Blog - United Sewing and Design

United Sewing and Design 2021 Social Enterprise Report

Each year in CT, social enterprises are required to report their progress toward fulfilling their social impact goals for the previous year. (Click on the 2020 report to see how far we’ve come.) This post is the United Sewing and Design report for 2021 reviewing our progress toward meeting our social mission goals.

They are:

To employ highly skilled, formerly incarcerated individuals in production processes
To divert materials from the waste stream into our business and prevent materials from our manufacturing processes from entering the waste stream

Goal 1: Employ highly skilled, formerly incarcerated individuals in production processes

2021 was an event filled year for United Sewing and Design and all of our team members! On March 9^th, we moved into our workroom in the reSET Social Enterprise Trust incubator space on Bartholomew Ave. in Hartford, CT. This supported our growth from a decentralized manufacturing model employing independent contractors to a centralized manufactory with employees. Since then, our team has grown to 4 full time and one part time employee and a local technical designer.

We are fortunate to have three returning citizens on our team. They all graduated from the State of Connecticut’s training program in the construction of products using flexible materials. The State has two training programs, one in Suffield and one in Niantic. In these programs, inmates learn the basics of pattern making. The also use a variety of industrial cutting and sewing equipment and learn quality control. Our employees, also received advanced training in sample making and sewing machine maintenance. Our current projects focus on knitwear, gear bags, dog beds, table linens, high end bridal veils and re-enactor costumes.

Grant award

In November of 2021, United Sewing and Design was awarded a grant of over $9300 from the CT Women’s Business Development Council. The funds are designated for the purchase of a new computerized lock stitch machine and a new computerized cover stitch machine. We are extremely grateful to receive this grant. The machines will greatly speed up our processes, improve our quality and offer opportunities for our employees to upgrade their skills.

Training Opportunity

Additionally, because of the location of my business and our social mission of hiring returning citizens, I was nominated to enter the Inner City Capital Connections training program designed by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City. In this program, executives prepare their businesses for future success and for the process of seeking capital. Participating in this training has helped boost my marketing program, and improved my leadership and financial management skills.

Goal 2: Diverting materials from the waste stream into our business and preventing materials from our manufacturing processes from entering the waste stream

In 2021, we collected equipment and materials from all over the state of CT. We distributed it to various non-profits such as Chrysalis Center in Hartford. Because of our increased manufacturing capacity, we have stored more than 500 pounds of material and paper scraps. We will be recycling all of that during events this spring. Stay tuned to our social media to find out more about our upcoming textile recycling event to support our neighbor, Hands on Hartford.

2022 and Beyond

Last year, we added four new industrial sewing machines, two new pieces of cutting equipment, a new 5′ x 10′ cutting table, plus multiple storage units. We continue to focus on improving work processes to produce our best work at the fastest pace possible to fill the needs of our customers. To that end, we will continue to add new equipment and new skills throughout 2022.

Follow my Instagram feed to find out what projects we’re working on (that aren’t patented) Subscribe to my YouTube channel for classes such as this video on choosing textiles for your products. In my emails to customers, I include a variety of business advice and info about trends in soft goods manufacturing. Join my email list by going to our Contact Us page and entering your info. You may also find the info in my blog useful. You can subscribe to that here.

Civil Rights, Economic equity, race relations, social enterprise

When Will It Stop?

In the year 1921, 100 years ago this weekend, May 31st through June 2nd became days that marked a turning point in the neighborhood of Greenwood, a section of the city of Tulsa, OK. By now, I’m sure (I hope) that you are aware of the horrific toll of death and destruction that the white residents of Tulsa perpetrated against the black residents and business owners of Greenwood.

Many recent print articles, books, documentaries, and radio broadcasts have been created to bring this incredibly vicious attack combining murder, arson, beatings, and looting to light. So, I won’t attempt to add to that. Instead, I want to point out one phrase that has been repeated often in the coverage of this horrendous event. It goes something like this as stated on the NPR program “All Things Considered” of 5/28/21

“The Tulsa Race Massacre was one of the worst incidents of racial violence in U.S. history.”

Let’s think about that statement for a second…not “the first” or “the last” or “the one and only” but “ONE OF THE WORST” incidents of racial violence! This is a statement of comparison. Expanded it might read, “of the many incidents of racial violence in the U.S. against black folk carried out by white folk, the Tulsa Massacre ranks as one of the worst when compared with numerous similar incidents before or after this date in 1921.”

I bring the above consideration to your attention with the hope that you will allow yourself more than a few minutes to ponder the question,

“WHEN WILL IT STOP”????

When will hate-filled incidents stop being a mainstay of our culture? Some are startling in their size, scope, and duration. Other events are the daily minutiae of discrimination. The claim that racism is not a deep-rooted, all-encompassing part of our society, is to deny the following:

the harassment and killing of black men because we assume they’re up to no good
on-going voter suppression
“redlining”
the deliberate placement of toxic industries adjacent to minority neighborhoods
underfunded urban schools
rampant health care disparities between the poor and the affluent
the many causes of mass incarceration

The issues listed are just in the past 100 years! As if this long list wasn’t bad enough, we continue government-led destruction of poor, minority neighborhoods. We just cloak the devastation in the shroud of highway construction and “urban renewal.”

How much longer do African American communities in our country have to wait for this to end before we take real, sustainable action???

Not coming to terms with the fact that racism permeates our society, from our daily thoughts to government policies, will prevent us from replying

“today…it will stop today, even if it just stops with me.”

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

social enterprise

United Sewing and Design 2020 Social Enterprise Report

Each year in CT, social enterprises are required to report their progress toward fulfilling their social impact goals for the previous year. (Click on the 2019 report to see how far we’ve come.) This post is the United Sewing and Design report for 2020 reviewing our progress toward meeting our business goals.

They are:

hiring individuals who have barriers to getting and keeping well-paid employment and,
diverting materials from the waste stream into our business and preventing materials from our manufacturing processes from entering the waste stream

Goal 1: Hiring individuals who have barriers to getting and keeping well-paid employment

This year, I continued my focus on hiring formerly incarcerated individuals as independent contractors. I continued working with J.T. who now resides in East Hartford as my primary contractor as well as M.R. who resides in Hartford. These two individuals were well trained in the sewing shops in CT state institutions. Because of what I considered a lack of solid knowledge about COVID transmission, we continued to work remotely in our own workrooms throughout the year. In addition to manufacturing a variety of masks for local hospitals and medical facilities, we also manufactured quilts, apparel, bags, sports gear, home decor, and personal accessories.

In 2020, pay to independent contractors including the formerly incarcerated increased 600% over 2019 totals. Obviously, our capacity has greatly increased. Fortunately, we benefitted from the Pandemic instead of the alternative. Recently, the boom in some fields of manufacturing has been attributed to the fact that individuals with extra time and money decided that 2020 was their year to start on that product they always wanted to make. We benefitted from this trend because of our prototyping process, breadth of skills, our willingness to take on new challenges and to creatively problem-solve. We are able to pivot successfully from one type of sewn product prototyping and manufacturing to another by working closely with individuals and companies to satisfy their needs. These capabilities and attitudes also allowed us to quickly pivot to manufacture items that were popular during the pandemic such as masks.

Supporting Other Community Members

In addition to these two individuals, I also worked with Andrea Rowe, an accomplished seamstress who owns a Shop at the Westfarms Mall. I’ve known her for over a decade. Andrea experienced a significant downturn in the number of customers who came to her when the Mall fully closed during the beginning of the Pandemic and the permanent closure of Lord and Taylor occurred. The mall eventually reopened but with greatly reduced traffic. She considered closing her Shop so I was very glad to be able to help Andrea smooth over this income gap by bringing her work. In 2020, I also added an accomplished technical designer who can only work remotely. Having Tara helps broaden our offerings to customers.

Goal 2: Diverting materials from the waste stream into our business and preventing materials from our manufacturing processes from entering the waste stream

In 2020, we collected equipment and materials from all over the state of CT including from the Macys which closed in Meriden. A lot of fabric went to individuals and organizations for mask making. One of those organizations was Hartford Fashion Week which gathered donations of funds and materials to employ local designers and sewists in mask making. Masks were distributed to the United Way in Hartford and other non-profits in the field of family support.

In our workroom, we continue to sort our natural fibers, synthetic fibers, and paper for recycling. Natural fiber scraps are used whole or recycled by us, synthetic fiber materials are taken to Fabscrap in Brooklyn. Our donation to Fabscrap this year totaled 261 pounds of non-natural fiber materials.

Papers are shredded, soaked in water, put through a blender then mixed with cotton fibers to produce handmade paper. During this process, any information contained on the pages is rendered completely unrecognizable.

2021 and Beyond

As well as accepting larger orders from corporate customers, we continue to work with private individuals to help them design their products, create prototypes and execute small production runs. We have also increased our manufacturing capabilities to make larger runs of up to 1000 units. I am moving United Sewing and Design to a larger space in Hartford to support our customers. This move will also increase the number of formerly incarcerated individuals I can employ while maintaining social distancing. We will be renting space from reSET, Social Enterprise Trust. reSET is a non-profit incubator and support network for social enterprises like mine. Our new space will be on the second floor of 1429 Park St. at the corner of Bartholemew. This is an up-and-coming area of Hartford which is attracting new businesses, eateries, and housing. The area also continues to support manufacturers, retail, arts venues, and social support organizations. In the new space, we will be replacing older equipment as well as adding new equipment to enlarge our capacity, add new construction techniques, and speed up our production processes.

Follow my Instagram feed to find out what projects we’re working on (that aren’t patented) You can also learn tips for reducing the quantity of material you put into the waste stream, and how you can contribute to the cause of economic justice. Subscribe to my YouTube channel for classes such as this video on choosing textiles for your products. In my emails to customers, I include a variety of business advice and info about trends in soft goods manufacturing. You can join my email list by going to our Contact Us page and entering your info. You may also find the info in my blog useful. You can subscribe to that here.

Ethical Consuming, Ethical manufacturing, sewn manufacturing

Combating the Exploitation of People and our Environment by the Apparel Industry

A Note from Mary Ruth Shields. Owner of United Sewing and Design

I discovered Mary Ann Stewart on Instagram and was instantly struck by her passionate grasp of her status as a white, middle-class woman and eco-conscious apparel professional. Through her Instagram page (@freshcercle) and new “Bold and Brazen” podcast, she spreads nuggets of thoughtfulness and positivity about clothing consumption, history, and the environment. In this post, she discusses the work that white folks must engage in to:

learn about systemic racism and negative environmental impacts in the apparel industry;
unlearn the thoughts and actions that have built these systems; and
relearn a new way to think and act so that we arrive at a “beautiful future” for all.

I’m sure you will find her guest post below to be challenging, thought-provoking, and inspiring.

LEARN, UNLEARN, RELEARN

Mary Ann Stewart, eco fashion professional

by Mary Ann Stewart

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

~ Alvin Toffler (1928-2016)

Before I dive in, I want to state that I’m a white woman living in a suburban Massachusetts community. I’ve grown up and moved through this world with layers of privilege. Among other things, this privilege has enabled me to start an eco-fashion business in the middle of a global pandemic. But, the framework of this privilege has been built to serve all white people at the expense of black, brown, and indigenous people of color (BIPOC). I’m part of the problems this framework has created so I continue to learn, unlearn, relearn.

Enslavement Builds a Capitalist Society and Systemic Racism

There is documentation, according to the website history.com, that there were already captive Africans in the Americas as early as the 1400s; as early as 1526 in the region that would become the United States. However, it is understood that for at least 250 years, the labor of enslaved built the economic foundation of a new nation. From 1619 to 1865, millions of human beings were hunted and trapped in West Africa. They were ripped from their families and communities, crammed into the bowels of slave ships, and transported to the colonies. From the moment those first African laborers stepped ashore in Jamestown, VA in 1619,

slavery became part of American culture, establishing frameworks and systems of capitalism, employment, and advancement.

Massachusetts was the first among the new colonies to legalize slavery and the first ships were launched from here. Although gradually northern states abolished slavery, northerners did not need to *own* slaves to grow rich from the institution. Ship-building continued to flourish in coastal colonies, including abolitionist states in New England. Shipping tycoons in Rhode Island profited from nearly a thousand slave voyages bound for West Africa. Bankers in New York insured ships that brought captives to Charleston, SC. Distillers in Massachusetts imported molasses from Caribbean plantations and distributed rum to Africa. Textile manufacturers in Great Britain and New England turned southern cotton and indigo dye into cloth. The systemic racism and the racial injustices which grew from these capitalist activities were established well before the Civil War and continued after the Civil War, evinced in “Jim Crow” laws according to a 2014 article by the Equal Justice Initiative. And they continue right up to today.

Fashion’s Exploitation of People and Our Environment

Rachel Cargel, a Public Academic, Philanthropic Innovator, and Social Entrepreneur reminds us that antiracism work is NOT a self-improvement space for white people. She says if protecting bodies and empowering black lives aren’t at the center of our work then we’re not here at all for black people, we’re simply going through motions to make our white selves feel better. I’m grateful to have been directed to BIPOC activists for years. Their words and work have brought forth greater urgency for me to learn, unlearn, and relearn some American History, especially where it intersects with my interests and experiences with fabric and making or buying clothes.

I’ve come to understand today’s global fashion industry is a product of slavery, racism, colonialism, and deregulation.

The system established before this country’s founding is a system that relies on the exploitation of people and precious natural resources across a linear supply chain for maximum corporate profits. Right now we’re confronted with multiple, unresolved crises: The Pandemic. Racial Injustices. The Climate Crisis. Epic Wealth Inequality. They all point to the critical need for new systems. Fortunately, new systems are emerging and beginning to change the global landscape — circularity, sustainability, and regeneration among them. (See links for more about these new systems below) After generations of being in a dysfunctional relationship with systems for textile production, I’m grateful this is happening.

What We Can Do to Move Forward

Because the fashion industry is responsible for so much of the waste and toxicity currently devastating the environment, and as a one-woman maker studio committed to new systems of circularity, and regeneration, it’s important to clarify what people can do to move forward.

Transparency and accountability are critical. We must require companies to know and share how they’re turning away from production models established over four hundred years ago during our long history of colonialism, slavery, and racism. Companies must show a commitment to people and the planet over their brand’s desire for profit. They must establish a meaningful partnership with consumers, so we know who stitched their product, right through to who dyed the fabric, who made the fabric, and who farmed the fiber and under what conditions.

We must also embrace sustainability. Sustainability is an overarching term under which one finds numerous categories, whether we’re talking about food, furniture, or clothing. I understand something to be sustainable when it’s available for as long as possible. When it comes to clothing:

1. It’s the ethical and transparent sourcing of raw materials, obtained less along a linear supply chain than via circular ecosystems of regeneration and restoration.
2. It’s ethical labor practices for the humane and dignified treatment of people involved in the production of an item.
3. It’s the actual life and care required for an item once it’s in the consumer’s hands, and then, how to handle the item’s end of life/afterlife.

It’s up to brands to show how they’re mitigating the fashion industry’s negative impact: exploitation of people, and natural resources. It’s up to consumers to be critical thinkers, ask questions and demand transparency: Who started the business? What’s their Mission? Their Values? What’s their commitment to climate justice? To antiracism? Are they committed to the #15percentpledge? (See resource below.) If so, what’s their timeline for implementation to higher percentages?

A View of the Future

There’s nothing like a global pandemic to get us to stop and listen, examine, and work through our implicit and explicit biases. We’re key players in the work of dismantling these systems of power and we’ll have uncomfortable conversations in order to grow. Be an informed consumer. Shop responsibly. Demand transparency. I believe we can have a beautiful future with the healthy social structures necessary for our survival. They can only be created by courageous, self-aware people.

Who’s ready?

Some important resources for further understanding

“The fashion industry emits more carbon than international flights and maritime shipping combined. Here are the biggest ways it impacts the planet,” by Morgan McFall-Johnsen

US Chamber of Commerce Foundation: Circularity vs. Sustainability

“California Cotton Fields: Nathanael Siemens on a 10 Acre Model Toward Regeneration,” Fibershed, September 2019

“This Initiative Could Direct Billions of Dollars to Black-Owned Businesses,” by Cam Wolf

⸻⸻

Mary Ann Stewart sews, knits, and refashions clothing with lots of life still in it. She loves people, this earth, French-pressed coffee, and dancing to classic funk. Find out more about Mary Ann on her website www.freshcercle.com and follow her on instagram and facebook (@freshcercle). This post first appeared on the United Sewing and Design Blog.

Uncategorized

Essential Tutorial on Fibers, Fabric and Finishes

Earlier this spring I received a grant from the CT Department of the Arts and the CT Department of Economic and Community Development to present free online programming in response to the COVID crisis. One of my events was a presentation on textiles: what they’re made from, their structures and finishes. I created this presentation because so many of my customers lack knowledge on this subject, I realized that being more informed about textiles would save designers time, money and effort as well as making their lives easier when working with vendors such as myself. I have a Masters degree in textiles as well as over a decade of teaching textiles at the collegeate level. This presentation gives you an overview of an entire semester’s worth of material. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed presenting it!

Civil Rights, Economic equity, Frederick Douglass, race relations, social enrepreneur, social enterprise

Who is Independence Day For?

As white, middle-class folk usually do, we think that everything is about us. We also forget that everyone else may not live as we do, with all of the rights and priveledges we are accustomed to. It’s so easy to go about our daily lives, gliding from one hour to the next on a cushion of assumed understandings about what life should be like.

We live in a different society now. We cannot go back to the way things were, nor should we want to. We are called to re-examine our normal behaviors, our assumptions, our thoughts, and what lies beneath them. So, in honor of today, July 4th, 2020, our country’s 244th birthday, I ask, who is Independence Day for?

Instead of proffering my opinion on this question, may I offer an excerpt from one of Frederick Douglass’ most famous speeches, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July.” Mr. Douglass gave this speech on July 5, 1852, to an abolitionist group in Rochester, NY. I found the excerpt at tolerance.org, a website for educators. The entire speech can be read here.

Below the text is a link to a short video in which Mr. Douglass’ descendants recite selected passages from the speech and offer their thoughts on our current situation. I also include several links to my past blog posts on related social issues.

“…Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? and am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us?

Would to God, both for your sakes and ours, that an affirmative answer could be truthfully returned to these questions! …

But such is not the state of the case. I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth [of] July is yours, not mine.

Continue reading “Who is Independence Day For?” →

race relations, sewn manufacturing, social enrepreneur, social enterprise

Take Action. Speak Up.

Sculpture by Tara Springer, Graduate sculpture student at the Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Image curtesy of — Sculpture by Tara Springer, Graduate sculpture student at the Tyler School of Art, Temple University. Image courtesy of Streets Dept

Writer’s Note: Before we can go about the business of social change in our country, we need to know and accept fully that our American society is based on racism. Racist attitudes and actions by white people against Black, Brown, Asian and Indigenous people continue to be systemic in every social structure, and every organization, governmental or private. Racism is present in the full light of day in the actions of many white citizens of our country. And, as much as we hate to admit it, racist thoughts lurk in the minds of the majority of every other white person in America, including myself. Although we know how difficult it will be to actively combat this racism, especially in our own minds, we must be diligent and vigilant. Our efforts will not be perfect. I/we will make mistakes. But, we must learn from those mistakes and then move forward again in faith that our efforts are just.

Race Relations and the Color Divide

About a decade ago, I began thinking of race from the point of view of an artist. Here’s why. Artists often compose with color in their work. They understand that white is a color just like every other color including every version of black, red, brown and yellow. As artists apply it, white isn’t invisible, it’s not a lack of color, it’s not a section in a composition that is unnoticed or forgotten. If we extend this thought, we also notice that, although white is not the same as the other colors, it is not any more or less valued in a composition. It shares in the development of the artwork, sometimes moving to the fore, sometimes into the background, sometimes absent altogether. “White” is not one color, it has many shades: ecru, off white, eggshell, bright white, etc.

Let’s agree that using white is a choice that an artist makes when, in their mind, the composition requires it. White, like any other color, can be symbolic in the hands of an artist. Like any other color, it can be used to convey meaning. But, using white in a composition can also be devoid of symbolism; political or religious opinions, or emotion. Because I’m an artist, I know that sometimes, the choice of using a color in a composition is completely devoid of any extraneous thought altogether. It may simply be a reaction to what I see in front of me or in my mind as being appropriate.

From those thoughts, I arrived at the phrase to describe a human as being, “a color other than white” instead of a “person of color.”

Thoughts of “the Other”

The reason that I have an issue with the phrase, “a person of color,” is that the phrase still reeks of division and the comparisons that have led us to the untenable situation we find ourselves in now. The phrase still perpetuates the concept of the “other.” Looking at and thinking of someone as the “other” is the slippery slope that allows us to add additional attributes to that “other.” Attributes such as, “they aren’t as smart as me, they aren’t as honest as me, they aren’t as successful as me, they don’t deserve to have what I have, I don’t need to respect them as much (or at all!) as people who look like me, they don’t share my values”, and on and on…. All of these false attributes that we stick on the “other” inevitably lead to, “I’m afraid of them.” Thinking of someone as the “other” also allows us to think of our fellow humans as beneath us. It allows us to devalue them. It allows us to not bother learning about them. Worst of all, it gives us an excuse to disrespect them.

A Chance for Change

The point of this phrase, “a color other than white” is to understand that although we may seem different in many ways from someone else, deep down we are all the same. I don’t mean just in our bodily structure and functions. I mean that we all need and want the same things. We want ourselves and our families to be safe which includes living in a safe place and the freedom to move about without fear. We want to feel happy most of the time. This includes being well-fed and in good health. We want the best for those around us including the best education possible and engaging, well-paid work that leaves us feeling good about our contributions.

apparel design, Economic equity, social enterprise

United Sewing and Design 2019 Social Enterprise Report

Each year in CT, social enterprises are required to report their progress toward fulfilling their social impact goals for the previous year. (Click on 2018 last year’s report to see how far we’ve come.) This post is the United Sewing and Design report for 2019 about our progress toward meeting our business goals which are:

hiring individuals who have barriers to getting and keeping well-paid employment and,
diverting materials from the waste stream into our business and preventing materials from our manufacturing processes from entering the waste stream

Goal 1: Hiring individuals who have barriers to getting and keeping well-paid employment

This year we began to focus on adding formerly incarcerated individuals to our pool of collaborators. We connected directly with the Department of Corrections Correctional Enterprises of Connecticut system that manages commercial enterprises within the Osborn Correctional Institution in Enfield, CT and the York Correctional facility in Niantic. The apparel manufacturing facility at Enfield includes a very well developed system of managing inventory, workflow and output. It includes patterning, plotting, automated cutting, sewing, packaging and shipping. Inmates are also employed in a computerized embroidery shop with the capacity to digitize patterns and render them on patches, apparel and hats. The female inmates at York sew mostly flat goods including sheets, towels and laundry bags using a variety of equipment. These activities greatly enhance the capabilities of the individuals making them highly skilled candidates for employment once they transition into society. Read my blog post about why you should employ formerly incarcerated folks here.

In 2019 our pay to independent contractors M.I. in Middlesex County and J.T. in Hartford County increased by 49% over 2018. Our work at the moment is mostly developing, prototyping and manufacturing small runs of patented products for individual designers including pet products, sporting gear and apparel. These designers also include an exciting group of inspired, urban designers in the Hartford area. We are actively involved in growing a vertically integrated apparel industry in CT along with groups such as Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Our efforts also include creating connections between designers, producers of textiles, trims and yarn and providers of services such as knitting, dyeing and embroidery in the region.

Business Owners: Put Down that Advice Book and Read this Instead

Across That Bridge, A Vision for Change and the Future of America by Congressman John Lewis is a must read for business owners. — My own copy of “Across That Bridge” has been stuffed in my bag or pocket many times.

Business Owners: Change Your Thinking!

Collectively, we business owners have read hundreds of business advice books. You know the typical topics: how to squeeze more productivity out of every second of your day, what entrepreneurs eat for breakfast, how to pump up your sagging profits. Blah, blah, blah.

My advice…read something more holistic that will impact every function of your business.

I write about the books I’m reading because mindset matters. What’s going on in your head has a profound, impact on the everyday decisions that business owners make. You can begin by reading my post about Zeynep Ton’s “Good Jobs Strategy to you improve your profitability. Then, inject some creativity into your business by reading about Pagan Kennedy’s Inventology: How We Can Dream Up Things That Change the World”

Read “Across That Bridge” Instead

Just lately, I finished “Across That Bridge, A Vision for Change and the Future of America” by Congressman John Lewis our county’s most influential, living, civil rights leader. I heard his commencement address at my son’s 2013 graduation from RPI. So, while I am reading his writing, I can hear his musical way of speaking in my head. He reminds me of old school African American preachers. His writing style captures their passionate, lyrical, thoughtful way of preaching.

Before you start reading his books, I recommend watching this short video of Congressman Lewis with Stephen Colbert. In it, Lewis speaks about “getting into good trouble,” (be sure to watch till the end for something you’ll never see Lewis do again). Or, watch that RPI commencement address in which he speaks about “keeping the faith,” and “walking with the wind.”

In “Across That Bridge,” Lewis outlines seven concepts which business leaders can employ to build their business, stay motivated, and do good.

Where Will You Find Your Next Manufacturing Employee?

Sewing contractors such as myself often complain about the lack of skilled labor in our field. This is a common complaint from many manufacturers, especially in CT. What’s your plan for finding your next workforce resource? Need a suggestion?

I have a source of pre-trained, vetted employees whose current supervisors vouch for their training, abilities, demeanor, and attitude. I know exactly what these potential employees have been working on in their professional lives potentially for years before. I know that their training also included soft skills such as being responsible and respectful. And, on top of all of that, they were recommended to me by their direct supervisors as someone I can trust to get the job done. Are you sold? Imagine the huge load having this source would take off your shoulders! How about if I share my source with you? read more!