Today is International Women’s Day, and Roozt is celebrating by highlighting our wonderful brands that support women’s empowerment worldwide!
Here’s a highlight on Musana:
Musana Jewelry is a non-profit organization that works with women in Lugazi, Uganda to design, produce, and sell beautiful jewelry, both in Uganda and in the United States. Musana identifies women in at-risk populations who are in the greatest need, such as single mothers, women with little education, and women who are HIV-positive, but are determined to create a better life for themselves and for their children. Employment with Musana means developing self-reliance through consistent employment. A full-time job with Musana results in economic stability, the opportunity to gain marketable and transferrable skills, and the option of supplemental English, health, and business education, which together lead to empowered individuals who become leaders in their community. Musana is a spark of opportunity that powers the growth of individuals, their families, and everyone else the artisans’ light touches.
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Purchase their lovely jewelry at 20% off today!
With over 250+ cool and inspiring brands on Roozt, we love seeing each of them pursuing their companies mission to help making a difference in the world. This week, we at Roozt would also like to give a shout out to a brand that exemplifies this attitude – Bamboo Skateboards.
Last week, the Bamboo Skateboards team went to the tough gang-ridden neighborhood of Watts, CA to bring the joy of skating to some deserving yet underprivileged kids. They spent their time cheering on kids in a skate contest and handing out free bamboo decks and complete skateboards as part of their “100 decks for 1” program. This program gives 1 skateboard to charities that help at-risk youth per every 100 that Bamboo Skateboards sells.
It’s good to see the tangible rewards of their hard work, and Bamboo Skateboard fulfills the Roozt motto of “bringing sexy back while giving back.” I mean, just take a look at the smiles of the kids who are having an awesome time shredding with their new boards.
You can read more about Bamboo Skateboards’ experience in Watts by going to: http://www.bamboosk8.com/news/.
Exclusive Roozt Interview with LSTN Founder, Bridget Hilton:
Roozt: So, what’s the story behind starting LSTN? Roozt: That’s so freakin’ cool that it gives us goosebumps. Who inspired you? Bridget: Warby Parker was a big inspiration. If they could give sight for every pair of eye glasses sold, I could find a way to give hearing. Selling unique and fashionable headphones and partnering with an amazing charity for the deaf was the answer. Roozt: That’s pretty brilliant. How did you arrive at this conclusion? Bridget: I like the idea of drilling down on your passions and figuring out how to make them work together. Roozt: We hear that! Speaking of passions… what are yours? Bridget: I’m passionate about music, charity, and the environment. LSTN is a way to combine all of those things. We make high quality wooden headphones. For every pair we sell, we give the gift of hearing to a child in a deaf school. Roozt: Very inspiring. But you don’t just stop there do you… Bridget: No… actually all our earphones are eco-friendly as well. The exotic wood we use is scrap wood from furniture manufacturers that would have otherwise been wasted - pieces too small for a table or chair for example, turn out to be perfect to make headphones out of. Good for your ears, good for the environment. Roozt: So rad. So, so rad. Rock on, Bridget, here’s to LSTN Headphone’s success!
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Guest post by Michael DeHart via Melissa Jun Rowley on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Image Source: actasifblog.com
When a business has the single goal of generating individual success and profit, they tend to create quid pro quo partnerships. These alliances spawn out of a need to pool resources to stay competitive, but once the problem is resolved the partnership is disregarded. Back in July of 2011 when Google+ came out swinging touting its superior ability to connect friends with integrated video conferencing, Facebook and Skype quickly joined forces leveling the playing field. Fast forward to last week where Skype releases a 12 million dollar marketing campaign slamming Facebook among other social networks. While telling people to “upgrade from a wall post to a first class conversation” isn’t likely to hurt Facebook’s usership or upcoming IPO, it sends a clear signal that Skype no longer has Facebook’s best interest in mind.
As I began working in the world of social enterprise with PictureHealing, I could see tons of collaboration happening among organizations. The biggest difference was that these people had goals beyond profits. They were all fighting to inspire and create a positive change in the world. This common goal is at the heart of every social entrepreneur and creates an instant connection.
Come to a SocEnt.LA Tuesday mixer, any StartingBloc event or meet some Hub LA member and feel the positive energy, support and passion towards a positive impact. Even as I attended the Pitch Some Goodevent at SXSW where seven companies were competing with the attendees as the judges, not a negative word was said about any organization. Amy Ward put it best reflecting on that event in The Non Profit Timeswriting, “Conversations tended towards opportunities to connect people directly with each other, a theme of many of the conversations about new tools throughout SXSW hallways.”
Community and collaboration have become a staple of the Social Enterprise world with companies big and small. We’re all thinking of new ways to screw business as usual, so we can build successful sustainable companies that thrive on supporting a triple bottom line of people, planet and profit.
Even if the there isn’t a clear way to partner on the business side, how can the company you work for connect with other organizations to make a difference in the community? Start simple, for example last month we joined BetterWorks for an after work clothing driving. This month we’re teaming up withRoozt.com and Philanthro Productions for a Earth Day Beach Cleanup. Events like this are not only good for the community and company interest, they also boost morale and are ridiculously fun!
One thing’s for sure, social entrepreneurs stick together. They make introductions, give honest feedback and team up on projects big and small. I can safely say I’ve got a standing frieNDA with all of the LA #SocEnt crew. Business as usual is broken and we’re working together to fix that.
Michael DeHart is the Community Guru for PictureHealing. He’s borderline obsessed with new media, harnessing emerging technologies & creatively integrating philanthropic philosophies into businesses. His goal with socially responsible strategies is to drive new traffic, improve corporate culture and foster company pride, all while increasing a business’s exposure and profits. He also enjoys cycling!
What’s up Roozters!
Roozt is back and better than ever.
Featuring the world’s sexiest cause-related brands and products all under one roof, the new Roozt lets you Discover, Shop, and Share the hottest and most inspiring companies at the click of a button.
Roozt saves you time and money by letting you browse multiple brand’s products and deal catalogues in one streamline shopping experience.
Earn points for discovering new brands, making purchases, and sharing with your friends. The more points you earn, the better the prizes and discounts you unlock.
Being a Roozter now means that you will never again sacrifice how you look for how you want to feel.
So check out the new Roozt and take the pledge to bring sexy back to giving back today!
Inspire & Be Inspired,
Brent Freeman
Founder / CEO
Dear Roozt fans,
All of us here at Roozt have so much to be thankful for this year and on the very top of our list of thanks is for all of you! Thank you so much for being there with us from the beginning and helping us prove that even small deeds can lead to great things. We are so excited to share our new marketplace with you in the next couple weeks and hope you consider Roozt when doing your holiday shopping this year! We hope your Thanksgiving is filled with family, friends, food and fun.
Faithfully yours,
The Roozt Family
