrong have helped them prepare for now. Moving forward they will look at how they can thrive more digitally and as it will be more poignant.
Do you have a question for From Belo? Add your comment below and we’ll make sure we get a reply for you.
Stay safe, stay positive, and don’t forget to be kind to yourself
The EBD Team