Taylor Blom and Paul Vander Kuyl were tired of watching people choose between careers that could make them a lot of money or careers that could make a big impact on the world. Knowing that there had to be a way to combine their entrepreneurial spirit with a scalable and sustainable solution to the problem, they decided to create their own company that could live in the space between corporate and non-profit—to create a way to make an impact and make money. They dreamed up a unique business model that would partner with local entrepreneurs to create wealth-generating local businesses that grow sustainable and scalable jobs for vulnerable, rescued, and underserved populations globally.

They saw an opportunity in the real estate media market that could make that dream a reality, and in 2015, Next Door Photos (NDP) was born. Brokers and agents hire locally-owned NDP offices to take photos, shoot video, and create fl oor plans and 3-D models. Because the real estate business is so fast-paced, the raw media files need to be edited and delivered the following day. This process was initially outsourced, but NDP quickly realized that the digital supply chain included workers who were exploited and who were paid wages that kept them in poverty.

THE MESSAGE TO
ENTREPRENEURS IS NOT ONLY
CAN IT BE DONE; YOU CAN DO IT.

Their solution was to create a network of media editing teams focused on building a redemptive supply chain. Their first editing hub, NDP Edits, opened in the Philippines in 2017 with a team of 25, many of whom had been rescued from human trafficking or were at severe risk of exploitation. They currently have more than 250 full time employees editing around 100,000 photos each month and plan to launch in Kathmandu, Nepal, later this year. While NDP Edits focuses on employing trafficking survivors and those at risk of exploitation, a separate editing initiative was launched in Nairobi, Kenya, in the spring of 2019 focusing on providing jobs in underserved areas. One NDP photo shoot provides four hours of paid work, so the NDP offices create the demand for NDP Edits, and the high quality of work and next-day turnaround create a healthy supply for NDP offi ces. This is the perfect recipe for a scalable and sustainable social impact venture.

With 35 locations across the U.S., each with its own local owner, NDP is empowering the next generation of social entrepreneurs. And they aren’t finished. They have an audacious goal of launching 40 additional locations each year, with an overall goal of having 250 locations across the nation by 2024.

The message to entrepreneurs is not only can it be done; you can do it. And partnering with NDP to become a local owner is an easy, medium-risk way to start your own, wealth-generating business while being part of something that is making a global impact. Be free to choose both.

For more information please visit http://nextdoorphotos.com/ownership/.