Goals for a New Year

Wow! What a year it has been!

When I started Ethos Kolekto in the summer of 2020, I had some epic dreams. I was absolutely certain that my business plan was so solid that the shop would absolutely take off, global pandemic or not, and that within a year, I’d be out of the red, turning a huge profit, and would be busy building a school in Africa.

However, with said global pandemic, everyone’s resources were stretched thin and my business plan didn’t totally pan out. In the subsequent years, I’ve gone months without selling a single item and have truly considered liquidating and closing up shop more than once.

I’m happy to say that through meetings with the Ethos Kolekto Book Club (which has been running for a full year now!), discussions with like-minded peers have kept the ball rolling and instead of closing up shop, I’ve taken courses in online marketing, made more sales, expanded my reach, and the shop now carries handmade and fair trade goodies from 9 different brands. When I realize that I started out with 4 brands and that my inventory fit onto one shelf in my son’s closet, I can truly see how far I’ve come.

In other exciting news, this past holiday season has finally moved us out of the red. We’ve made a small profit margin, but it’s still a profit margin and for that, I am incredibly proud.

With those tiny profits, I am looking at picking up several new brands for spring items, I recently allocated funding for new micro-loans, and I am working to find one or two non-profit partners that have established schools in developing countries so that proceeds from Ethos Kolekto sales can truly go towards funding the education of people who would otherwise not have regular access to education or school meals.

As we move into 2023, I have high hopes that this will be another year of great growth for my little shop. My word for the year is “connections” because these are exactly what I want to make: with artisans, with like-minded consumers, and with boots on the ground who are doing positive things to help people and the planet.

Thank you for all of your encouragement (and all of your orders) as I’ve worked to find my footing as a fair trade small business owner. I deeply appreciate all of you!

… and in the case that this post has put you into the shopping mood, please use code: ASANTE10 at checkout to enjoy a 10% discount on your order!