Fargo - As a young girl growing up in Karlstad, Minn., Trisha Bothum dreamed of serving others by becoming a nurse. When it was time to attend college, she decided to go a different route and became a certified public accountant.
She had a successful career with companies like Target Corp., Oracle and Fluor Daniel before starting her own firm, Reliance Associates, here in 2006. Today, Bothum is ready to serve others in a different way.
She recently launched a shopping website called Reddometta. The name comes from “Reddo,” the Latin word meaning “to give back,” and “Metta,” the ancient Pali word meaning “the practice of universal love.”
She describes the site as similar to Etsy, but where the artists and retailers featured all donate a portion of their proceeds to organizations that benefit women and children.
“It’s a way for consumers to help and it’s a way for the vendors themselves to give back,” Bothum said. “It’s a way of shopping with a cause.”
Spiritual psychology
The idea for the website came to her while on a trip to Norway a few years ago. She wrote the business plan on her flight home, but she did not actually launch the site until this summer.
Bothum was pursing her master’s degree in spiritual psychology at the University of Santa Monica at the time, and her idea for the site was perfect for her second-year project. The class gave her the deadline she needed.
One of the first artists to sell merchandise on Reddometta was her classmate, Tricia Gibbons Reynolds.
For her second-year project, she recorded the CD “Threads in my Tapestry – Lullabies for Grown-ups.” Gibbons Reynolds explained when we are children we love to be nurtured and sung to, and she thinks grown-ups need that, too. She plans to use music, theater and dance as part of her life coach practice.
“I truly believe in singing as a way of expression and a way of helping others,” she said.
Gibbons Reynolds donates a portion of her proceeds to the Orchid Project, a nonprofit based in London that educates people about the issue of female genital cutting.
She said the practice exists throughout the world, not just in Third World countries. Not only does the practice cause substantial physical and psychological harm, she also believes that women need to have the right to decide what happens to their bodies. They need to be able to decide what purity is for them.
Gibbons Reynolds has sold a number of CDs so far through Reddometta and is encouraging other artist friends to sell through the site.
Bothum also sees the site as a way to bring out her own artistic side.
“I didn’t have any artistic outlets. I’m a CPA. I come in and do my books,” Bothum said. “This is kind of the start for my artistic side. I also want to do something that is more impactful. For me, it’s about having the feeling of doing something that fills my cup, if you will.”
BUSINESS PROFILE
What: Reddometta
Website:
www.reddometta.com
ADVERTISEMENT
