Celebrating 10 Years of Empowering Trafficking Survivors and Marginalized Groups

It seems unreal that this small business is still going after all these years.

You may have heard about the pieces that came together to start Made for Freedom. Still, in case you have not, it was a passion to do something to fight human trafficking, getting a better understanding of the concept, social enterprise, and a crazy number of compliments on my favorite international pants. (When a woman chases you down in a parking lot to ask about your pants, you know something is up!) Yes, these are the things God used to land me in the role of social entrepreneur.

I knew I needed to learn more about human trafficking to understand better what could be helpful, so I planned to participate in a two-week research trip to India. I told a marketing friend about the concept, and he came up with the name Made for Freedom. I also set an appointment with Bret, a friend and successful fashion industry business owner, to present the idea of Made for Freedom. He liked the concept, so I asked if he would be my mentor. (I had no idea that tormentor was part of the role of mentor… He takes both roles seriously.) He agreed and listed the three most important things I needed to do to get started.
1) Write an executive summary
2) Trademark the name
3) Write the business plan

I left his office and immediately changed the first task on the list.

1) Google "What is an executive summary?" 

On October 17, 2011, Made for Freedom was officially registered as an LLC. I didn’t have enough money to get a trademark on Made for Freedom, but I figured taking ownership of the domain madeforfreedom.com and having a registered LLC would be enough to protect it for a while.

Now, you might be a little embarrassed for me right now. "Dawn, 2011 is 13 years ago, not 10." I know I’m not great with numbers, but I am aware. Let me explain a few things I had going on.

2011

• Got married.
• God dropped the concept in my lap.
• Registered LLC.
• Claimed domain.
• Started building a team of volunteers.
• Worked three part-time jobs.

2012

• Two-week research trip to India.
• Immersed myself in business books, training, and pitch competitions. 
• Tried to figure out how to write a business plan.
• Started working with the team on crowdfunding.
• Worked four part-time jobs. (I think it was officially six, not four)

2013

• Applied for three start-up competitions without getting any grants.
• I did get $1000 for being "People’s Choice." (Maybe because they were so impressed I could untie and tie my pants while doing a 30-second pitch!)
• Met and hired a social entrepreneur coach and revamped the business plan.
• Finalized redesign of CREABELI Pants.
• Found center providing jobs to make an initial run of pants and other items.
• Applied for a $5000 Kiva 0% interest crowdlending loan.
• It was funded in a little over two weeks.
• Launched our Indigogo crowdfunder and raised $7,709.
• The kickoff event was interrupted by tornado sirens, so everyone had to vacate the event space and go to the basement of the building.
• Quit a couple of jobs.

2014
March

• Applied again and was a finalist in Washington University’s Youthbridge Social Enterprise and Innovation Competition (SEIC).
• Applied again, was rejected, and then reconsidered as an Arch Grants finalist.
• Our first order of pants arrived…while I was in the final days of preparing for both grant competitions!!!

April

• Brentmoor Foundation was known for funding tech start-ups. God had other plans.
• Made for Freedom, a fashion business, was granted $25,000 from the Brentmoor Foundation.
• Arch Grants was known for high-growth start-ups. God had other plans.
• Made for Freedom, a social enterprise, was granted $50,000 from Arch Grants.

There you have it. Two St. Louis business competition grants and our first shipment of CREABELI Pants in 2014. Thus, we are going to call this our 10-year celebration.

So much has happened since then.

• Partnerships with 20+ centers
• 35,000 hours of dignified employment generated
• Made for Freedom Foundation, 501c3, established
• First round of educational scholarships granted
• Preparing to launch several new initiatives

If I were to say it has been easy, I would be lying. But has it been worth it? Absolutely. I'm so incredibly thankful to every team member, volunteer, customer, coach, and advisor for this opportunity. God has allowed me to grow and be stretched while creating significant impact in the fight against human trafficking.

Thank you.

We will culminate a month-long celebration with an in-person and online event. I would be honored if you would join us for our 10-year celebration. (It will be in the same building as our crowdfunding kickoff event. I’ve talked to the facilities people and requested that all tornado warnings be postponed!)

Get Your Tickets Here

I will share more in the days leading up to the event, but space for the in-person event is limited, so you may want to get your tickets early. Proceeds from ticket sales will help fund future scholarships for survivors.

With much gratitude,
Dawn