Social Innovation Cross-Post: Broken to Breakthrough

[Editor's Note: In the month of February, BCLC is seeking speaker proposals from innovative small businesses for a National Conference session called “Business Solutions to Address Community Challenges,” to take place on April 17 from  in Atlanta, GA. Small-business social innovators and social entrepreneurs -- we're looking for you!]

In today's Little PINK Book e-newsletter, blogger Christine Kim covered some great examples of how everyday people have created business opportunity from a problem or hurdle they faced in their lives. Did you know that the well-known brand Pepperidge Farm began in the 1930s in a housewife's kitchen as a way to address her child's allergies?  

With our small business call for proposals happening right now, we thought this article would be a perfect fit for BCLCblog. The full Little PINK Book article is shown here.

Broken to Breakthrough

Margaret Rudkin started Pepperidge Farm so her youngest son, who suffered from severe allergies and couldn’t eat most processed foods, could have a nutritious snack.

Business inspiration can come from the most unlikely places, like the shower or treadmill.

For Corinne Adams, founder of C Glass Jewelry, the idea was literally formed from shattered glass after someone broke into her car.

Adams came out of an exercise class to find her window smashed. After her feelings of anger and frustration subsided, “I noticed how beautiful the broken glass was in the sunlight,” she says.

Six months later, the idea clicked. She began creating jewelry made out of shattered glass for herself and her friends.

By keeping an open mind, Adams turned a bad situation into something not just positive, but profitable. “Stories lead to sales,” she says. “People aren’t just buying jewelry; they’re buying a reminder that grace comes when we least expect it.”

After Shenekia Loud’s son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, she received little help from physicians about how to care for her child’s illness. Loud says this motivated her “to provide the education, care and compassion I didn’t receive, to other patients and families in need.”

She went on to found The Kenkou Group, a healthcare concierge that works with clients from professional athletes to busy working moms.

Adams’ top tips for businesswomen looking to turn tragedy into triumph: “follow your passion and let the idea lead you to its audience. The more personal a business is, the easier it is to make connections.”