Leiho: Building Community, Dignity and Hope Through Simple Acts of Care

How founders Joey Li and Thuta Khin are redefining what a social enterprise can be

When Joey Li and Thuta Khin launched Leiho in 2019, the idea was straightforward: create a product people genuinely wanted to buy, and use the business to support people experiencing homelessness. It began with socks after the pair learned that clean socks were one of the most requested essentials in UK shelters. What started as a small, practical initiative soon evolved into something much bigger, a brand centred on dignity, connection, and community impact.

Joey’s perspective had been shaped long before Leiho existed. Growing up across five countries in Southeast Asia, she witnessed inequality in many forms and saw how different societies responded to people in need. Those early observations fed into her values, and later into Leiho’s mission. The brand still sells socks and accessories, but the heart of the business now lies in the programmes it funds: essentials, employment opportunities, and wellbeing workshops that help people feel supported and part of something.

Leiho’s journey reflects a broader truth about purpose-led entrepreneurship, that meaningful impact grows from paying attention, adapting, and staying grounded in what matters. For Joey and Thuta, that has always been community, creativity, and care.

Growing Up Around Inequality: The Roots of a Purpose-Led Mission

Leiho began with a simple act of paying attention. During a summer heatwave while studying in London, Joey and Thuta noticed how many people were sleeping rough without basics like shoes or clean socks. It prompted them to explore what was most urgently needed in shelters, and the answer, clean socks, became the starting point of their first campaign.

The pair attended Streets Fest, a festival-style event supporting people experiencing homelessness, with 200 pairs of socks in hand. As they handed them out, they met Tony, who shared how clean essentials like socks, underwear, and toothpaste made him feel more like himself. That conversation reinforced something Joey already understood from years of living across different countries: small acts of care can create meaningful shifts in dignity and confidence.

“We saw structural inequality in every form,” she says, and Leiho became their way of responding in a practical, creative and human way.

Navigating the Reality of Entrepreneurship

Building a business rooted in impact brings a different set of challenges. Leiho donates 5% of its monthly revenue to community programmes, funds that many brands would typically spend on marketing or accelerated growth.

“The biggest challenge is always cash-flow.” 

Bootstrapping while giving away a portion of revenue requires discipline and a long-term mindset. The team had to learn to balance commercial needs with their commitment to social impact, and to accept that the journey would involve uncertainty and slower, more intentional growth.

Joey reflects on how her outlook has evolved. “It’s learning how to not see it as a challenge, learning how to accept it as part of the journey,” she says.

There were emotional challenges too. Early on, Joey and Thuta often connected directly with individuals in crisis, trying to help beyond their capacity. They eventually realised that their role was not to replace specialist support services, but to strengthen the charities doing that work.

That clarity, knowing what they could meaningfully contribute, shaped Leiho’s model going forward.

Moments That Make It Worth It

The most rewarding moments for Joey and Thuta aren’t tied to product launches or sales figures. They happen in community centres, workshops and councils where Leiho’s impact becomes visible.

“When you’re in the room looking at the results of everything, it motivates you to do more." 

One moment in particular captures the heart of Leiho’s mission. The team partnered with Islington Council to run a sock cracker workshop. Instead of outsourcing production to the family in Brighton who had always made them, Joey and Thuta offered the work to two men at risk of homelessness. It was a simple shift in process with a powerful outcome. 

The men mastered the craft, produced the crackers with care and, through the experience, gained the encouragement they needed to move forward. What happened next went far beyond a festive product line; they soon had national insurance numbers, secured job interviews, and gained the kind of renewed belief in themselves that can change the direction of a life. Joey still smiles when she talks about them. They were, she says, “absolutely killing it.” The success of that workshop has since grown into a seasonal employment opportunity that Leiho offers every Christmas, providing paid work and confidence-building support to those who need it most. 

“That’s the beauty of it,” Joey says. “Being able to use the brand to collaborate with charities in any way or form that you want.”

The employment opportunities sit alongside Leiho’s wellbeing workshops, which have become one of the most powerful parts of their work. Joey describes a sip-and-paint session where participants created paintings of whatever made them happy, Ethiopian food, family moments, and imagined holidays. These sessions provided space to breathe, express, and reconnect with personal joy.

“We just want them to feel inspired and happy and a part of something.”

Learning, Evolving, and Rebuilding the Brand

As Leiho grew, Joey and Thuta realised how much branding influences impact. Early content was heartfelt but inconsistent, reflecting the spontaneity of a young social project rather than a scalable brand.

“I wish we had had more of a strategic, branding mindset.” 

Their early label as a “social cause” brand unintentionally limited how people viewed them. Hiring a branding team helped refine their identity and communicate their mission in a clearer, more compelling way. The shift didn’t dilute their purpose, it amplified it, allowing them to reach the right customers and support more people.

This stage of growth taught them that brand, community and impact can evolve together.

From Socks to Systems: Building Impact That Adapts

Leiho’s first giving model, buy one, give one, taught them how to run an impact-led business. Then lockdown arrived, and needs shifted rapidly. Families needed food and essentials, not socks, and shelters needed hot meals and emergency deliveries. So the brand pivoted.

What began as socks expanded into essentials, and later into employment and mental-health-focused workshops. As Leiho grew, so did the sophistication of its impact strategy.

“Don’t just stick to one impact strategy or formula, the strategy grows as your brand grows.”

Their model is now split into three areas:

1. Essentials: clothing, hygiene items, and food
2. Employment: small-scale, confidence-building paid opportunities
3. Workshops: activities supporting wellbeing, creativity and connection

Rather than duplicating what specialist charities already provide, Leiho builds on it, adding small, human touches that make people feel supported in different ways. Their impact isn’t about scale, it’s about depth, dignity and flexibility.

“It needs to come from your values, your heart and what you believe in.”

Purpose-Driven Leadership as a Woman in Business

Joey speaks with calm confidence about her experience as a woman founder. She sees London as a supportive place for purpose-driven entrepreneurs and believes women often thrive in this space because they lead with values like empathy, community and long-term thinking.

Even so, the journey hasn’t been without friction. There have been difficult meetings, dismissive comments and moments where Joey and Thuta’s age and nationalities have shaped people’s responses to them. Those experiences could have easily shaken their confidence and made them doubt their place in the room. Instead, it strengthened their resolve. 

“Staying true to ourselves and our values is just how we run.”

Recognition through awards and partnerships has been meaningful, but those moments aren’t what define the business. For Joey and Thuta, the real validation comes from impact, from showing up for the people Leiho supports and seeing the difference their work can make.

Systems, Barriers and the Reality Facing Women Entrepreneurs

Joey talks openly about the realities facing women who want to start a business today. The economic climate is tough, and London magnifies that pressure: high living costs, unpredictable markets, and the sense that even stepping outside can drain your bank account. Those factors alone can make entrepreneurship feel out of reach for many women.

She also recognises how the conversation around funding can distort the landscape. Headlines often focus on how little venture capital goes to women, but Joey is quick to point out that VC isn’t the only route, nor is it the most common. A huge number of successful businesses grow through small angel investments, partnerships or simply steady, organic momentum.

Her message is one of both realism and encouragement. “If you have an idea, definitely go for it if you can,” she says.

The risk doesn’t disappear, but neither does the potential. Founders learn, adapt, and grow through experience, often discovering their confidence long after they’ve already stepped into the arena.

Advice for Women Ready to Start Their Own Journey

Joey’s advice combines practicality with perspective. She encourages aspiring founders to research deeply, understand their market, use the wealth of free online resources now available, and build strategies that reflect their values.

Her view of progress is grounded and honest.

“The beauty when you look back is not the overnight success, it's the struggles, the journey and how you progressed through it all.” 

She also emphasises staying focused on your own path. Social media can distort reality and create unhealthy comparison loops.

“Comparison is a thief of joy, everyone’s journey is so different.”

Her message is simple: learn, adapt, stay consistent, and don’t let someone else’s timeline unsettle your own.

One Word to Define the Journey

Joey describes her journey with Leiho as eventful, a word that captures the highs, lows and constant learning. She laughs that it’s a more civilised version of “chaotic,” but it fits. Entrepreneurship, she explains, teaches you to accept uncertainty rather than resist it.

“Nothing is ever certain, and it’s about learning to accept that,” she says, a reflection that sums up both her personal journey and Leiho’s growth.

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