Susan Bell, founder: Satch & Sol

In the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar, a group of local artisans gathers in a tent-like structure called a ger. Using time-honored felting and knitting techniques, the artisans continue the traditions of Mongolian culture while creating handmade slippers, sweaters, and accessories. Each handcrafted item tells a story, both of the country’s history and its future. These traditional artisans are part of the GER (Growing Entrepreneurship Rapidly) initiative, a cooperative that takes its name from the tents in which the artisans work. GER promotes the creation of stable small businesses throughout Mongolia, thereby supporting communities and families upended during decades of communist rule.

When social entrepreneur Susan Bell first saw the handmade Mongolian crafts, she also recognized the country’s story of tradition and promise. The former marketing director and consultant knew she wanted to launch her own eco-friendly business with an emphasis on fair trade practices, but she simply could not find the right product. Ultimately, inspiration came from the unlikeliest of places. Her in-laws returned from a trip overseas with beautiful hand-felted gifts from Mongolia for their young grandson. Bell admits that she looked at the gifts and “the gears just starting rolling.”

In 2008, she founded Satch & Sol, a business that partners with artisan cooperatives worldwide to offer quality handmade crafts and accessories. All of the items in Satch & Sol’s collection are crafted using traditional knitting and felting techniques, and Bell emphasizes that “Satch & Sol’s artists set their own prices to provide themselves true livable wages while creating the art that they love.”

Satch & Sol is certainly a dream fulfilled for Bell. While still a student at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, she recalls “waking up” to the ideas of socially responsible business. “Visiting speakers, from big and small businesses, speaking about ethical and environmental concerns and business practices made a big impression on me while I was a student,” she says. She entered the corporate world after graduation, hoping that big business would allow her to make a big impact on how people buy and sell their products. After working several years in marketing and product development positions, she left big business to spend more time with her two young sons.

Time at home proved to be exactly what she needed. “I realized I was ready to do my own thing,” she says. “I wanted to be an entrepreneur to be able to build a business and a brand from the ground up. And, I wanted that brand to be grounded in fair trade and earth-friendly intentions from its origin. While in the corporate world, I didn’t feel like I was making enough of an impact, nor was I setting a strong example for my kids.” After learning more about the GER initiative and artisan cooperatives in Mongolia, Bell was confident that she could make a big impact with her small business. She launched Satch & Sol in August 2008.

Bell recognizes the value in starting and staying small. She deals directly with a contact in Mongolia who helps her interact and communicate with the individual artists, so she knows exactly how and where her products are made. According to Bell, “supporting fair trade in Mongolia means keeping families together and traditional crafts alive while avoiding child labor and providing stable work for adults who might otherwise seek unsatisfactory factory employment in a neighboring country (China or Russia).”

Satch & Sol is also working to educate people about fair trade and eco-friendly products, and Bell hopes to persuade consumers to seek ethical options in all their buying decisions. She acknowledges that being “eco-friendly” is always something to strive for, and she continually tries to make improvements in this area.

Bell uses Satch & Sol to support her local community as well, often donating to craft fairs and fundraisers in the Seattle area where she lives with her husband (Sam) and two young boys (Satchel and Solomon), for whom her business is named. Keeping her business small means that Bell has a very tight budget for marketing, so much of her advertising is done by word of mouth, either online or in her own community. In fact, hearing from satisfied customers is one of the most satisfying parts of her business, and she hopes that boutiques throughout the United States will continue to carry products in the Satch & Sol collection.

Satch & Sol brings the traditions of Mongolian artistry to the United States while supporting the artisans who will guide Mongolia’s future. With Satch & Sol, Bell has succeeded in building a business on the core values of fair trade and social responsibility. She will continue to work, as she always has, “for the love of family and earth.”