It Has Been a Month: My For-Cause Business

Less than 6 weeks ago an idea was born in my head while sitting at the office on a boring Friday morning. Today, I’ve made my first 5 sales. 

I’m not sure where ideas come from, how they are created and brought to our minds. Every one of us has millions of thought & ideas crossing our mids, but the real trick is to recognize the good one, to see the potential, to let the motivation overtake you and bring it to life, in a real touchable way.

So I was sitting with my coffee cup, wondering the colorful alleys of Pinterest. And in a moment it all came together. Tote bags. Something I use every day for shopping myself. Something simple. Something that can bring value to the people and the environment.

Ultimately the ‘seed’ of this though began a few weeks ago at the grocery store. I couldn’t fit everything to my tote bag. ‘’It’s too small, I should buy a bigger, more practical one.’’
Why not make a cute looking one myself?
Why not start making them for others as well?

The next day I took the book ‘Toms’ from the shelf for the second time and absorbed inspiration from this for-profit business with a charitable purpose. I want to make a difference, to work for something that actually matters- I always dreamt as a student. A business, that serves the world and people in a better way.

From now on, I dedicated my weekends for shopping fabric-samples from different parts of Istanbul. Making prototypes after work till the early morning hours and asking friends and colleagues what they think about the design. I was hyped! I contacted with few NGO’s for cooperation, introduced my idea & asked a bunch of questions, including about their most vital needs. I contacted with people through Facebook who have worked on similar charitable events or field. I asked help with designing the logo, labels and taking pictures and opened social media accounts. Shortly, I started to promote this idea among my friends and got unexpectedly a lot of positive feedback. Many of them loved it so much that they shared the idea with their own friends and I got my first orders.

So what is the idea about?
I’m handcrafting tote bags. With every purchase, a donation goes to support the Syrian children to access education. Through the business, I’m providing schoolbooks & supplies. I also support the volunteer teachers to keep them motivated to keep providing quality education to the ones who need it the most.

It has been just a short time, but I’m hyped and can’t wait to see what the future holds for us. And by god, if everything goes well, to put a smile on even if only one little persons face. To set their young life to happiness and success through nourishing quality education.  📖💛





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Love,
Mariliis

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