Shoestring Venture Features Social Entrepreneur

It was our privilege to be featured in an interview conducted by Steve Monas, co-author of the blg Shoestring Venture, in an ongoing series about social entrepreneurs.

This interview with Christine, our founder, shares the nuts and bolts of our socially conscious company. Not to mention the heart of the person behind it. We hope you learn a bit more about our social enterprise five ACCESSORIES as you read it.

Shoestring Venture is a more or less a consultng blog for those starting businesses. It is ran by Steve Monas, who has successfully launched a string of Web and entertainment business ventures. He currently lives in San Diego, where he enjoys an active lifestyle, and Richard Hooker, MBA, who heads up a Los Angeles marketing and advertising consulting agency that specializes in start-ups, turnarounds, and independent film. Together they have co-authored the book, Shoestring Venture: The Startup Bible.

Empowering Lives One at a Time

As you know we have partnered with Smateria in Cambodia. Well, when we started working with them they had a staff of 35 a few short years ago. Today they now have 53 people on their staff. We are helping them grow!!! Empowering lives one at a time.

To see our new spring Cambodia handbags, which are fair trade, eco-friendly and goes to support our partners just mentioned, visit our website.

Good Book: Half the Sky

I recently read the book, Half the Sky, by authors Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. It is about turning oppression into opportunity for women worldwide and about efforts to stimulate change in the Arab world.

This is a pretty  powerful statement from Soraya Salti, a 37 yr old Jordanian woman promoting entrepreneurship in schools, "If you can capture the youth and change the way they think, then you can change the future." This quote should give all of us food for thought as we strive to teach and promote entrepreneurship to the younger generations.

Book: Half The Sky
Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
Authors: Nicholas D.Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
About efforts to stimulate change in the Arab world.
Available at any major bookstore.

Check out the Half the Sky Movement website.

Gift Certificate Donation to a Local Elementary School

On February 26th, a local school, Blaine Elementary School, will be holding their annual Friends of Blaine Gala. It will be an evening of LIVE/SILENT auction, a generous 50/50 split RAFFLE, hors d’ oeuvres, cash bar, music and a bit of dancing! We were privileged to make a charitable donation of a  $100 gift certificate donation. We hope Chicagoans will  participate in their local schools through volunteering, donating and attending events that support our children's education.

A Face Behind Our Fair Trade Practices

The eco-friendly  purse or organic piece of clothing you just bought, have you ever  really wondered where it originated?  Who made it? Or how they made it?  Well, at five ACCESSORIES, fair trade is fundamental to everything we do. We believe in knowing 'what's in your bag' or  ' who made your bag'.  Treating people fairly is the basis of our business and our primary purpose for doing business.  
 
Featured here is Sophea. She has been working with our Cambodia partners, Smateria, since 2005.  She started without any tailoring experience whatsoever. She was hired as a cleaner of recycled tetrapak fruit juice and milk boxes. Just a few months later she asked to try working as a basic tailor. Fast forward to 2011, six years later,  she is currently the chief of Smateria's wallets production room. Wallets are technically the most difficult product to sew. (five currently carries two of those recycled wallets.)

This hardworking wife and mother of two, was unemployed prior to working with Smateria and her husband has always worked as a moto taxi driver. She is originally from the country side and recently bought her own house in her homeland - a big investment for her children and a safe place for her and her husband to retire to one day.

Sophea is just one face behind our Cambodian products whom we are helping. The five brand is not only about eco friendly handbags, it is about people.

Resource: Smateria
Also published at TheFairPages.com

Cool Gift Ideas for Valentines 2011 Chicago WGN-TV Midday News

If you are shopping for that last minute gift for your sweetheart, here are some Cool Gift Ideas for Valentine's Day 2011 from Chicago WGN-TV Midday News, featuring Lindsey Roberts of The Gift Insider:

Charity Donation to Climate Cycle Event

It was our privilege to make a charitable donation to the Climate Cycle Event happening tomorrow, February, 12th.  We donated a $50 gift certificate to their silent auction.

We offer gift certificates in denominations of $25, $50, $75 and $100. Our gift certificates are redeemable by calling 312-504-3483 or by placing an order online.

Our Rootz.com Deal

Get great deals on your favorite five ACCESSORIES shoulder bags, with a portion of the total donated back to the non-profit of your choice. Exclusively at Roozt.com!

five ACCESSORIES is excited and proud to announce that per its recent partnership with Roozt.com, we will be their featured Roozt Deal this coming Monday, January 17th! Purchase a $50 value shoulder bag, perfect for iPads, for just $23.00. That’s a savings of 54% off retail price!

Roozt.com is a “deal of the day” site that features products solely from environmentally and socially responsible companies at up to 80% off retail price, and donates 1% of every purchase made on its site back to the non-profit of the buyer’s choice. Each Roozt Deal is sold in limited quantity and runs for a limited time, good thru Tuesday, January 18th.

In order to take advantage of this and other equally awesome Roozt Deals, we encourage you to SIGN UP at http://roozt.com. It’s free to join, and they will send you three featured products per week at up to 80% off, directly to your inbox!

We are very excited to share this special offer with you, and hope you will take advantage!

Don’t forget to visit Roozt.com this Monday, January 17 to grab up a $50 value five ACCESSORIES ultra-hip shoulder bag for just $23!