Smathers & Branson

When we founded Smathers & Branson® in 2004, we had no idea where the journey would take us. We had a business plan, but had not yet given thought to the social impact that our venture might have. Needlepoint is a remarkably time consuming and skilled art form, so our journey commenced with finding those skilled artisans that would eventually help turn this idea into a reality. We found a man in Vietman who would soon become our partner, co-worker, and dear friend. He was raised in a small rice farming village and was fortunate enough to attend college and get a job at a state-run manufacturing company. His education and work experience granted him the knowledge to start his own business, which he hoped could bring opportunity and prosperity back to his home village. During our inaugural visit to Vietnam, he introduced us to the concept of a cottage industry. At our first few meetings, we listened carefully as our new partner laid out his vision to teach our needlepoint craft to 100 people (mostly friends and family) from his village. His idea of a cottage industry sounded wonderful-we'd be providing jobs for people in his community and they'd still have the autonomy to work from home and the flexibility to work around each rice harvest. Over the next few weeks, we began to put his plan into action. Everyone worked together to perfect our product and adopt the lofty quality standards we had set. We witnessed the beginnings of a cottage industry that we were helping create and also felt inspired to be a part of something that was benefiting this village. Many of the women were so happy that they had found a way to stay home with their children while also being able to work on their own schedule. We came to know many of the families in this village and were touched that they were so grateful for the jobs we were creating in their community. At the same time, we felt such gratitude for the beautiful work they were doing and the part they were playing in the creation of our product. By the end of our trip, we had a product to sell and a production chain that we were proud of. We went to Vietnam to find a way to manufacture high quality needlepoint and we ended up planting the seeds for a cottage industry that would grow beyond what we had imagined. Over the next decade, what started as 100 people in one small village would blossom into a thriving cottage industry spanning dozens of villages, providing us with thousands of reminders what we are trying to accomplish every day.