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This past week we celebrated International Literacy Day (ILD), a day established by UNESCO to shine the light on global literacy needs. Every year on September 8 the world comes together to focus on getting the resources where they need to be so everyone can read everywhere. It’s also known as National Read a Book Day, all to underscore the importance of reading and literacy. Reading is crucial to success. Supporting literacy is a truly impactful way to lift others and change the world for the better.

We wanted to come up with real, actionable items to “Read the Change You Want to See.” Through the very act of reading we can have a huge impact and demonstrate to the world the things we value most. 

We wouldn’t be where we are without our hardworking staff. ESPECIALLY our interns! For the next month, we’ve decided to showcase our five interns and the incredible work they do behind the scenes. 

Next up, we have a veteran on the TO THE MARKET team - Hannah Lee. Hannah, a freshman at UCLA, has been interning with us since 2018! She believes that everyone is capable of creating and demanding change, and loves traveling around the world.

(*Originally published on LinkedIn)

My enthusiasm for all things Disney started early. I was drawn to the total escapism that the parks provided, the joy that families experienced when engaging with the brand, and the storytelling pervasive in everything Disney touched. I love the House of Mouse so much that I wrote a significant portion of my case studies at Columbia Business School on the company, its culture, and the entrepreneur that imagineered it, Walt Disney.

My devotion to the brand extended to fashion. As a child, my mother was big on self-expression. My daily uniform consisted of a white, long undershirt with a repeating pattern of Minnie Mouse’s face, which I styled with a turquoise bathing suit, opaque stockings, and a skirt. Fortunately, social media didn’t exist yet.

Held annually on Summer Solstice, the International Day of Purpose encourages us all to reflect, realign, and recommit to making personal and business decisions through a purpose-driven lens.

On this day, as we think about purpose from a business perspective, what is the connection between procurement and purpose? Where do they intersect? And what can we do differently in our decisions to support purpose-driven ideas that generate positive social impact, transparent supply chains, and buying/selling products that are responsibly sourced? Let’s look a little closer at these questions to gain a broader perspective on procurement and its intersection with purpose. 

Procurement with purpose is becoming increasingly important to many companies. Companies are looking to use their third-party spend in ways that incorporate socially-responsible objectives and that reflect company values. Now more than ever, consumers are demanding that brands and retailers pay attention to and contribute to a socially-impactful footprint.  

On April 10th, my teammate Danielle and I packed our bags and boarded a plane to fly across the Atlantic.  We both had read pretty extraordinary things about our destination; that it was charming, had panoramic water views, and some of the best seafood around!  Countless friends had encouraged us to put this location on our respective vacation bucket lists, but neither of us had made it there yet and didn't know what to expect.

As you might imagine, TO THE MARKET's business model keeps our team on the road.  We aren't strangers to making quick trips halfway across the globe to spend time with our amazing makers and scout the best ethical suppliers, but this trip was different.  Danielle and I were relocating for a solid 10 weeks - to Lisbon, Portugal!

Sydney Price supporting Abahizi Rwanda’s team leaders.

GOOD BUSINESS MAKES GOOD SENSE

We recently caught up with Sydney Price, a long time advisor and friend to TO THE MARKET. She is an award-winning executive, ICF certified coach, inspirational speaker and the Founder of The Knew Purpose, a conscious leadership company.