Sasibai Kimis is the founder of Earth Heir, a social enterprise that helps artisans in marginalised communities develop sustainable income streams by using their traditional craftmanship to make beautiful bags and accessories.  In doing so, Earth Heir is also preserving traditional craftsmanship and techniques in Malaysia and beyond.

The goal of Earth Heir, is to work themselves out of business.  If artisans have the skills they need to access markets for their products themselves, they are no longer reliant on intermediaries.  That’s the impact Earth Heir is creating.  They are almost like an incubator for Malaysian artisans.  They are also one of Malaysia’s first B-Corporations and are Fair Trade Certified.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Leaving a well-paid corporate career to start a social enterprise;
• The challenges that artisans face in accessing markets for their products;
• How Earth Heir is incorporating circularity into their business model;
• How Earth Heir measures their impact;
• Balancing social entrepreneurship with other life goals like marriage and family;
• Sasibai’s next project – developing a hub for sustainable businesses in Malaysia to collaborate and learn from eachother.

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