742: What It’s Like to Start a Social Enterprise to Empower Women With Theresa VanderMeer, Work + Shelter [Main T4C Episode]

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Theresa VanderMeer is the founder and CEO of Work + Shelter, an ethically-sourced cut & sew social enterprise based in the US and India.  Its mission is to employ and empower women in India who need to earn a regular salary in a safe place. Work + Shelter works primarily with clients in promotional marketing, as well as other businesses.  Before founding her business a decade ago, Theresa worked as an account manager for Google and Mojiva, a mobile ad network. She also worked in India as an associate director for offshore operations strategy at VivaKi, a digital advertising company.  Theresa graduated from the University of Michigan, with a degree in anthropology and international affairs.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE:

• What Work + Shelter is all about (4:10)
• What kinds of products Work + Shelter produces (13:15)
• What a typical workday day looks like for Theresa during the pandemic (20:52)
• How Theresa kicked off her career after she graduated from Michigan (26:14)
• What is Theresa’s best career advice for recent grads (31:20)
• What Theresa did as an account manager for Google (40:24)
• What she did as an associate director of offshore operations strategy at VivaKi (48:24)
• What Theresa took away from her career challenges (52:47)