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Pioneers & Protagonists

Keara Schwartz, Founder of Share Some Sugar

Share Some Sugar aims to…
strengthen communities by enabling people to share the stuff that they already own and borrow the stuff that they need.

The idea came …
when I moved from a small apartment to my first house, I needed a lot of starter house things like a ladder, lawnmower, power drill…The idea of buying all of these things that I’d only use once or twice didn’t make financial sense to me. I thought to myself, ‘what if there was a way that we could leverage technology to help you find someone in your own neighborhood who had what you needed?’ It was one of those ‘duh’ ideas, so I went for it!

I believe it is the right moment for Share Some Sugar to take off because…
I think that the recession has taught us a really valuable lesson - Don’t be wasteful with your money. People are more consciously consuming and are also more aware and concerned with the impact that their lifestyle and purchases have on the environment. Sharing is resourceful! Also, online communities are thriving but I believe that the counter trend is going to be a strong desire to build stronger ‘real world’ relationships and communities.

The easiest way to explain Share Some Sugar is…
as a website where you can find someone in your neighborhood or social network who is willing to lend you something that you need.

The biggest misperception about Share Some Sugar is…
that it’s a place where you can find yourself a sugar daddy! AND people ask, ‘How could it be free?’ Sharing and borrowing is at the core of who we are and what we stand for. We don’t want there to be any sort of barrier for neighbors who need to borrow something or those who are happy to lend stuff that they own. Some neighbors have chosen to rent their item for a small fee to cover wear and tear. But Sharing and Borrowing will always be free!.

The best moment so far…
when I received an email from one of our members who told us that Share Some Sugar enabled her to have a big birthday celebration for her 6 year old son who was fighting cancer. Her husband had recently lost his job. Just as she was about to cancel the party, her friend told her about Share Some Sugar. She was able to borrow all of the things that she needed to make a great celebration for her son; a jumping castle, folding chairs, folding tables and a party tent. It feels good to know that we are enabling people do the things that they want to do without spending a lot of money.

The biggest surprise so far…
is how receptive and engaged some of our early adopters are. I love getting emails from members who can’t wait to share their stories about their latest transaction. At first I thought that more people would share their stories about how much money they saved by sharing. Rather, it’s the neighbors that share their items with others. They tell us how good it feels to help other people out and meet new neighbors. They love that the stuff that they own and spent money on is getting use rather than just sitting around collecting dust.

Another example of Collaborative Consumption I admire…
WouldURather.com is one of my favorite sites. It lives amongst the Groupons of the world, letting you get really good deals on local services as long as lots of other people opt in as well. This site gives you two choices a day that are a variation off the same idea. For example, a half hour massage or a massage and facial. I like that it gives you options. Plus the site is really well-designed and intuitive to use!

If I could tell readers one thing…
Share Some Sugar works best when there are lots of members in a concentrated area. If you like the idea, tell your friends, neighbors and colleagues. You can create your own Sharing Groups and invite your friends to join your group directly from Facebook or by using their emails.

Archive of Pioneers & Protagonists Interviews

  10 Questions for Benita Matofska, founder of The People Who Share

  10 questions for Marta Nowinska, founder of Swapsity

  10 questions for Ryan Rzepecki, founder of SocialBicycles

  10 questions for Jamie Wong, founder of Vayable

  10 questions for Theo Kitchener, founder of The ShareHood

  10 questions for Kelly Scales, founder of Bid & Borrow

  10 questions for Campbell McKellar, Founder of Loosecubes

  10 questions for Marcio Nigro, founder of Caronetas

  10 questions for Jess Ratcliffe, founder of GaBoom

  10 questions for Philipp Rogge, founder of frents

  10 questions for Tim Hyer, founder of Rentcycle

  10 questions for Barbara Pantuso, founder of Hey, Neighbor!

  Ella T. Gorgla, Founder of I-ELLA

  Cathy Tao, co-founder of Tourboarding

  Mike Karnjanaprakorn, cofounder of Skillshare

  Juha Koponen, Founder of Netcycler

  Michelle Shearer, Founder of MamaBake

  Leah Busque, Founder and CEO of TaskRabbit

  Ron J. Williams, founder of SnapGoods

  Stephen Rapoport, founder of Crashpadder

  Anthony Eskinazi, founder of ParkatmyHouse

  Drummond Gilbert, founder of goCarShare

  David Mahfouda, Founder of Weeels

  Andreas Randow, Founder of StudioShare.org

  Emma Jamvold, Founder of SwapItBaby

  Dave Llorens, CEO of One Block Off The Grid

  Orli Cotel, co-founder of Swap for Good

  Owen Rees-Hayward, Co-founder of Thingloop

  Juliette Anich, Co-founder of The Clothing Exchange

  Keara Schwartz, Founder of Share Some Sugar

  Hans Schoenburg, co-founder of GiftFlow

  Meriel Lenfestey, Co-founder of Ecomodo

  Steve Sammartino, Founder of rentoid.com

  Micki Krimmel, Founder of NeighborGoods

  Shelby Clark, Founder of RelayRides

  James Reinhart, Founder of thredUp

For a complete archive of Pioneers & Protagonists Interviews click HERE.