has stories from artists, musicians, writers, and directors about where they find their spark. It's also available as an Liz Forkin Bohannon and Sseko Sandals
Monday, October 3, 2011 at 5:20PM ;)
I met Liz Forkin Bohannon in 2010 at Seth Godin's fantastic workshop for women entrepreneurs. Her ebullience and humor are what I noticed first, and then I began to understand the determination and imagination that have allowed her to develop a successful company from scratch. With the money she'd saved from babysitting jobs and a sewing machine her parents gave her for her birthday, Liz began Sseko Sandals, which employs young women in Uganda so they can earn the money they need to go to university.
I'm thrilled that Liz is my first Pursuit of Spark interview! This week Liz talks about how she got Sseko off the ground.
Spark: Liz Forkin Bohannon and Sseko Sandals by Sparkwork
Right after college, Liz went to Uganda to work for the Cornerstone Leadership Academy. She fell in love with the students, who came from poor families, and asked the school's founder what she could do for them once she returned to the US. He asked her to figure out a way to help young women earn the money to go on to college.
;)
Liz's first idea was a chicken farm -- and we're lucky she quickly abandoned that concept and moved on to create sandals that could be made in Uganda and worn by women all over the U.S.
Next week, Liz talks about the challenges and pleasures of working with her husband, Ben. They just left their new hometown of Portland, Oregon to travel to Uganda to meet their new employees. You can read more about Liz, Ben and Sseko in Oregon Live.
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