Those at the low end of the income spectrum have also suffered the most regarding health and well-being. Climate change and racial and social injustice continue to limit the future for billions of people, even in the “wealthy” countries of North America and western Europe.
As one of those small companies, working with small groups of artisans in an economically disadvantaged part of the world, the current system's failings have weighed very heavily on HoonArts recently. Neither HoonArts nor the artisan groups we work with have begun any meaningful “recovery” from the consequences of the pandemic. We are all hanging on by our fingernails.
Even in the fair trade and social entrepreneurship world, where we nominally share the same general values, the bigger companies are getting bigger, while the smaller companies are struggling to get buyers’ attention in a world where everyone moved online simultaneously. We don’t have the financial or human resources to raise our individual voices loud enough to be heard above the noise made by the larger businesses.
We have become convinced that the solution to our perfect storm of global problems is not to double down on the old patterns in hopes that growth will eventually solve the collective problems. From the business perspective, focusing on growing a single business in its own silo with a competitive zero-sum mindset isn’t working, at least for the smaller businesses.
We believe that the secret ultimately lies in joining forces to build an alternative vision—a global network of smaller businesses and organizations who are committed to growing a bigger and more equitable, and sustainable pie for all of us rather than focusing only on getting a bigger slice for ourselves. Part of that alternative vision involves seeking out opportunities to consciously collaborate with other organizations and businesses who share our values without necessarily requiring any immediate financial or other benefits in exchange.
Its simplest form is a network of businesses and organizations committed to the principle of “pay it forward” on a sustained structural basis. The HoonArts contribution starts with what we have dubbed the “Conscious Collaboration Circle” or CCC.
At least once each month, we intend to spotlight another organization or small business that is making a positive difference in the world and struggling to build the funding or customer base necessary for long-term sustainability. These organizations and businesses are doing great work that the world wants and needs (often far more efficiently than the “big guys”). Still, their individual voices can’t be heard above the noise in a world dominated by the billionaire class and their wannabees. We believe that together we can build a better future for all of us and those we impact.
Our first CCC spotlight will be a HoonArts Live interview with friend and colleague Katja Noordam, of FairChange. Katja Noordam, Dutch/Belgian by origin, likes to describe herself as a world citizen by choice. Currently based in Colombia, she strives to cross frontiers in her personal and professional life. She is the founder and CEO of FairChange, dedicated to helping solo entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises do purpose-driven business and communicate their social impact in a compelling way.
Katja is passionate about combining the lessons she learned from working with disadvantaged communities and her experience in strategy development, sustainability, and corporate communications, to promote socially committed business. Tapping into this experience, FairChange offers practical tools, online and offline learning, coaching, and management advice to help purpose-driven companies improve the lives of their workers, suppliers, and local communities, especially in complex operating environments.
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