Family Illness Inspires Good 'Karma'

We’re highlighting small businesses from around the country as nominated by you, our readers. If your favorite small business is using Twitter to communicate with customers, let us know about it @fbsmallbiz with the hashtag #mysbc, and it may be featured as an upcoming Small Business Spotlight.

Small Business Spotlight: Karma for a Cure

Who: Margaux Minutolo, @karmaforacure

Where: Oakridge, N.J.

When: December 2012

How: Minutolo’s father had suffered from prostate cancer for a decade when he was diagnosed with stage three, inoperable lung cancer this year. She said she felt the urge to use her background in fashion, having just graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology, to create awareness.

“I know how hard it is for your family when you are going through this,” Minutolo said, “and it made me want to find a balance between fashion and giving back.”

Each T-shirt in the Karma for a Cure line is hand-drawn and designed by Minutolo, and 5% of the total sale, not profit, goes to a charity tied in with the shirt’s message.

Quote from the owner: “Its ecommerce, philanthropic fashion,” she said. “I started the business by myself, and invested my own money. I am 24 and I wanted to do this on my own.”