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GREATEST PERSON
OF THE WEEK
HUFFINGTON
07.22.12
This is
not going to
be anything
that’s ever
going to make
me rich.
in,” Edmundson said. “They just
weren’t ready for this product.
They weren’t used to it.”
His slow build to profitability
started to pay off in 2008 when
the company made a profit for the
first time. He then sent all of that
money back to Nepal as a holiday
gift to his workers. According to
Edmundson, about $7,000 was
paid back to his artisans as a holiday bonus and as regular bonuses
throughout the year. He also hosted a holiday party that year for the
workers to celebrate their success.
But then everything went
south. Fuel charges went up, the
dollar went down and material
costs for hemp, cotton and wool
doubled. Backed partially by Edmundson’s wife, who works to
support the family, Earth Divas
has only made a profit one year
since it launched in 2004.
“I’ve said that if it doesn’t happen this year, I’m done. And I’ve
been saying that every year for the
past five years. For some reason I
keep doing it,” Edmundson said.
“I know that when this business
reaches $1 million a year it will
be self-sustaining and that’s my
goal in life — to get it to the point
where I don’t have to put money
into it, that it will be able to function on its own without me doing everything,” he added.
“And we’re getting there.”
Edmundson
strives to pay
his artisans
as much as
possible,
returning 100
percent of
the profits to
the workers.