Rikki founded HoonArts Fair Trade in a blind leap of faith, after retiring from her law career. Starting from “ground zero” as the first person in the US to work on building a sustainable US market for handicrafts from Tajikistan, HoonArts is now a verified fair trade business, working with artisan groups in 3 Central Asian countries. With customers on 4 continents, HoonArts is helping to empower over 100 artisans, most of whom are rural women. Rikki continues to build HoonArts as an easy way to shop ethically and make a difference in the world with memorable handmade fashion and gifts. By partnering with the artisans to bring their authentic artwork to the US market, HoonArts is also building new cross-cultural bridges.

Rikki is also dedicated to sharing the key lessons she’s learned in the trenches of social entrepreneurship, where experts flounder, “business as usual” often doesn’t work and burnout is a daily threat. Solving the difficult problems that social impact businesses tackle takes a different mindset. It also requires being willing to challenge the status quo of today’s business eco-system that centers on competition––a system that rewards the apex predators and destroys the little guys and the environment in the process. Rikki envisions solutions that focus on creating a new, subversive eco-system built on conscious collaboration instead of competition. By working together, we can give power back to the 99%.