Videos
Craig Doescher, Alumni
- Year
- 2008-2009
- From
- USA
- Sector
- Supply Chain linkage, Market Development and Creation
- Location
- Honduras
- Degree
- 2009
MBA Sloan, Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
"I have served with the poor in many countries around the world. That said, it is relatively recently that I realized how much more impact I could have…"
I grew up in suburban Michigan. My first time in a low-income country came at age fifteen when I spent two weeks as a volunteer for a Christian missionary organization in rural Guatemala. In the village where we served, people worked diligently and scarcely complained, though they had little. The Guatemalan spirit and attitude were both refreshing and attractive.
I attended the University of Michigan, earning a degree in business. After school I headed to Wall Street. During this period my passion for free markets was solidified, but I felt a constant tug to do something more directly impactful vocationally.
My “eureka” moment came during my tenure at a Michigan-based manufacturing company when I came across CK Prahalad’s The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid. This book gave me examples that helped me see that I could combine my passions for both the poor and business.
To prepare myself for a career change I spent a summer immersed in the development challenges of Cape Town, South Africa. During that summer I co-founded Living Way, an organization that offers training and resources to aspiring entrepreneurs and to those hoping to improve their job prospects.
I then came to MIT Sloan to learn and explore entrepreneurship first-hand. Over my two years with the encouragement and assistance of the Legatum Center, I explored multiple business ideas in different low-income countries. In the end I decided to join in the creation of Tegu, a social purpose, for-profit wood toy company based in Honduras.
We are currently in the process of setting up our factory while taking pre-orders for our magnetic wood blocks at Tegu.com. Our goal is simple: to utilize private capital to create a business that espouses our values for profit-based development, human dignity, environmental stewardship, and creativity. I consider my time as a Legatum fellow a crucial step in giving me the confidence to embark on this non-traditional career path.
