By Anna Marie Stauss

How do I say what is in my heart, what keeps me up at night, what I hope for and how far we’ve come after nine years in this business? To unravel my thoughts, as that is what I feel compelled to do this year, the first thing I have to say is how very grateful I am to still be in business. Thanks to our customers and the many retailers that have given us a chance.

Visit Sinko Corp. at booth #S150.

My heart would like to say our business is unique because it employs the desperately poor who otherwise would not have an opportunity to earn, but I have come to know that most employers feel the weight of responsibility to provide for those working for them. The weight of it is more then I had anticipated when I began this journey. Now, I feel it an honor and a privilege to bear. Even if I fail, I have supported more than 230 families for many years. That is what is in my heart along with the passionate desire to do more for them.

What keeps me up at night is the constant dialogue of the day-to-day details of the running of it. Keeping all the balls in the air, so to speak. This year has been the most challenging since we started. This year we have added a marketing manager who has done great work on branding, a second production manager in India to refine the production process and added three new products to the mix and expanded into a second village. On the other hand, our push to get distribution out of our small warehouse was a disaster that consumed precious time, resources and our ability to deliver. This effort cost us so much it was truly heartbreaking. Village elders who are holding our materials ransom so they can line their pockets at the expense of the women we promised to help derailed our promising start in the second village. I struggled with health and my partner with caring for an elderly mother. I am so glad her family has returned to California and that we are all on the mend.

What I hope for is that the commitments made to us last year are met and that we somehow find the funding to secure production in India. I hope to be able to rent some office space and hire a couple of sales people and an accounts receivable person. Miracles have happened over these years so I will continue to hope.

How far have we come? Well, we have survived nine years of doing business in a nontraditional way despite the many obstacles set before us. We now have 23 SKUs in three product lines and have maintained our mission of selling handmade organic housewares that benefit those who make, sell and use them, as well as our planet.