Submitted by Guest on Thu, 2014-10-09 18:55
Our first 5 TRIBE Members of 2014 will receive exclusive products from the
Zazzle + LIFE Line collaboration before they launch!
Jeff Beaver
Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer at Zazzle Inc., Redwood City, CA
&
Liz Josiah
LIFE Line Manager, Maai Mahiu, Kenya.
1. What does it mean to be able to further build your brand, create social impact and inspire your customers through the Zazzle + LIFE Line partnership?
Jeff: It means everything, to the company and to me. Zazzle started out as a maker of products and has grown by working with other makers. We've seen firsthand how economic empowerment is possible through a platform like ours.
There is nothing more powerful to improve the human condition than enabling economic empowerment and, specifically in this case, doing it through beautiful, hand-crafted products, which is amazing.
Being able to work with the LIFE Line and CTC has added so much heart and passion to an already very mission-based company.
What do you think of the Zazzle + LIFE Line partnership?
Liz: It is a great opportunity for LIFE Line to grow and it will be a great way to empower our mums with more work, employ more mums and hopefully this can continue to grow in the community.
2. Zazzle is adding to its brand through the launch of Zazzle Heart in December, a perfect example of TRIBE ExE (Empowered by Entrepreneurship). How did this evolution in your partnership with CTC come about?
Jeff: At the end of the day we're all human beings. We might live our days by our heads and our calendars but we're fulfilled by our hearts. So Zazzle Heart happened very organically due to the inspiration of working alongside CTC.
When I met Zane and heard the story we just wanted to get the ball rolling. We jumped in as the first customers for the LIFE Jackets even though they weren't conducive to the market we had going on at the time. We said screw it, we'll buy 30,000 because we just wanted to support the cause. We'll figure the rest out later.
That was the inception of Zazzle Heart’s mantra, "Sometimes we're just going to do things out of our hearts." It turned into a real grassroots energy that people on our team started actively seeking out.
By December, millions will know about it and have their own opportunity to connect to what we're doing here.
3. What does TRIBE mean to you?
Liz: It is a union between the people in the US and Kenya and it allows us to all feel like we know each other and are connected together.
Jeff: It's the larger connected community behind everything. I didn't have the ability to go to Africa for two weeks until this year, not many people do. So being connected through the TRIBE Newsletters and staying connected was a huge piece of me being able to keep that passion for the work going. Everyone involved should be inspired to know that their connection and contribution - regardless of the amount - is so essential to what CTC is creating!
4. What drives you to be successful? What drives your connection to CTC?
Jeff: Living with purpose, doing things that have meaning. All great things in life come from commitment and sacrifice. But with Zazzle, as with business, the focus is on what can enrich lives. Customers receive products that have soul, made by extraordinary people, the platform supports makers, and we also enrich the lives of designers and artists.
What really drives me and sets Zazzle apart is that it's a platform with a win-win-win for everyone involved. Better products, makers thrive, designers pursue their passion.
What drives me and inspires me about my connection with CTC, is that it's a deeper meaning and fulfillment than perhaps any other. In a way, by helping make the LIFE Line and CTC successful there is no better example of how Zazzle can really help the world. This is a small factory “studio” on the other side of the world. If we can continue to give them the opportunity to be successful, that alone is a perfect example of why Zazzle matters versus “big box” retail.
Business is about people and what also really drives me is having met all the moms and all the kids. You want to fight for people you care about. I’m deeply inspired by the ambition, enthusiasm and excitement of the moms that wanted to push me. They wanted to make more products, try new things and they were so passionate!
Liz: I am passionate about the job in general and getting to see the improvement the mums make day by day and the empowerment they get from that. It feels good to help get the women out of their comfort zone and to help them get to where they want to be tomorrow.
5. What does the Malaika Kids Program mean to you?
Jeff: They represent the essence behind this whole thing. Ultimately, the mums took this leap of faith with CTC and learning to make all of these products to support their kids. If you boil it down, they're the most critical aspect of the whole LIFE Line community. The mums are where they are now because they worked their asses off to not only get their children the care they needed but to really thrive. LIFE Line already became a raging success the minute that even just one of these amazing kids was helped and the second that one member of the larger community realized how special they truly are.
Liz: My first connection with the Malaika Kids was with the mums who had children in the program. Now we actually have a former student from the Malaika Kids program, Lucy, who works with us at the LIFE Line studio and it has been great to see her grow from the original program and continue to learn and develop through the LIFE Line.
6. How has the LIFE Line changed your life?
Liz: (big smile) 1. It has allowed me to learn new skills. I knew how to sew before I came here but this opportunity has allowed me to learn so much more. 2. It has allowed me to be a diva; I now know I am a woman who deserves to be respected.
And your trip to Maai Mahiu?
Jeff: Well the trip shattered my expectations. Popular media loves to paint stereotypes of pity, destitute conditions, and overall sadness. But my experience was one of total inspiration and love and peace. They are some of the happiest, most loving people I've ever met. Each and every one opened up their lives, their stories, fears, hopes and their dreams to me. All in a way you just don't get from the typical world of operating a technology company. It’s truly extraordinary how strong they have become and how open to being vulnerable that they were. Again, all completely contradictory to my original expectations.
7. How has perseverance played a role in your experience as an entrepreneur?
Liz: When we started we didn't have any customers and we weren't earning much but no one gave up. It was painful to go through the growth period but now we are seeing progress in our quality, how the team works together, and how we are growing in general is encouraging.
Jeff: Obviously my journey with Zazzle pales in comparison to the mums' stories. Many coming from seemingly hopeless conditions to lay it all on the line and take a huge leap of faith, doing anything and everything for their kids. It doesn't get any more amazing than that, I bow down to them!
That being said, as with any new endeavor, commitment and perseverance are ultimately the difference between those who just give it a shot and those who see it through to the end. There were so many times for Zazzle where it would've been so easy to say, "we gave it our best shot, we've tried really hard, but it’s time to throw in the towel." But because we had a deeper commitment to the purpose of our work and also to each other we were able to see it through and then attracted similarly committed people who just kept building momentum.
That's why I'm confident in the LIFE Line. If you have people that you care about alongside you that are equally driven and passionate about what you're doing together, then you can get through anything. And between our teams here, the mums and CTC's family of supporters, we have all the pieces to keep this thing moving forward to ever greater heights.
8. Do you have any advice for entrepreneurs looking to follow in your footsteps?
Jeff: Believe in what you're doing. That's it. There are lots of people who want to make a quick buck, but if you don't believe in what you're doing, you won't have the drive and commitment to make all the required sacrifices.
Believers are often irrational, which is massively advantageous as an entrepreneur, because they'll do anything to turn that belief into reality, and will fight harder and longer than anybody believed was possible. So, focus on something you truly, deeply believe in as a human being. And when you do that, you’ll also attract similarly-minded individuals to your company. At the end of the day, the best businesses and organizations are built this way, not with business models and spreadsheets… it comes down to your beliefs.
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