Episode 177: Building a Brand that Balances People, Profit, and the Planet with Suzanne Vetillart

What impact are you making in the lives of the people around you? What about your brand? Suzanne Vetillart is on a mission with her jewelry brand, Boma, to balance people, profit, and planet—the triple bottom line. While she wants to run a successful business, it’s important to her that she’s making differences in the lives of her employees and customers, as well as leaving a smaller footprint on the planet through sustainability. The starting point in this journey is awareness and education. Suzanne Vetillart is a mother of four and the CEO and 2nd generation owner of Boma Jewelry. Prior to joining the family business, Suzanne studied architecture at Columbia University in New York and later worked as an architect in three different countries. She went on to spend six years as Creative Director for a hospitality start-up in Bangkok before returning to her roots with Boma. Suzanne is a proud advocate for social purpose corporations who believe in the triple bottom line: people, planet, and profits. She is an environmental advocate who is leading the change for her 200+ workers and vertical company to become completely carbon neutral by 2025. Today she is a member of The Forbes Business Council, The American Sustainable Business Council, The Sustainable Fashion Alliance, and founder of the Boma Girl Fund and the Boma BIPOC Grant program. Boma is celebrating 40 years in business this year and continues to set the pace for sustainability and transparency in the jewelry industry.  Triple Bottom Line: People, Profit, & Planet How are you impacting your world, people, and the planet? When planning for your business, there are three primary things to consider that Suzanne refers to as the triple bottom line: people, profit, and planet. Impacting People How you are impacting people? When Suzanne first got started in this family business, she saw how her parents we leaving a legacy not only for the family, but for the employees. The culture and environment that was created for those who made up the business was so important to her parents, that she knew carrying that tradition on was a requirement. The people in her company are the heart behind it—their loyalty to the brand is just as important as her loyalty to them. This theme of legacy is highlighted throughout Suzanne’s journey and business—but what about the future of the company? It’s important to Suzanne that when her children are her age, they’re able to look at the company and see its impact on more than just success in profit, but in impact on families, employees, and customers. Profitability As a business owner, we all know that there is so much to consider when planning for a profitable and successful brand. It’s important to look at your overall business and see where it can better serve your employees and your family! From products and services to workflows and retention in company culture. Sustainability for the Planet As a product based company, it’s really easy to dismiss all of the potential changes you could make for sustainability in your business due to the overwhelm. Baby steps can get you there. It starts with awareness and education in knowing about your footprint. In taking over the brand, Suzanne could have simply said, this is how it’s always been done so I shouldn’t change it, but we all have the power to encourage and make an impact in this area of business.