Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Renee Pollino. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Renee, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Life can be hopeless and hardships can become paralyzing. Working with women refugees and survivors of human trafficking in America and around the world opened my eyes to the vulnerability of women that often leads to poverty, addictions, and exploitation. Obstacles to employment and the lack of opportunity can often cause hopelessness in families as generations sit in refugee camps or experience trauma from human trafficking, abuse or violence.

I discovered the way we “help” the vulnerable often brings more harm than good. It made me wonder, what if we can do something about it? What if we choose to make a difference through how we live daily through our purchasing power? What if, together, we chose to have eyes to see and do good through our everyday normal activities, like purchasing a morning java and a scone at your local coffee shop? Through creative ideas and innovative solutions, like social entrepreneurship, I believe we can create solutions to the world’s biggest problems.

Because women are marginalized in society, poverty often leads to making human trafficking in many communities around the world. Our desire is to create employment, train, and create a marketplace for their goods so that girls and women have other choices to live as self-sufficient participants in society. Because research indicates that when one woman is pulled out of poverty she brings four people with her, our primary support is for women. ​

YOUR PURCHASE MATTERS. Together, we can end poverty and make human trafficking history.

Renee, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As the daughter of Puerto Rican and Italian immigrants, my mixed heritage has given me a unique life experience, thus a different lens than many in suburbia. As the CEO and founder of My Half of The Sky, our social justice coffee shop addresses social concerns and systemic injustice through opportunity.

I am passionate about creating hope & bringing healing to women with obstacles to employment due to pain and hardship. I believe opportunity & relationships are essential to helping women live a better story. I’ve worked for over 20 years with grassroots organizations that remind both men and women that there is hope after trauma or hardship. I believes opportunity gives dignity and value. I want to trail blaze the concept that businesses and Capitalism can use the marketplace to build sustainable enterprises while doing good.

Renee is a member of: Women’s Speakers Collective, Women Leaders Network with the Global Leadership Network, and several Direct trade, Fair Trade & Ethical Fashion Movements

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

What really built our reputation is that we are authentic and genuinely care about what we are doing. We want people to feel valued and seen and cared for. We show this through our hospitality. As a business we spend a lot of time on training our team to care for one another, as well as our customer. It is a high value within our organization to treat others with respect and value. As the owner and founder, I never use my boss lady card or treat my team like I am above them. Living in a way that’s genuine and authentic is key to building a reputation within the marketplace. Since opening 7 years ago, we have been voted twice for the best coffee shop in the west suburbs, averaging 350-490 customers a day.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

We stay connected with our customers through weekly emails with updates of products and promos. We love living generously so we are always offering something fun and free. It builds engagement and allows us to stay connected while showing our appreciation for our customers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.MyHalfoftheSky.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myhalfoftheskycoffee/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myhalfofthesky