What is social entrepreneurship?
“It is all about helping and connecting with people,” says Kyle Parsons, the founder of Indosole. Kyle founded Indosole after connecting with people of Bali, Indonesia while on a surfing trip in 2004. He was struck by the beauty of the country, the hospitality and craftsmanship of the people, but also the environmental issues affecting the community. Kyle was inspired by a unique pair of sandals he found to create a product that was fashionable, functional, and would work to solve the area’s pollution problem. Indosole takes old car and motorcycle tires from landfills in Bali and repurposes them into soles for footwear handmade by local craftsmen.
Indosole has saved just under 30,000 tires from Indonesian landfills, employees 40 Indonesian artisans, and has became a B-Corporation just within the first 6 years of operation. Kyle shares his great story of traveling across the country and then eventually across the world to find something he loved and a way to use that to make a difference. He also is very open about the logistical and financial barriers he faced trying to start an international social venture. Kyle gives us great insights on his strategy for raising capital and how he tapped into the support network of friends, family, and other social entrepreneurs to grow his business into what it is today.
What connections are you making to help grow your social business?
Listen to Part 2 of this interview coming on Wednesday, February 18th!
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