Benita Singh - Your Path in Eight Questions

Benita Singh
Brand Strategist, BBMG

1)  What was your reputation on the playground as a child?

I was, and still am, the quiet and shy one!  

2)  What do you do and why do you do it?

I’m a Brand Strategist at BBMG, a values-driven branding and marketing agency dedicated to helping organizations and companies harness the laws of branding to win loyalty and inspire action.  

I chose my current path because in my past experience as a social entrepreneur, I saw firsthand the ways in which effective branding and communications can drive social change.  In 2004, Ruth DeGolia and I founded Mercado Global, a non-profit organization connecting about 300 women cooperative members in Guatemala to U.S. markets. Through that experience, I learned that in order to effectively connect our partner communities to the international market, we had to have a strategic and influential branding and communications strategy that would allow us to stand out in an increasingly cluttered fair trade marketplace.  Strategic steps we took, like empowering our consumers by telling them exactly how many of their dollars were going towards school construction and telling the stories of our partner communities alongside the products on our website, contributed to our growth and success.  

Of the many roles I played as a social entrepreneur, crafting a strategic communications plan to build a successful brand is what most intrigued me. That’s why I’m now at BBMG, working with other non-profits and for-profits to hone their brand and amplify their unique story and offering to the world.

3)  How did you land your current gig?

I met Raphael Bemporad, one of BBMG’s principals and co-founders, at the selection weekend for Echoing Green fellows in 2004.  I was taken with his story and the agency’s approach to branding, specifically that BBMG is a social change agency that uses its 5 Laws of Branding to move visionary organizations forward to the next level of visibility and success.  Two years later, we had the pleasure of co-presenting on a Branding for Social Good panel.  And yet another year later, when I was exploring opportunities to transition from the fair trade sector into a career where I could leverage communications to do good, we connected again.   

4)  Where do you spend most of your time?

When I’m not at my desk working on a brand strategy or business development for the agency, I’m most often in one of the yoga studios around the city or reading a good book.

5)  Who influenced you most on your path to where you are today and in what way?

I ended up on my current path as a result of a trip I took to Guatemala in the summer of 2003, before my senior year of college.  On that trip, I met a number of women refugees from Guatemala’s civil war who were producing handicrafts to support their families and re-build their communities. The experience of meeting and interacting with these women, who were not asking for a handout but rather asking that I purchase their crafts, was among the most inspirational of my life. Their strength and determination influenced me to work with Ruth to start Mercado Global and that’s ultimately how I ended up where I am today.  

6)  If you reviewed your recent web browsing history, what sites do you frequent that reveal most about who you are and what you’re thinking about lately?

As a committed supporter of and volunteer to the Obama campaign, I am often on the HuffingtonPost.com satisfying my urge for the latest political news (and gossip).

I also enjoy visiting ecofabulous.com which showcases fun ways to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

Also, triplepundit.com is a good source for staying up to date on the world of mission-driven businesses.

7)  What’s the last big mistake you made that you’ve learned from?

I’ve made and continue to make a number of mistakes, but I think the most important learning that I’ve had is to always make the time to make sure that the governance of your organization is growing at the same intensity as the organization itself. Bring in help when you need it. Ensure that your organizational structure can sustain your growth. Get buy-in from your board at every key decision and milestone.  

8)  What would you list as “must have” items in every social innovator toolkit? (books, music, software, etc)

• Inspirational books, like Three Cups of Tea and Mountains Beyond Mountains
• Supportive friends who will provide their honest feedback
• Friends who thrive on making introductions and networking
• Colleagues with whom you can have brainstorming sessions in which all ideas are good ideas
• Mentors who know what you’re going through
• A good contact management software, like Salesforce or Plaxo
• A dependable website developer, who will either provide you with a robust Content Management Software that you can use to update your own website or who will update it for you, so you can always share your latest news and successes

Biography:
After graduating from Yale University with degrees in comparative literature and international studies, Benita co-founded Mercado Global, an organization that trains 300 women refugees in Guatemala to produce marketable handicrafts for sale through mainstream outlets in the United States.  As Mercado Global’s president, Benita launched a marketing strategy that led to partnerships with Whole Foods, ABC Carpet & Home, and Levi-Strauss.

More recently, as vice president of marketing at LOTUS by loa, Benita led a re-branding and marketing strategy that gained the attention of Barnes & Noble and GAIAM, significantly increasing fair trade employment for hundreds of artisans across India.