Raaja Nemani is CEO of Bucketfeet, a footwear company that collaborates with a global community of over 40,000 artists from more than 120 countries to design limited edition shoes that encourage meaningful conversations.

Raaja and co-founder Aaron Firestein met in 2009 while volunteering in Argentina. Aaron was an artist living in Buenos Aires and Raaja was in the midst of backpacking around the world. When Raaja left Argentina, Aaron gave him a pair of hand-designed canvas sneakers, which to Raaja’s surprise sparked hundreds of conversations with people across six continents.

Two years later Raaja and Aaron launched Bucketfeet, and the rest is history. Bucketfeet artists receive an upfront payment when their design is selected and receive a royalty for every pair of shoes sold. To date, Bucketfeet has given $500,000 back to their artist community.

Raaja shares 5 ways art is at the heart of Bucketfeet’s culture:

1. Artist-centered events. Office parties, open studios, visual or musical performances, you name it.

2. Learning series. Invite investors, entrepreneurs, and artists to talk to the team.

3. Art is everywhere. It’s ingrained into everything that we do and touch.

4. Team building opportunities. Volunteer in the local arts community.

5. Hire lots of artists. Encourage team members to participate in your vision.

For more about Bucketfeet, click here.

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