The Theresa Carrington Founder Spotlight

 

Theresa Carrington grew up below the poverty line in the Midwest United States and is a true product of the American system. Born an orphan while her mother was in prison, she understands firsthand the challenges of poverty, but also the power of systems that help individuals move beyond their circumstances. Today, Theresa is an international development expert with an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Washington University in St. Louis and 13 Emmy Awards. She has spent over 20 years pioneering a patent-pending economic model that doesn’t just “help” the poor, but systematically ends poverty.

 

Since you grew up in the Midwest, was there a specific moment that made you want to start this movement to help these families?

 For Theresa, the drive to end global poverty didn’t start in a boardroom; it started in a moment of deep personal crisis in 1999. She describes a time when she wasn’t sure she could take another step, and it was the “random acts of kindness” from those around her that pulled her through. People showered her with cards and letters of support, which she gathered in a physical basket to reread on her hardest days.

“One card by one letter, by one random act of kindness… they put me back together again. And you know, Valerie, what do you do when someone saves your life? Like, how can you say thank you? There are not enough words for something like that, and so I vowed in that moment that I was going to pay forward what they had done.”

This personal sanctuary was the literal inspiration for the organization’s original name, The Blessing Basket Project. While the name eventually evolved into Ten by Three to reflect the sophisticated economic formula and avoid being misidentified as a religious group, the core mission remains an attempt to pay forward the belief others once placed in her.

“I still have my original blessing basket and I still put cards and letters in there… It’s still alive in my home today. And that’s how the whole thing started. I have to show them that their belief was well placed.”

 

How did you learn about the 10 by three formula? Like how did that come about? 

Since the day she founded Ten by Three, Theresa Carrington believed there was a formula to end extreme poverty. For over 20 years, her quest to find a poverty-ending formula guided our mission, and in 2018, her theory was finally validated. That year, The Blessing Basket Project was renamed Ten by Three.

“I had to start studying why were women, certain women becoming successful and that I knew there was a formula in there somewhere. And over the course of two years, studying our impact… The formula started emerging that on as little as 10 products a month… a woman can, with these powerful wages that we pay, a woman can totally end poverty in her life. And that’s how the name Ten by three came to be.”

The name Ten by Three reflects the heart of our approach: purchasing ten handcrafted products per month from each artisan, by using our Prosperity Wages model, empowered artisans to start at least three businesses in addition to their handcraft. While the data proved the formula worked, a meeting with artisans revealed that the new name also provided safety for those who felt the original name carried a religious burden.

“Women were holding this burden. They couldn’t dare tell us the truth about ourselves… Once we made way, Oh my God, it was one of the most important things that we could have done.”

 

For people who are just learning about you, how would you describe the main idea behind ‘Prosperity Wages’ and the name ‘Ten by Three’?

For Theresa, Ten by Three isn’t just a brand – it is a pioneering economic formula designed to end poverty in a three-year cycle. It begins with Prosperity Wages, which are 2.5 times the fair-trade rate. Theresa explains that this high wage allows an artisan to first stabilize her family – addressing health, safety, and education – before moving into the investment phase of the model.

Theresa’s vision allowed her to actually identify the tipping point from poverty to prosperity. The Project’s patent-pending financial model enables Artisans to earn Prosperity Wages, which are significantly higher than fair trade wages. In some instances, the wages could differ as dramatically as the U.S. Equivalent of $12 compared to $1 for the same basket.

“Starting three businesses is not an option, it’s a requirement and we track it. We have an unbelievable award-winning platform that we built… The artisan now has a dozen streams of income coming in to her life, and so that is why we have the name Ten by three. It is a formula that ends extreme poverty… Three businesses equals an end to poverty, 10 baskets, 3 businesses. And we’re done. And on average, it takes about three years for an artisan to get from abject poverty to sustainable prosperity.”

 

 

How does this actually work to help people start their own side businesses so they can stay independent and successful on their own?

While the vision is about ending poverty, the “how” is a disciplined, three-year operational grind. It starts with the Prosperity Wages, which provide the breathing room needed for a family to stabilize. Theresa notes that for the first year, the money is often used for basic safety – like moving a wood-burning kitchen outside or fixing a roof – to ensure the home is healthy enough to support a business.

Once the family is stable, the Ten By Three formula triggers a required investment path. Using their award-winning digital platform, the team tracks each artisan’s progress through a series of increasingly complex businesses.

“It’s almost always agriculture related. In this case, we’re starting with chickens, the cheapest thing to buy. Reproduces quickly, grows quickly. That’s business #1… As she creates revenue from that, she’ll then start a second business, typically higher capital intensity like land. And then the third business will be the highest capital intensity like cows.”

By the time the artisan reaches the third year, the math begins to multiply. Because each of the three required businesses produces multiple revenue sources, the artisan ends up with a diversified portfolio that protects them from economic collapse.

“These three businesses, each business on average, will produce 4 streams of income… before you know it, the artisan now has a dozen streams of income coming in to her life… It is a formula that ends extreme poverty… Three businesses equals an end to poverty, 10 baskets, 3 businesses. And we’re done.”

Is there a specific family whose story really sticks with you? Someone whose life is totally different now because of this model?

While there are thousands of success stories, Theresa immediately points to a woman named Adombila Awelgya. Adombila faced staggering barriers from the start; she was never educated simply because she was a girl. Growing up unable to read or write, she began weaving for the project years ago and officially graduated from the program in 2014.

Since then, Adombila hasn’t just maintained her independence – she has multiplied it. Using her Prosperity Wages, she started five distinct businesses: goats, cows, sheep, crops, and chickens. Today, those businesses generate a staggering 43 streams of income for her family.

“Adombila, incredible woman who cannot read and cannot write, but is educating her girls in her community. There have now been over 2,000 girls graduate from the school that we and she built together. And so she alone has helped change generational illiteracy among girls in her community.”

Adombila’s transformation goes beyond her “rockstar house” and her financial security; it’s about the confidence she gained and the legacy she is leaving behind. By building a school for girls, she is ensuring that the barriers she faced will not exist for the next generation.

“She will tell you it was largely because of the confidence that she gained through 10 by three… It dramatically changed her life. It changed my life and it changed the community forever in a positive way.”

 

When the team at Freight Ninja and RoadOne IntermodaLogistics stepped in to handle the transloading and heavy lifting – what did that mean for you in that moment?

 For Theresa, the logistics rescue in Savannah was about more than just moving containers; it was about the survival of a global program. She explains that having a partner who understands the “why” behind the shipment changes everything. It moved the mission from her “screaming into the wind” to having a team that actually heard her.

“It meant a lot to Ten by Three for our operational sustainability. If we go out of business, all of the thousands of people literally… that whole program collapses. This is a partnership. It’s not one where we’re just giving money or giving something, which I find is a very undignified approach to international aid. What Freight Ninja did is help us help those who are working hard to help themselves. This is not a handout… it’s a partnership and it’s equal.”

 

 

Looking at the rest of 2026, what’s the big goal you’re most excited about for Ten by Three?

For 2026, the focus is on building a more resilient and balanced business model. While Ten by Three has a long-standing and valued relationship with Whole Foods, Theresa is looking to diversify her wholesale reach. Her “sweet spot” is finding regional or boutique chains with 5 to 20 stores that value purpose-driven products.

“Our biggest goal is more retail partners… We’re too reliant on Whole Foods. So if anyone who’s reading your newsletter knows of a good retail partner, that might make a good partner for 10 by 3. Finding some smaller retail partners to offset the imbalance. The other is to grow our online retail. We need more people buying directly from 10 by 3… every product that we sell ourselves, we’re selling at a more sustainable price than if we sell it wholesale. Those are the two huge goals.”

 

A Partnership for Good

At Freight Ninja, we are proud to be a link in the chain that supports Ten by Three. Theresa Carrington’s journey from overcoming extreme poverty to becoming a global economic innovator is a reminder that when the right systems are in place, the path from poverty to prosperity is not just possible – it’s a formula. By handling the heavy lifting and the logistical hurdles, we are honored to help ensure that Theresa and her artisans can focus on what they do best: building a future of independence, one basket at a time.