With a vision of helping women and building upon relationships made while visiting Vietnam, '04 alumna Jennifer Woodsmall founded J.L. Lane which imports beautiful silk handbags made by Vietnamese women. Woodsmall donates a percentage of the profits to organizations dedicated to finding lasting solutions to poverty, hunger and social injustice in the developing world.

During a trip to Vietnam in the spring semester of her sophomore year, Jennifer Woodsmall observed finely-crafted handbags made by Vietnamese women. Because of her desire to start her own business and with a larger goal in mind -- helping others, Woodsmall took the initiative to import these handbags to the United States, sell them, and send some of the profits back -- a win-win idea which has proven to be quite successful.

After returning from her study abroad, Woodsmall conducted market research in her hometown to determine if the handbags would sell. Receiving a favorable response, she began working with the Vietnamese women she had met and developed friendships to produce the handbags. She, along with her mother, founded J. L. Lane in 2003 to design and import handbags manufactured in Vietnam. J. L. Lane handbags are distributed in department stores in the midwest and southeast, as well as on the web. A portion of the company's profits are donated to micro-finance groups that assist women in Third World countries to help them sustain their ventures.

Woodsmall defines an entrepreneur as “someone who is able to think outside the box and be a risk taker – putting one’s self at risk of failure in order to pursue your passion”. Her advice to those thinking of starting their own business – “have passion for what you want to do.” What fuels Jennifer’s passion?...working to “improve the lives of others and build a culture of hope against poverty in the many rural areas that have all but resigned themselves to a second class status.”

According to Woodsmall, beginning a business takes research, passion and perseverance. She advises those just starting out not to be afraid to seek out people to bounce ideas off of and “don’t run from failure…it can be one of the best learning experiences.” She says more than anything, “believe in your passion and your dream, and if it is a viable idea that you think will truly work, put your whole heart in it without looking back.”

As with any new venture, her greatest challenge has been finding access to resources and mentors to assist in brainstorming and launching ideas.

What is J.L. Lane doing now? They are now working with women in India to design and launch their newest line of handbags. They are also in the process of adding other accessories and jewelry to their line. On the social side, they are working with many women who were previously unemployed. Many come from very rural areas where there is little work to be found. Woodsmall comments that “we are blessed with the gift of getting to work with them and learn from them.”

Recently, Jennifer's story was featured on the Entrepreneurship Week USA website. Click here to link to the video story.
www.entrepreneurshipweekusa.com/stories/video-stories.asp

Visit the Website at www.jllane.com.