We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Patrycja Hosbach. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Patrycja below.

Patrycja, appreciate you joining us today. So, one thing many business owners consider is donating a percentage of sales or profits to an organization or cause. We’d love to hear your thoughts and the story behind how and why you chose the cause or organization you donate to.

I donate 50% of my profits to charities, nonprofits, animal rescues, and environmental organizations. Each earring has a different story and supports a specific cause. For example, all of the food earrings, 50% of the profits go to food banks. All of the crafting earrings such as knitting, crocheting, sewing, 50% of the profits go to Operation Warm which is a non-profit that manufacturers coats and shoes for children in need. All of my cat and dog earrings, 50% of the profits go to local animal rescues. Some of the non-profits that I support include The Ocean Cleanup, Dress for Success, National Park Trust, Jordan Thomas Foundation, Women Heart, Random Acts of Flowers, and more. When doing in person events I try to highlight one specific cause just to make it easier for myself and bookkeeping and for customers. For example, I did a show at Linvilla Orchards Farm – proceeds from purchases were donated to a food bank. I had a booth at the National Dog Show in Oaks PA, I donated to an animal rescue.

People keep asking me why 50%, why not less? I say why can’t I give 50%? I don’t need a lot of money to live and be successful in life. My goal isn’t to be a billionare. There are so many proverbs about giving that resonate with me.

– There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.
– Practice giving, and people will give to you.
– When your hand is open to give, it is open to receive.

Patrycja, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve always been interested in crafts and love trying new things. One of my friends was teaching me how to make resin earrings, and then I started making earrings out of cork and cutting out shapes and adding charms. I was having fun looking for cute charms and I was making so many of them that I started selling them as a way to fund my hobby. As I received feedback from my earrings and was selling more and more, I realized it could become a good business opportunity. It was important to me from the beginning that if I was to start a business, I wanted it to be bigger than just about me. I wanted to make an impact driven and a social value business enterprise. I grew up in a household where we didn’t have a lot when I was young, and I remember how much our community helped us. Many people now have even less than I did and some don’t even have basic necessities to survive.

For each earring I sell, I donate 50% of the profits to be able to support my community. I think it is important to be able to help others out when we are able to, especially when there are those less fortunate who do not have influence on their situation. There is a high chance that we will need help at some point in our life as well. No one is an island entirely of oneself. We all need each other to survive and thrive. Wouldn’t we want help if we were at a low point in our life? A lot of times these situations are from variables and circumstances beyond our control. An act of kindness and support can mean the world to a person struggling. If we all work together and support each other, we can improve our community and become a better person ourselves in the process.

Too many people focus on money as being the key to success. They determine status by how many zeros you have in your bank account. Your worth is a number. But not to me. I want to focus on gratitude, kindness, love, respect, and joy. You can’t put a price on that. When you are able to truly make a difference in someone’s life, how can you not try? I realize that my business model is not for everyone, and it is not sustainable for every product or business either. However, for my venture, this is what I want to do. To show that you can be a success by giving what you receive.

Why earrings? Earrings are fun and easy to shop for. They don’t have specific sizes or have to worry about fit. It truly is one size fits all. The majority of my earrings are novelty earrings, so they’re fun and quirky, and make for good conversation starters. People can show off their personality and interests without saying a word. When they make a purchase with my company, it also gives them an opportunity to feel like they have a share in helping their community, as part of the proceeds are donated to those in need. They are able to do something nice for themselves, and help someone else at the same time. I truly feel that most people are willing to help, we just need to give them the opportunity to do so. I make it easy for them to make a difference.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Going to trade shows and events with high traffic areas where I can speak to as many people as possible and share what my goal is.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Accountability. Actions speak louder than words. After each event, I post pictures of the donations on my page so that people can see that I follow through.

Word of mouth. As I do events, and help people, word of mouth about me and my brand spreads to others. They reach out and invite me to events, where I can talk to more people. And so the message spreads…

Contact Info:

• Website: https://corkandcharm.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corkandcharm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550718038666
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrycja-hosbach-0a3a17277/