Indiana University Partners with FSO in Thailand

He came to the country after graduating from IU during a rough economic time where more job opportunities existed in the Southeast Asia region. He immediately fell in love with the country and didn't want to leave so he moved full time to Thailand.

"I'm an entrepreneur at heart and wanted my own business, but to have a company with a positive purpose is my calling," Carraway said. "I had friends working with NGOs, nonprofits and social enterprises, and knew I wanted to do more meaningful work as well, not just hustle for money. I learned from others about social enterprise business and how running a 'for-profit' company that does some good in the world could exist."

Carraway met his future business partner, who was trying to bring more work to local women in northern Thailand through a hammock weaving operation. The two immediately hit it off and began working together on developing new products. They ultimately created Flying Squirrel Outfitters, which provides sustainable economic opportunities to women in the area. The business has been in operation for three and a half years and is continuing to grow.

"This has been the most challenging and rewarding endeavor of my life," Carraway said.

A game changer

Flying Squirrel Outfitters started out selling travel hammocks to tourists in Thailand. Now the company manufactures reusable shopping bags and totes, providing an alternative to single-use plastic bags. The products are made from upcycled plastic bottles recovered from Thai beaches.

The Kelley GLOBASE team came to help Carraway and Flying Squirrel Outfitters better understand and focus their marketing efforts and strengthen accounting practices.

"I can't say it enough, but it was such an honor to work with the students and faculty through the GLOBASE program," Carraway said. "The experience with my team far exceeded expectations. I even got a little choked up during the final presentation because of how professional and serious they took our business and offered extremely helpful deliverables and insights. I had never had anyone look so closely at the business and felt they genuinely were working to help me with real problems. This is simply game-changing for us."

It was also game-changing for the GLOBASE students taking part in the work. Meg Del Col is a first-year MBA student planning to major in marketing and hoping to create social impact.

"I heard about GLOBASE when I was applying to IU and knew I would love to participate," Del Col said. "What really drew me to the program was being able to help these people in a completely different culture from me while also learning more about that culture."

In Thailand, Del Col and her team wanted to give Carraway something valuable to help him develop his business further. Del Col saw firsthand the impact of the business on the local community, including the seamstresses who work with Flying Squirrel Outfitters.

The end result provided by Del Col and the GLOBASE team was a marketing program and financial spreadsheet to keep Flying Squirrel Outfitters' finances all in one place.

"The experience of working with Brian was something I will never forget," Del Col said. "It was amazing going to Thailand and being in a completely different culture. The Thai people are so wonderful and accommodating, and it was great to learn more from them and hear their stories. By learning about different cultures and where people come from, I gained a greater understanding of how I should interact with them."

And that is the reason Fleishman says the GLOBASE program exists.

"GLOBASE is important to Indiana University's mission of educating global leaders in business," Fleishman said. "We are challenging our students while allowing them to apply their knowledge and solve problems in a global context. And that has real, long-lasting impact for future generations of students."

Produced by IU Newsroom

IU Newsroom, 2019