Michelle Hamman, understands the power of words and harnessed this into a business opportunity.

Kendall Benson, Kindness by Design, spoke with her about MotherTongues, the ethical T-shirt company which continues to inspire.

Tell us the story behind MotherTongues.

Six years ago, I explored a career change. My husband and I discussed doing something with unknown foreign words from other cultures as we felt it could offer a business opportunity.

Our initial vision was focussed on expatriates and immigrants buying t-shirts that tied them to their culture but it turned out that non-immigrants liked the idea too!

Describe the mission of MotherTongues in 10 words or less…

MotherTongues celebrates cultures by exploring life-affirming words and wisdom.

How challenging is it running your own business?

When you run a business on your own you are naturally involved in every aspect. Some parts I love, such as researching new words, designing complementary apparel and imagining new products.

Other parts Iadmit I like less, bookkeeping, inventory and promotion are’nt my passion but need to be done!

Are surprised at just how widespread your customer base has grown?

Yes! People who have never travelled to Africa, for instance, loved the Ubuntu t-shirt because they identify with the need for community. It was exciting when I first mailed a shirt to Budapest and Brisbane.

It’s affirming receiving orders from all over the world and wondering why that specific t-shirt speaks to that person.

What words have influenced you most?

Each word that I research, transforms our family in some way. The word  Lagom, is a great example. It’s a Swedish word describing ‘a life of good-enough’. For me it brought home the value of ‘just enough’ vs. ‘more is better’ and I think twice now before buying item that may be unnecessary.

Likewise, the African concept of Ubuntu, translates to ‘I am because we are‘ made me question what kind of community I want to be a part of and co-create with others.

The Sanskrit word Mudita is lovely as it describes being happy for someone else in their happiness. We’ve decided to make that the next MotherTongues t-shirt – coming soon!

Mudita has changed the way I read the news (do I really need to know about the personal problems of celebrities?) and how I choose to participate or not in gossip.

How is MotherTongues being mindful of its ecological footprint?

We’re really proud of our eco-credentials.

MotherTongues only print on 100% organic cotton products and water-based inks are used, producing a very soft print.

All marketing materials, business cards, hang tags, office paper and shipping materials, are made from recycled paper.

Our electricity use for our home office, remote web site server and shipping is offset through the purchase of renewable energy credits.

MotherTongues is a member of 1% of the Planet, a growing global movement of over 1,200 member companies in 38 countries that donate 1% of their sales to environmental organizations worldwide.

Any advice for someone who has an idea for making the world a better place?

Listen to your heart and do what you love, because if you follow your passion it will never feel like work. Also, seek the company of those who are more compassionate, creative, or loving than you are.

What does the future hold for MotherTongues?

I’m working on some new non-t-shirt products and expanding the number of stores that stock MotherTongues and also looking forward to asking a partner to join my business to take it to the next level.

My hope is to continue to celebrate cultures through diverse life-affirming words, teaching us all something unique about other peoples lives.