072: How A Brooklyn-Born Bag Brand Is Changing Kid’s Lives with Scot Tatelman

Scot defines the term ‘social entrepreneur’ and has made it his life’s work to balance profitable business ventures with making the world a better place. After creating two non-profit summer camps serving kids from New York City, Boston and Chicago’s most underfunded neighborhoods, he set out to build a for-profit company with a non-profit pedigree, and launched STATE Bags with his wife, Jacqueline – a Brooklyn-born bag brand built on supporting American kids and families in situations of need.

Places to Find Scot:

Check out STATE Bags via their website.

Or on Instagram @statebags

Show Notes:

[3:00] minute: Set the stage for us, what was life like for you growing up and what beliefs around money and success were instilled in you at an early age?

Grew up with a very successful Father who supported the community around him in large ways.

Older sister that worked with kids running summer camps and other things.

Was taught to think he was rich because of his loving family, not anything to do with the money they had.

Money is just a thing, and not the most important thing.

[6:00] minute: Tell me about how this passion started for you to give that opportunity to kids whose families couldn’t afford it?

During his time running a summer camp in Maine he wondered why the gift that they were giving to kids who could pay for it couldn’t be given to kids whose parents can’t afford it.

Next summer they launched Camp Northbound to serve underfunded neighborhoods.

[8:30] minute: How did you fund these camps in the beginning?

The first one was fully funded by the Mark Wahlberg Foundation, who has since made Camp Northbound a signature investment of theirs.

When Scot started another camp, Camp Power, he used his network to raise funding to get the money to have served over 11,000 kids the last few years.

[10:00] minute: Tell me the story then of how STATE bags was created? Where did you get this idea from?

A few years into running Camp Power his wife and him noticed that a lot of kids were coming to camp carrying their things in trash bags or shopping bags.

Wanted to serve those kids in our own back yards with more than just a handout of going to a camp.

Created a one for one model bag company where every bag purchased from their company allows them to give one bag away via mass events called Bag Drops.

[12:15] minute: What were some of the biggest challenges in taking STATE from a concept to a reality and creating the physical products?

Any entrepreneur can attest to the fact that the challenges are endless.

One of the largest was he and his wife, Jacq, figuring out how to work together while being married and raising kids.

Trying to break away from the grouping of socially conscious businesses to really shine and innovate.

[14:40] minute: Why did you retire the one for one model?

Trying to show customers that they do so much more than just this one for one.

First big initiative was an event in Flint, MI, to help with the water crisis that is going on there.

Retiring the one for one allowed them to be more flexible with how they donated and what they supported.

[16:45] minute: You have a really unique perspective going from non-profit first to for-profit and for-cause business second, so could you tell us about your perspective on the limitations of a non-profit and how creating a for-profit and cause business gives you leverage to do more?

Different types of storytelling. Your tone is different when raising funds for a non-profit.

With the for-profit business you are able to use avenues and channels that you just can not use with a...