Meet Shannon Keith | Founder + CEO, Sudara

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shannon Keith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shannon, do you disagree with some advice that is more or less universally accepted?
One of the most significant pieces of conventional advice that I find false is that hard work leads directly to financial success. I simply do not see evidence of this in my life or the lives of others. Sure, we must work hard, but there seem to be systems built and legacy social underpinnings that continue to operate around who you know. I am reminded of the story of the Bank of Italy that became the Bank of America’s founder, Amadeo Giannini. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, he gave loans to those who had lost everything from a simple handshake. He said he could tell from the callouses on their hands that they were a good bet. We need a little more of this in the investment world. Social networks and pedigrees should not be the predominant measurement for entrepreneurial investment or large business transactions.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Sudara is a Benefit Corporation that offers a beautiful line of apparel and goods crafted by brave women in India who wish to remain free from the sex trade.

In 2005, my husband and I traveled to India on a mission to build a well for a small community. What I didn’t realize until we arrived was that the project was for a brothel community. This was completely eye-opening because I had no idea that brothels were common in India, and soon came to learn that other forms of sex slavery such as temple prostitution and families forcing their children into the sex trade were not uncommon. Looking into the eyes of the women and children before me I realized that with the right skills training, education, and opportunities that they could lift themselves out of poverty and out of the vicious multi-generational cycle of servitude. Knowing that the women and children came from various educational backgrounds, I thought that if we could teach them a trade of their choosing such as tailoring, they’d be able to stand on their own feet and never again be vulnerable to their circumstances; out of poverty and into economic independence.

I returned home from that trip and left my corporate sales job to form a small team of family and friends who wanted to dedicate their time to empowering vulnerable women in India. Together, we looked for groups on the ground in India that were compelled to have a positive impact and help women looking for a way out of the Red Light Districts. We knew that safe, steady, and living-wage employment would be a pathway to freedom and offer life-changing choices for women and their families.

We started out as a nonprofit organization because that was before social enterprises existed, but in 2015 we were one of the first businesses to officially become a certified Benefit Corporation (B Corp). Today, there are more 2.5 times the number of B Corps than there were when Sudara became certified. Our business model is unique in that we have two entities – both a B Corp and a nonprofit organization – fueled to serve our mission to eradicate sex slavery. Revenue generated from our ethically made apparel and accessories is reinvested in employable skills training and job placement programs in India, while donations through our nonprofit go toward wraparound services such as safe housing, counseling, medical care, meals, education, and childcare.

We’re still working on overcoming challenges. We’re one of the “best-kept secrets” in spite of our best efforts to raise awareness of our org and mission. To achieve our mission we know that collaboration and doubling down on building partnerships is the way to exponentially increase our reach. It’s not about the goods we sell, it’s about helping more women break the cycle of sex slavery. Being the lean team that we are, finding the right partners who want to actively do good – and do good right now – is our greatest challenge.

We want the world to know that you as an individual, and “you” as an organization, have the power to do something about the atrocity that is human trafficking, which is the second-fastest-growing crime in the world. You can start today by redirecting your dollars. How do you spend your money? Who do you partner with in business? How do you know whether the supply chains you support are ethical?

Starting with these questions, making time to answer them, and identifying areas where you can make shifts is an actionable and bold first step you can take right now. Think about who in your community is “doing good.” Can you partner with them to strengthen their mission and do more good together?

In short, if you’re a business owner, wholesaler, or distributor, choose brands with ethical supply chains. If you’re a decision-maker at a corporation, choose employee gifts and client gifts that come from ethical brands. And as a consumer, do your research on the brands you support on a daily basis. Demand more from your favorite stores and suppliers.

It’s time to take action. The way forward is together.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would start with the LA/Hollywood area. Of course, anyone can attend the traditional tourist traps, but there are some best-kept secrets for the locals.

First, I would suggest an early hike in Runyan Canyon. Many Angelenos hike the space and know the area, but the coolness of the canyon is that the property belonged to Errol Flynn. I like to think about Hollywood in the 1930s. What a raw, new, full-of-possibilities place it must have been, and the view is limitless on a clear day.

Later that day, I would tell them to have a picnic above the hubbub. Greystone Mansion on Doheny has the beauty of old Hollywood (1920s and 1930s) and gives you a break from the crazy bustle of the city. It is a favorite locale for Hollywood to shoot for films and commercials. Both places are FREE OF CHARGE, so you can slip into the past and imagine a different, vibrant Los Angeles that was full of possibilities.

The next day, I would encourage them to travel to the Westside, a day of art and sunsets. An early morning start at the Getty will introduce them to one of the world’s most well-thought-out museums and research facilities. Lunch on campus could be fun to see the views and hear one of the many lectures The Getty Center offers.

After lunch, when the morning coastal fog has “burned off,” head west to the beach. I was a student at Pepperdine, so my favorite beach is Zuma. It offers expansive beaches and fewer crowds. Dinner in Malibu after the beach will complete a busy and beautiful day.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The reason Sudara exists is to end sex slavery in India, where the majority of sex trafficking occurs in the world; so the group of people we dedicate our shoutout to is the evergrowing group of brave women and children we support who are overcoming obstacles and now on pathways to freedom. Breaking the bonds of slavery in India is difficult. Poverty, lack of education, gender inequalities, and the caste system are all barriers to avoiding and escaping the sex trade. That’s why we actively tackle these barriers and lift women up to empower them so that they can thrive on their own. Each woman in our program has her own unique journey and story to tell, but one common thread is the courage to overcome unthinkable challenges while on the quest for freedom.

Who else deserves a little credit and recognition? Our team. We’ve all sacrificed conventional success because we believe in the heart and soul of this organization. And we certainly would not be successful without our customers and partners who we refer to as our Sudara Family. We lift up those who recognize that putting people and the planet on par with profit is the only way forward, and why doing business differently is imperative to the change we want to see in the world.

Website: www.sudara.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sudaragoods/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sudara-inc.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sudaragoods

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sudaragoods/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOrCVWU2s2alpWmEj2FQi1g