On an otherwise reasonable evening in July, over 1000 people packed an auditorium in Boulder Colorado for the culmination of the Unreasonable Institute. They came to watch 12 ventures, tackling some of the world’s greatest challenges, take the stage and share their plans to help define progress in our time. This is one of those talks.
The entrepreneur in this video is Patrick Woodyard of Nisolo.
What Does Nisolo Do?
Nisolo connects Peruvian shoe-makers with the US market for their high-quality leather shoes. In our first year and a half of operation, we generated $360,000 in revenue from over 4,000 customers and increased the incomes of 30 Peruvian shoe-makers by up to 400%.
We provide access to capital, training, knowledge of outside markets, and well-established distribution channels for our artisans. After visiting with over 100 shoemakers in Trujillo, Peru, and completing strenuous needs assessments to understand the barriers that this particular group of artisans faced, we found that our part in establishing sustainable livelihoods could be to help create a healthy manufacturing/distribution environment to grow their endeavors. This has meant everything from fronting capital to re-structuring operations to hours on end improving quality and design. Our ability to ensure a desirable product on the market and a sustainable manufacturing model has gotten us to where we are today. Our hope is that our model will create access for innumerable artisans tomorrow.