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Today, I’m joined for a candid talk with a founder and CEO that I greatly respect, Barrett Ward of the conscious lifestyle brand ABLE.
ABLE is on a mission to challenge the culture of the fashion industry by creating transformative opportunities for women. Last fall, they became the first brand to publish their lowest wages, starting with their Nashville Headquarters and home to their jewelry studio. And they’re continuing with audits of their partners in Ethiopia, Peru, Mexico, Brazil and India.
In my conversation with Barrett we talk all about this radical decision to choose progress and transparency over perfection, and how this is affecting ABLE. We also get specific on other behind-the-scenes details that every purpose-driven founder should know such as what kinds of funding they raise, and how it’s allocated, to their sales channels and marketing approaches.
It’s all in this exclusive episode with the cover interviewee of Issue #15 — Barrett Ward of ABLE.
In Today’s podcast episode, you’ll learn:
- Why women’s employment and wages are the most powerful tool we have for poverty alleviation globally
- Why paying higher-than-average wages doesn’t need to lead to higher prices on your products.
- How to choose radical transparency as a founder, highlighting your weaknesses to your customers — why it’s the right thing to do, and why it works
- What first steps to take as a company to be more transparent with your customers
- Barrett’s behind-the-scenes founder advice on dealing with vendors, raising capital, and marketing
