We recently connected with Anne Drane and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Anne, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

Yes, I am definitely happier as a social entrepreneur. There is a deep joy in finding your purpose and using it in service of others. It’s not just about building a business; it’s about knowing your time on this earth made a real difference that a mother was able to feed her child, or light up her home at night, because of something you helped create. That kind of impact gives my life meaning. It makes the struggle worth it.

But I’d be lying if I said I never think about what it would be like to have a regular job. Building something from scratch is hard. It’s exhausting. The work never really ends, and the lows can be really low. There have been times when our account was at zero and payroll was coming up, and I didn’t know how we’d make it. And there are moments like when I look at my daughter and just want to be home, fully present where I wonder if I’m giving too much.

Recently, we experienced something especially painful. Someone close to the organization was groomed by an outside party who then cloned our work, sowed internal chaos, and attempted to take over everything we built. It was a brutal betrayal, and it happened at a moment when I was already running on fumes. I remember thinking, why am I doing this? Why didn’t I choose an easier path?

But then I remember: I’m not built for an easier path. I’m built for this. And despite everything, I’ve built something beautiful. Something rooted in purpose, in impact, in love.

This journey constantly stretches my faith. It teaches me to let go when needed, to listen more closely to my intuition, and to discern people and patterns whether their intentions are pure or not. Over time, you begin to see the same types of personalities appear, and you learn to read the room, to protect your vision.

In the end, the challenges don’t make me regret this life, they make me more grateful. Because the path of a purpose-driven entrepreneur isn’t just about changing others’ lives. It transforms you, too.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Anne Drane, and I’m the founder of SAWA SAWA, a nonprofit social enterprise based in Austin, Texas. We partner with artisan women in Kenya to create sustainable solutions to poverty and conservation through ancient craftsmanship. I am Kenyan-American born and raised in Kenya and this work is both deeply personal and a form of service to the communities and landscapes that gave me my roots. Austin is now home, where I live with my husband and daughter, and where I’ve found the wings to build global impact.

How I Got Into This Work

My journey began with a longing for home. Years after I moved to the U.S., I asked my mother in Kenya to send me some of the woven baskets I had grown up seeing women carry in the villages. When she arrived to buy them, women walked for miles, hoping to sell just one. That moment stuck with me not only because of the beauty of their work, but because I realized: they’re not looking for charity. They’re looking for opportunity.

These women carry the full burden of family survival building shelters, cooking, fetching water, raising children all while creating extraordinary pieces of handmade art using skills passed down for generations. Yet they often live in extreme poverty with limited access to markets, education, or capital. I saw the solution as meeting them exactly where they are and transforming what they already do beautifully into dignified, income-generating work.

What We Make

SAWA SAWA works with rural artisan groups to create a wide range of handcrafted products using locally sourced materials like agave straw, leather, and beads. Agave grows wild in these regions and produces a bold, resilient fiber just like the women who work with it.

We create:

Bags and baskets for everyday use

Beaded jewelry such as bracelets and earrings

Leather goods like dog collars, keychains, and totes

Wall art and accessories made with cultural and conservation stories woven into them

Every product is made by hand, using techniques refined over generations. Every purchase supports the woman who made it and by extension, her family, her community, and her environment.

The Deeper Impact

What sets us apart is that we are not just a fashion brand or a nonprofit, we are both. We exist at the intersection of sustainable commerce and community transformation. Our sales directly fund life-changing initiatives in the artisan villages, including:

Solar lights that keep families safe from wildlife at night

Water harvesting systems to reduce the burden of water collection

Sustainable menstrual care and education so girls can stay in school

Economic empowerment that reduces the need for poaching or deforestation in conservation areas

Many of our artisans live in or near conservation corridors like the Maasai Mara, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, and the Serengeti. By earning a living through their art, they’re able to live in harmony with nature instead of being forced to harm it to survive.

What I’m Most Proud Of

I’m proud of what we’re building and who we’re building it with. The women. The partners. The donors. The buyers. The board. The artisans’ children who now see a different future. The customers who choose purpose with their purchases. The global community that has rallied around this mission.

And I’m proud that we’ve done this not by changing who the artisans are but by elevating what they already have.

What I Want You to Know

If you’ve never heard of SAWA SAWA before, here’s what I want you to know: our products are made with love, intention, and heritage. They are not just beautiful, they are meaningful. When you buy from us, you’re investing in women, in nature, in cultural preservation, and in real, lasting change.

We believe everyone can make an impact whether it’s across the world or across the street. Look around you. Who could use a little kindness from you today?

We hope you’ll join us not just as customers, but as allies in this global movement for equity, dignity, and sustainability.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

We currently sell through multiple ecommerce platforms including Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, and we’re honored to also be featured in Macy’s. Each of these platforms has given us the opportunity to reach customers across the U.S. who care deeply about purpose-driven brands like SAWA SAWA.

Last year, we had the privilege of being selected for the Workshop at Macy’s, which elevated our brand in every possible way from marketing to merchandising to visibility. It was a game-changing experience for us as a small nonprofit social enterprise with global roots.

We chose to be present across these platforms because we know that the modern conscious consumer shops everywhere and we want to meet them where they are. Having this multi-channel presence allows us to tell our story to wider audiences, build brand credibility, and grow our impact faster.

The pros of ecommerce are significant:

Massive reach and visibility

Access to tools and resources that help us scale

The ability to introduce our artisan-made products to customers who might never have found us otherwise

We’ve had an especially positive experience with Amazon through the Black Business Accelerator program. They handle our warehousing, logistics, fulfillment, and customer care allowing us to focus on artisan production, impact, and storytelling. We’re planning to expand globally on Amazon in 2026, which will help us empower even more artisan women and reach international markets.

That said, there are cons too. Technology is constantly evolving, and keeping up with platform changes, new systems, and rising fees can be overwhelming especially for a small team. But we accept those challenges as part of the territory and continue to adapt.

Looking ahead, we’re actively pursuing partnerships with retailers like Whole Foods, who share our values of sustainability, community, and natural, earth-conscious products. If anyone reading this has advice or connections in that space, we’d love to connect.

What sets SAWA SAWA apart is that we’re not trying to move into the green space we were born there. Our products are sustainable, handmade, natural, and deeply impactful. We invite brands that want to align with ethical and regenerative supply chains to partner with us. We can provide beautiful, handcrafted baskets and accessories directly from artisans, complete with data and impact tracking. We’re also open to co-branding or finishing products to fit your aesthetic so we grow together while empowering more women around the world.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

Ah, the eternal question! how to fund the seed capital and how to keep the mission alive until it becomes self-sustaining.

SAWA SAWA was entirely bootstrapped in the beginning. I worked part-time jobs and reinvested every dollar into the organization. There was no startup grant or investor check just a strong conviction, my own savings, and a deep desire to create a better world for women in rural Kenya.

When the pandemic hit, it brought everything to a halt global logistics, artisan production, sales. To keep the organization afloat and continue providing for the women who depend on us, I took a full-time job in property management during COVID. I stayed in that job for 15 months, and to be honest, I hated it. But it was a lifeline. It gave me a renewed sense of gratitude for the work we do at SAWA SAWA, and it allowed me to fund our growth, expand our artisan partnerships, and maintain trust and momentum in the communities we serve.

As we stabilized, we began applying for grants, building relationships, and keeping meticulous records of our impact, data, and outcomes which made us more competitive for funding. We’ve since received multiple grants and donations that help fuel our programs, from solar lighting to menstrual health to artisan training.

We’ve also formed corporate partnerships with platforms like Google, Canva for Nonprofits, Foundation Directory, and Microsoft, which have offered invaluable in-kind support and resources. Additionally, we leverage memberships and networks like the United Nations Conscious Fashion & Lifestyle Network, Fair Trade Federation, and Austin Woman Magazine’s community to access tools, visibility, and collaboration.

Every little bit helps whether it’s a grant, a tool, a connection, or a customer. It’s taken a patchwork of sacrifices, creativity, and community to get here, but the mission is alive and growing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sawasawausa.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/sawasawausa
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/sawasawausa
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annedrane/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@sawasawausa
• Other: https://linktr.ee/sawasawausa

Image Credits

All product images are by Summer Miles
Artisan images by Chelsea Faerber