Blake Maykoski - Leave your mark. How to build a company that changes the world for the better. Quotes from the book “Leave your mark. How to build a company that changes the world for the better »Blake Maykoski

Current page: 1 (total of the book has 12 pages) [available passage for reading: 3 pages]

Blake Maykoski

Leave your mark. How to build a company that changes the world for the better

This book is well complemented by:

Jim Loer, Tony Schwartz   “Life at full power”

Tony shay"Delivering Happiness"

Hewitt Forest, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen“Whole life”

My parents, Mike and Pam Maikoski

All this happened only thanks to your selfless love and constant support.

With each book sold, we will transfer one book to charitable children's organizations.

Often laugh and love a lot,
Gain the respect of smart people
And the affection of children.
Honor honest critics,
To endure the betrayal of imaginary friends,
Appreciate the beauty
Seeing the best in others
Leave the world a little kinder
Giving the child health
By planting a garden or making life easier for someone.
To know that at least one person has become easier to breathe,
Because you lived.
This is success.

The poem attributedpoetess Elizabeth-Anne Anderson Stanley

And one more thing: 50% of the proceeds from the sale of the book will go to support interesting entrepreneurial ideas through the Start Something That Matters fund. I dream that this project and my book serve as a catalyst for action for those who are trying to change the world for the better.

Thank you for deciding to join our journey.

Carpe diem ,

Blake

History of TOMS

If you want the world to change, become that change yourself.

Mahatma Gandhi

In 2006, I decided to take a break from work and go to Argentina. I was 29 years old, and I was engaged in my fourth startup - online driving courses for teens. We stood out from the competition due to the "environmental friendliness" of our business: we only worked with cars with a hybrid engine.

The decisive moment has come in the development of our business - incomes grew, but so did the demands on our small employees. Nevertheless, I promised myself that I would go on vacation in any case, and was not going to abandon this undertaking. I have already seen that no matter how busy I am, rest is necessary to keep fit. Argentina is one of the countries through which my sister Page and I rushed in 2002, participating in the reality show The Amazing Race on CBS. (Fate ordered that we should have four minutes to win and a million dollar prize after the race around the world, which lasted 31 days. While I was writing these lines, I almost cried from my memories.)

Once in Argentina again, I wanted to immerse myself in its culture and life. I spent days learning the national dance (tango), practicing the national sport (polo) and, of course, drinking the national wine ("Malbec").

And I'm used to walking in national shoes alpargata   - soft canvas shoes worn by almost all residents of the country, from polo players to peasants and students. I noticed these universal shoes everywhere: on the streets, on farms, in night clubs. A thought began to wander in my head - but would the Alpargate not be to the taste of American customers? But I put it aside, like my other ideas that were not fully formed. I came to Argentina to be distracted, not to work.

Toward the end of my vacation, I met an American in a cafe, who, along with a small group of volunteers, was engaged in providing children with shoes. She explained to me that many children lacked shoes - even in such fairly developed countries as Argentina. The absence of shoes literally at every step makes life difficult for children (barefoot to school, barefoot to the nearest well for water); their health is at risk. Her organization collected shoes from benefactors and donated to needy children; however, donations did not solve the problem until the end. Charity was one hundred percent dependent on donations, but even when donations came in, shoes were often not the right size, which meant that many children were still barefoot. It broke the heart of my new friend.

I spent several days with her and her employees, and then continued to travel alone to see poverty with my own eyes. I learned a lot of new things - for the first time in my life I saw what happens when you go loose: corns, cuts, infections, in short, a lot of troubles that occur if the legs are not protected by shoes.

I wanted to help somehow. But how?

The first thing that came to mind was the organization of its own charitable foundation. But instead of asking people to donate shoes, I would ask my family and friends to donate money, for which I could regularly buy shoes for children of the right size. However, this scheme is valid only as long as they transfer money to me. I have a big family and many friends, but I realized that this would not last long. What happened next? What will happen to those who hoped for me to get shoes? These children need much more than irregular donations - they constantly need new, reliable shoes.

Then I thought about what I did - business, entrepreneurship. I spent the previous ten years launching new business projects that creatively solved various problems: from delivering clean linen to students to organizing a cable TV channel that broadcasts only reality shows or online courses for teenagers who are starting to drive. Then it dawned on me: why not organize profitable business, which will provide children with shoes? Why not come up with a solution to guarantee that shoes will arrive all the time, and not only when good people can or want to help? In other words, charity could solve the problem, but business.

I took my breath and shared my plans with Alejo, my polo trainer and friend: “I will organize a shoe company that will produce a new kind of alpargate. Having sold one pair, I will send the second to the child who needs it. No compound interest and schemes. ”

The concept was simple - I sell a couple today, I give a couple tomorrow. It was felt that I was on the right track, despite the lack of experience and connections in the shoe industry. There was only one thing - the name of the company, TOMS. I tried to beat the tagline, “Shoes for a Better Tomorrow,” which later turned into “Tomorrow’s Shoes,” and then reduced to TOMS. (Now you know why the company is called that way, and many people wonder why my name is Blake, and the shoes are named after a certain Tom. It's not about a person, it's about a promise - tomorrow will be better).

I asked Alejo to join me, because I completely trusted him and also needed a translator. He liked the opportunity to help his compatriots, and we became a team - a polo trainer Alejo and I, a shoemaker who does not know anything about shoes and does not speak Spanish.

We used the barn owned by the Alejo family as an office. But this is if they were not on the road, trying to find local shoe manufacturers willing to work with us. We explained to them what we needed: alpargate shoes, but for the American market it is more convenient and durable than the Argentinean version. In addition, we wanted her to be funny and stylish, designed for a more demanding American buyer. I had no doubt that the shoes that had been popular in Argentina for more than a hundred years would be welcomed in the States, and I was surprised that no one thought of exporting it before.

Masters called us loco   (crazy) and refused to cooperate. They believed that we had no idea what we were talking about. But in the end we found a madman who believed in us - the local shoe maker Jose. Over the next few weeks, Alejo and I spent long hours on the road, getting through the bumps in the Jose factory, a room the size of an average American's garage. A few old sewing machines and some materials - that's all production.

Every day ended with a debate: how to make our version of the alpargate. For example, I was afraid that in its primary colors (black, dark blue, red and brown) it would not be sold, and I insisted on a variety - stripes, cage, camouflage colors. (Our best-selling colors today? Black, navy, red and brown. Live and learn.) José couldn’t understand this, as well as why we want to add a leather insole and an improved rubber sole to the Argentinean model.

I asked him to trust me. Soon we began to cooperate with other masters. They all worked in stuffy rooms with a pair of old cars littered with scraps of fabric, surrounded by roosters, iguanas and donkeys. These people sewed the same shoes from generation to generation and (not surprisingly) looked at me with suspicion.

Then we decided to test the strength of the materials from which the outsole was made. I put on my shoes and scuffed my soles all day on the pavements of Buenos Aires. People stopped and looked at me as if I were crazy. One night I was even stopped by a policeman who decided that I was drunk, but Alejo explained that I was just “a little crazy,” and he let us go. In such an unusual way, we found out which materials will last longer than others.

The result of our work with manufacturers was 250 pairs of samples, with which I filled three sports bags to pick up in America. I said goodbye to Alejo, who had by then become my close friend. No matter how violently we argue (and we argue), every evening we came to an agreement that we remained of our opinion and continued to work every morning. The Alejo family supported me, despite the fact that none of us had any idea how things would go next.

* * *

I soon returned to Los Angeles with bags full of advanced alpargate samples. I still knew almost nothing about fashion, retail, shoes, and the shoe industry in general. I had a product that I thought was awesome, but how could I convince people to pay for it? So I invited my best friends to dinner and told them the whole story: a trip to Argentina, shoe charity, and finally my idea with TOMS. I showed them the goods and interrogated: what niche can shoes occupy in the market? Where should I sell it? How much should it cost? Do she like to them personally?

Fortunately, my friends fell in love with my story, the TOMS concept and the shoes themselves. They made a list of stores that they thought might be interested in our products. And most importantly, they all left this evening in my shoes, insisting on paying for each pair. A good sign and an excellent science - it is not always necessary to consult with experts, sometimes the consumer is the best consultant.

By that time, I had returned to work in my then-driving company, and I had almost no time to set up a shoe trade. At first I decided that I would handle everything by email and phone.

But, acting in this way, I did not achieve anything. One of the first lessons I learned: no matter how convenient it is to communicate with people remotely, sometimes a personal meeting is most important.

So one Saturday, I put a few pairs of shoes in my bag and went to American Rag, one of the main stores on my friends list. I asked if I could see the shoe purchase manager, and the girl behind the counter said that usually there are no shoppers on weekends, but I was lucky - today she is here. Besides, the day is not too hectic, and she agrees to give me time. So I stopped by and told her the story of TOMS.

Each month, this woman inspected and evaluated more shoes than you can imagine, and certainly more than the American Rag network could ever realize. But she immediately realized that TOMS is more than just shoes, TOMS is history. She liked the story as much as the shoes themselves, and she knew that she could sell both.

TOMS now had a retail buyer.

Soon another major breakthrough occurred - Booth Mor, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times fashion section, heard about us. He also liked our story and our shoes, and he promised to write an article.

Some time passed, and one Saturday I woke up from the fact that my Blackberry, as an obsessed, was dancing on the table from vibration. I set up the TOMS website so that I get a notification every time someone places an order. Until now, this has happened once or twice a day. But now my miserable phone vibrated without stopping, and the battery immediately sat down. I did not understand what was happening, so I left my mobile phone on the table and went for lunch with friends.

And in the restaurant, I saw that the notebook "Entertainment and Leisure" in the Times opens with an article by Buta Mora. The band started with TOMS! That's why my Blackberry vibrated continuously furiously - 900 orders were received on the site. By the end of the day, their number increased to 2200.

That was good news. Bad - we only had 160 pairs (lying in my apartment), and on the site we promised delivery within four days. What could be done in such a situation?

Craigslist came to the rescue. I quickly drafted an announcement inviting interns to work, and the very next morning I received a heap of letters. The three selected excellent candidates immediately got to work. Jonathan, a guy with an Iroquois haircut, phoned and announced that orders would be received soon, since there was no goods in the warehouse and it took about eight weeks to wait for the receipt. Out of 2200 clients, only one girl refused the order with such a significant delay, and that was only because she was leaving to study abroad. (By the way, Jonathan still works at TOMS. He runs logistics around the world, which doesn't stop him from wearing a mohawk.)

Now I had to return to Argentina to start manufacturing shoes. I met with Alejo and Jose, and we immediately set about making 4,000 pairs. We still needed to convince manufacturers to sew our models and find suppliers willing to sell fabric to us in small batches, on order. In addition, no one could make a whole pair, so we had to ride around the entire agglomeration of Buenos Aires, giving the fabric to the stitchers, then half-finished shoes to the shoe makers and so on. Therefore, for half a day we traveled like crazy, along the clogged city streets. The familiar Alejo managed to chat on two phones at once, continuously tacking in the stream of cars. I clung to the seat with white fingers in fear. Even the organization of driving courses in America did not prepare me for such arrivals.

Meanwhile, at home, our popularity continued to grow. A publication in the LA Times set the stage for the press. Soon about TOMS decided to write a Vogue magazine. It is unlikely that they knew that our company is in my apartment and there are only four of us - I and three interns. The magazine placed our $ 40 canvas slippers next to Manolo Blahnik shoes, which cost 10 times more. Following Vogue, Time, People, Elle, and even Teen Vogue wrote about us.

The customer base continued to expand. Now our products were taken not only by fashion stores in Los Angeles, but also by such national giants as Nordstrom and Urban Outfitters. Soon celebrities like Scarlett Johansson, Keira Knightley and Toby Maguire were spotted in our shoes. Step by step, our product was being promoted throughout the country, and people were learning more about us.

That first summer, we sold 10 thousand pairs of shoes - practically at my place. We carefully concealed our business from the landlady, an eccentric woman who had the habit of visiting without warning. Fortunately, a floppy car muffler notified us of its approach for the quarter. As soon as one of us heard the noise, we quickly cleaned everything, the trainees hid in the pantry, and when the hostess appeared on the doorstep, nothing gave out an office of a full-fledged business in the apartment. Sometimes we even conducted training alarms just to make sure that we can hide the traces of work in a couple of minutes.

* * *

The boundary of 10 thousand pairs meant that it was time to go to Argentina and present the promised shoes to needy children. I decided to bring my parents (who had never left the country before), my brother and sister, intern Jonathan and a couple of friends who shared information about TOMS in Los Angeles and supported us very much.

Once in Argentina, I reassembled the team - Alejo and shoe makers. We rented a large bus with berths and a spacious luggage compartment for hundreds of shoe boxes and set off. We started from the suburbs of Buenos Aires, then - 18 hours to the north-east of the country, moving from village to village, sometimes spending the night on the bus, sometimes renting rooms in motels. Two weeks passed on a trip to Argentina - we drove from the hospital to a school or a charity canteen, shoeing children in 10 thousand pairs of our shoes.

Our local organizers informed the necessary sizes in advance, and the children were warned that we would arrive. The children were so expecting that they would get a new (first for someone) pair of shoes that, barely seeing our bus, they began to clap their hands in joy. I myself have cried more than once with happiness. Lord, I thought. “It really works!” At every stop I was so overwhelmed with feelings that I could hardly resist the tears, putting on my first child's shoes. Such a delight from such a simple thing as a pair of shoes!

We tried to distribute everything in a very organized manner. Children were asked to build according to shoe size. If they didn’t know their size, they could recognize it by standing on a drawn piece of cardboard (my mom’s idea). But emotions overwhelmed us, and it was almost impossible to act quickly and in a businesslike manner.

I remember one village that looks like a landfill: everything is broken and destroyed, houses barely stick, the streets are covered with broken glass and garbage. But the children were so happy, galloped around us, played with us and thanked so sincerely that we again wept. I remember when I saw that my parents were crying, and I myself cried even more, and they, when they saw me crying, sobbed with might and main. Before, I did not fully understand the meaning of the expression "tears of joy." But now we all understand.

Here is what I wrote that day in my diary:

...

In the first school we were overwhelmed by excitement. We lined up in a dining room, the children were sitting in front of us. When Alejo turned to everyone, I suddenly realized that we would now realize my dream! We set foot on the path that was my destination. I cried like a little one, hugged Alejo and looked around at my friends, who, with all their busyness, had made time to make everything possible. This dining room will forever remain in my memory, and the smiling faces of children will inspire me for many years to come.

Having returned from our first shoe distribution campaign, I realized that TOMS is not just another business project for me. He will become my life - in the best sense. Each of the previous four projects in its own way gave satisfaction, but I did not experience such a full sense of self-realization that TOMS brought to me before. Suddenly, he became extremely important to me and everyone who worked with me. He brought me closer to the people and places that I loved, gave me the opportunity to contribute to the lives of those who needed my help. I did not have to give up anything to satisfy my ambitions - personal, professional or charitable. All of them united in one single business.

Immediately, I suggested that my driving partners redeem my share, and they agreed. The money I received allowed me to hire people who knew the shoe business. Now TOMS employs experienced professionals, industry veterans. The company was preparing for growth.

When planning to expand my business, I, of course, thought about the next campaign for the distribution of shoes, and the next one, and those that followed. In my business projects, I was always full of determination, eager for success and sought to test myself at new levels. But now I rushed forward even more, because I was doing work not only for myself and my new family at TOMS, but also for millions of children who desperately needed shoes.

* * *

Something was in the air in those days - I felt it, talking with the owners of the enterprises, making speeches in front of the schoolchildren and students, entering into conversations with the regulars of coffee houses. People always crave success - this is nothing new. Only our definition of success has changed. The desire for it is no longer the same as the desire to make money or get a certain status. The definition has become broader: to the desire to live and work on their own terms was added the desire to give the world something in return.

When I started TOMS, people thought that I was crazy. Many, especially industry veterans (“eating a dog on shoes,” as they sometimes say), thought that our model was not viable. But we found that the success of TOMS lies in thatthat we have created a new concept. The idea of \u200b\u200bcharity turns TOMS shoes into more than just a product. It becomes a part of history, a mission, a movement to which everyone can join.

TOMS is just one example of a new generation of companies succeeding in the current period of capitalism, which is volatile. The rapid growth of TOMS would have been impossible in the days of my parents' youth or even at the time when I started doing business. In our rapidly changing world, it’s becoming easier to catch luck by the tail, but for this you need to follow new rules. Indeed, the increasingly true and tested principles of success turn out to be just tested, but not true.

Here is a guide to help you and everyone you know create something real that really matters. In this book, I describe several seemingly contrary to common sense principles that allowed TOMS to turn from an interesting idea into a company that provided needy children with more than a million pairs of shoes in just five years. I will show how you can change the world with the help of a non-profit organization or a socially oriented enterprise, a new business project that you can create while continuing to work in its place. Perhaps even this will be a new direction in your business today. You will read about the people who created what really matters, hear their advice on how to change your world with the help of business and how to build a business changing the world.

We all achieve this goal in different ways, but there is one thing in common: each of us has not only created his own business. We sought to bring our history, our idea, even in the absence of experience. None of us were afraid, no one had special resources. We all started with a simple idea, we all made trust the cornerstone of our enterprise. And we all built charity into the mission of our companies.

The story about these six general features makes up a guide, which, in my opinion, is necessary for anyone who plans to create and develop something meaningful, full of meaning.

The book will allow you to look at your business and your life from a different angle. She convinces: the story behind the case is almost the most important part of the new enterprise, fear is useful, and vast resources are not so necessary. Simplicity can be the value you strive for, and trust is the most important thing you can bring to the company. And most importantly, gratuitous returns can be your best investment.

If you are like me and many of my friends, you are striving for more than just business success. You are looking for meaning. You need time and freedom to do what you love and change the world for the better.

This book will show how you can simultaneously earn money, satisfy personal ambitions and positively influence what is happening in the world. If you want to conduct your business and live a full life, the book will help you take the first step.

This book is well complemented by:

Jim Loer, Tony Schwartz   “Life at full power”

Tony shay"Delivering Happiness"

Hewitt Forest, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen“Whole life”

My parents, Mike and Pam Maikoski

All this happened only thanks to your selfless love and constant support.

With each book sold, we will transfer one book to charitable children's organizations.

Publishers

Often laugh and love a lot,

Gain the respect of smart people

And the affection of children.

Honor honest critics,

To endure the betrayal of imaginary friends,

Appreciate the beauty

Seeing the best in others

Leave the world a little kinder

Giving the child health

By planting a garden or making life easier for someone.

To know that at least one person has become easier to breathe,

Because you lived.

The poem attributed

poetess Elizabeth-Anne Anderson Stanley

And one more thing: 50% of the proceeds from the sale of the book will go to support interesting entrepreneurial ideas through the Start Something That Matters fund. I dream that this project and my book serve as a catalyst for action for those who are trying to change the world for the better.

Thank you for deciding to join our journey.

Blake

History of TOMS

If you want the world to change, become that change yourself.

Mahatma Gandhi

In 2006, I decided to take a break from work and go to Argentina. I was 29 years old, and I was engaged in my fourth startup - online driving courses for teens. We stood out from the competition due to the "environmental friendliness" of our business: we only worked with cars with a hybrid engine.

The decisive moment has come in the development of our business - incomes grew, but so did the demands on our small employees. Nevertheless, I promised myself that I would go on vacation in any case, and was not going to abandon this undertaking. I have already seen that no matter how busy I am, rest is necessary to keep fit. Argentina is one of the countries through which my sister Page and I rushed in 2002, participating in the reality show The Amazing Race on CBS. (Fate ordered that we should have four minutes to win and a million dollar prize after the race around the world, which lasted 31 days. While I was writing these lines, I almost cried from my memories.)

Once in Argentina again, I wanted to immerse myself in its culture and life. I spent days learning the national dance (tango), practicing the national sport (polo) and, of course, drinking the national wine ("Malbec").

And I'm used to walking in national shoes alpargata   - soft canvas shoes worn by almost all residents of the country, from polo players to peasants and students. I noticed these universal shoes everywhere: on the streets, on farms, in night clubs. A thought began to wander in my head - but would the Alpargate not be to the taste of American customers? But I put it aside, like my other ideas that were not fully formed. I came to Argentina to be distracted, not to work.

Toward the end of my vacation, I met an American in a cafe, who, along with a small group of volunteers, was engaged in providing children with shoes. She explained to me that many children lacked shoes - even in such fairly developed countries as Argentina. The absence of shoes literally at every step makes life difficult for children (barefoot to school, barefoot to the nearest well for water); their health is at risk. Her organization collected shoes from benefactors and donated to needy children; however, donations did not solve the problem until the end. Charity was one hundred percent dependent on donations, but even when donations came in, shoes were often not the right size, which meant that many children were still barefoot. It broke the heart of my new friend.

I spent several days with her and her employees, and then continued to travel alone to see poverty with my own eyes. I learned a lot of new things - for the first time in my life I saw what happens when you go loose: corns, cuts, infections, in short, a lot of troubles that occur if the legs are not protected by shoes.

I wanted to help somehow. But how?

The first thing that came to mind was the organization of its own charitable foundation. But instead of asking people to donate shoes, I would ask my family and friends to donate money, for which I could regularly buy shoes for children of the right size. However, this scheme is valid only as long as they transfer money to me. I have a big family and many friends, but I realized that this would not last long. What happened next? What will happen to those who hoped for me to get shoes? These children need much more than irregular donations - they constantly need new, reliable shoes.

Then I thought about what I did - business, entrepreneurship. I spent the previous ten years launching new business projects that creatively solved various problems: from delivering clean linen to students to organizing a cable TV channel that broadcasts only reality shows or online courses for teenagers who are starting to drive. Then it dawned on me: why not organize profitable business, which will provide children with shoes? Why not come up with a solution to guarantee that shoes will arrive all the time, and not only when good people can or want to help? In other words, charity could solve the problem, but business.

I took my breath and shared my plans with Alejo, my polo trainer and friend: “I will organize a shoe company that will produce a new kind of alpargate. Having sold one pair, I will send the second to the child who needs it. No compound interest and schemes. ”

The concept was simple - I sell a couple today, I give a couple tomorrow. It was felt that I was on the right track, despite the lack of experience and connections in the shoe industry. There was only one thing - the name of the company, TOMS. I tried to beat the tagline, “Shoes for a Better Tomorrow,” which later turned into “Tomorrow’s Shoes,” and then reduced to TOMS. (Now you know why the company is called that way, and many people wonder why my name is Blake, and the shoes are named after a certain Tom. It's not about a person, it's about a promise - tomorrow will be better).

I asked Alejo to join me, because I completely trusted him and also needed a translator. He liked the opportunity to help his compatriots, and we became a team - a polo trainer Alejo and I, a shoemaker who does not know anything about shoes and does not speak Spanish.

Leave your mark. How to build a company that changes the world for the better   Blake Maykoski

  (No ratings yet)

Title: Leave your mark. How to build a company that changes the world for the better

About the book “Leave your mark. How to build a company that changes the world for the better »Blake Maykoski

Blake talks about the history of TOMS, other business examples with meaning, and a general business philosophy.

If you read “Rework” or “Delivering Happiness” - you will definitely like this book.

On our site about books you can download the site for free without registration or read the online book “Leave your mark. How to build a company that changes the world for the better ”Blake Maykoski in the formats epub, fb2, txt, rtf, pdf for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle. The book will give you a lot of pleasant moments and true reading pleasure. You can buy the full version from our partner. Also, here you will find the latest news from the literary world, learn the biography of your favorite authors. For beginning writers, there is a separate section with useful tips and tricks, interesting articles, thanks to which you yourself can try your hand at literary mastery.

Quotes from the book “Leave your mark. How to build a company that changes the world for the better »Blake Maykoski

The more you give, the longer you live.

Imagination is more important than knowledge.
  Albert Einstein

In twenty years from now, you will regret more about what you did not than about what you did. So give the moorings, get out of the quiet harbor. Catch a fair wind. Explore, dream, discover (Mark Twain).

Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm (Winston Churchill).

If you want the world to change, become that change yourself.
  Mahatma Gandhi.

One who does not trust others, and himself does not deserve trust.
  Lao Tzu

“Be as simple as possible. Do one thing - as good as you can, ”says Harry Snyder.

You gain strength, courage and confidence every time you look fear in the eye. You can say to yourself: "I have survived this horror and can cope with what follows." We must do what you seemed to be unable to do (Eleanor Roosevelt).

Blake Maykoski

Leave your mark. How to build a company that changes the world for the better

This book is well complemented by:

Jim Loer, Tony Schwartz   “Life at full power”

Tony shay   "Delivering Happiness"

Hewitt Forest, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen   “Whole life”

My parents, Mike and Pam Maikoski

All this happened only thanks to your selfless love and constant support.

With each book sold, we will transfer one book to charitable children's organizations.

Publishers

Often laugh and love a lot,
  Gain the respect of smart people
  And the affection of children.
  Honor honest critics,
  To endure betrayal of imaginary friends,
  Appreciate the beauty
  Seeing the best in others
  Leave the world a little kinder
  Giving the child health
  By planting a garden or making life easier for someone.
  To know that at least one person has become easier to breathe,
  Because you lived.
  This is success.

The poem attributedpoetess Elizabeth-Anne Anderson Stanley

And one more thing: 50% of the proceeds from the sale of the book will go to support interesting entrepreneurial ideas through the Start Something That Matters fund. I dream that this project and my book serve as a catalyst for action for those who are trying to change the world for the better.

Thank you for deciding to join our journey.

Carpe diem,

Blake

History of TOMS

If you want the world to change, become that change yourself.

Mahatma Gandhi

In 2006, I decided to take a break from work and go to Argentina. I was 29 years old, and I was engaged in my fourth startup - online driving courses for teens. We stood out from the competition due to the "environmental friendliness" of our business: we only worked with cars with a hybrid engine.

The decisive moment has come in the development of our business - incomes grew, but so did the demands on our small employees. Nevertheless, I promised myself that I would go on vacation in any case, and was not going to abandon this undertaking. I have already seen that no matter how busy I am, rest is necessary to keep fit. Argentina is one of the countries through which my sister Page and I rushed in 2002, participating in the reality show The Amazing Race on CBS. (Fate ordered that we should have four minutes to win and a million dollar prize after the race around the world, which lasted 31 days. While I was writing these lines, I almost cried from my memories.)

Once in Argentina again, I wanted to immerse myself in its culture and life. I spent days learning the national dance (tango), practicing the national sport (polo) and, of course, drinking the national wine ("Malbec").

And I'm used to walking in national shoes alpargata   - soft canvas shoes worn by almost all residents of the country, from polo players to peasants and students. I noticed these universal shoes everywhere: on the streets, on farms, in night clubs. A thought began to wander in my head - but would the Alpargate not be to the taste of American customers? But I put it aside, like my other ideas that were not fully formed. I came to Argentina to be distracted, not to work.

Toward the end of my vacation, I met an American in a cafe, who, along with a small group of volunteers, was engaged in providing children with shoes. She explained to me that many children lacked shoes - even in such fairly developed countries as Argentina. The absence of shoes literally at every step makes life difficult for children (barefoot to school, barefoot to the nearest well for water); their health is at risk. Her organization collected shoes from benefactors and donated to needy children; however, donations did not solve the problem until the end. Charity was one hundred percent dependent on donations, but even when donations came in, shoes were often not the right size, which meant that many children were still barefoot. It broke the heart of my new friend.

I spent several days with her and her employees, and then continued to travel alone to see poverty with my own eyes. I learned a lot of new things - for the first time in my life I saw what happens when you go loose: corns, cuts, infections, in short, a lot of troubles that occur if the legs are not protected by shoes.

I wanted to help somehow. But how?

The first thing that came to mind was the organization of its own charitable foundation. But instead of asking people to donate shoes, I would ask my family and friends to donate money, for which I could regularly buy shoes for children of the right size. However, this scheme is valid only as long as they transfer money to me. I have a big family and many friends, but I realized that this would not last long. What happened next? What will happen to those who hoped for me to get shoes? These children need much more than irregular donations - they constantly need new, reliable shoes.

Then I thought about what I did - business, entrepreneurship. I spent the previous ten years launching new business projects that creatively solved various problems: from delivering clean linen to students to organizing a cable TV channel that broadcasts only reality shows or online courses for teenagers who are starting to drive. Then it dawned on me: why not organize profitable business, which will provide children with shoes? Why not come up with a solution to guarantee that shoes will arrive all the time, and not only when good people can or want to help? In other words, charity could solve the problem, but business.

I took my breath and shared my plans with Alejo, my polo trainer and friend: “I will organize a shoe company that will produce a new kind of alpargate. Having sold one pair, I will send the second to the child who needs it. No compound interest and schemes. ”

The concept was simple - I sell a couple today, I give a couple tomorrow. It was felt that I was on the right track, despite the lack of experience and connections in the shoe industry. There was only one thing - the name of the company, TOMS. I tried to beat the tagline, “Shoes for a Better Tomorrow,” which later turned into “Tomorrow’s Shoes,” and then reduced to TOMS. (Now you know why the company is called that way, and many people wonder why my name is Blake, and the shoes are named after a certain Tom. It's not about a person, it's about a promise - tomorrow will be better).

I asked Alejo to join me, because I completely trusted him and also needed a translator. He liked the opportunity to help his compatriots, and we became a team - a polo trainer Alejo and I, a shoemaker who does not know anything about shoes and does not speak Spanish.

We used the barn owned by the Alejo family as an office. But this is if they were not on the road, trying to find local shoe manufacturers willing to work with us. We explained to them what we needed: alpargate shoes, but for the American market it is more convenient and durable than the Argentinean version. In addition, we wanted her to be funny and stylish, designed for a more demanding American buyer. I had no doubt that the shoes that had been popular in Argentina for more than a hundred years would be welcomed in the States, and I was surprised that no one thought of exporting it before.

Masters called us loco   (crazy) and refused to cooperate. They believed that we had no idea what we were talking about. But in the end we found a madman who believed in us - the local shoe maker Jose. Over the next few weeks, Alejo and I spent long hours on the road, getting through the bumps in the Jose factory, a room the size of an average American's garage. A few old sewing machines and some materials - that's all production.

Every day ended with a debate: how to make our version of the alpargate. For example, I was afraid that in its primary colors (black, dark blue, red and brown) it would not be sold, and I insisted on a variety - stripes, cage, camouflage colors. (Our best-selling colors today? Black, navy, red and brown. Live and learn.) José couldn’t understand this, as well as why we want to add a leather insole and an improved rubber sole to the Argentinean model.

Blake Maykoski

Leave your mark. How to build a company that changes the world for the better

This book is well complemented by:

Jim Loer, Tony Schwartz   “Life at full power”

Tony shay"Delivering Happiness"

Hewitt Forest, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen“Whole life”

My parents, Mike and Pam Maikoski

All this happened only thanks to your selfless love and constant support.

With each book sold, we will transfer one book to charitable children's organizations.

Publishers

Often laugh and love a lot,Gain the respect of smart peopleAnd the affection of children.Honor honest critics,To endure betrayal of imaginary friends,Appreciate the beauty Seeing the best in othersLeave the world a little kinderGiving the child healthBy planting a garden or making life easier for someone.To know that at least one person has become easier to breathe,Because you lived.This is success.

The poem attributed

poetess Elizabeth-Anne Anderson Stanley

And one more thing: 50% of the proceeds from the sale of the book will go to support interesting entrepreneurial ideas through the Start Something That Matters fund. I dream that this project and my book serve as a catalyst for action for those who are trying to change the world for the better.

Thank you for deciding to join our journey.

Blake

History of TOMS

If you want the world to change, become that change yourself.

Mahatma Gandhi

In 2006, I decided to take a break from work and go to Argentina. I was 29 years old, and I was engaged in my fourth startup - online driving courses for teens. We stood out from the competition due to the "environmental friendliness" of our business: we only worked with cars with a hybrid engine.

The decisive moment has come in the development of our business - incomes grew, but so did the demands on our small employees. Nevertheless, I promised myself that I would go on vacation in any case, and was not going to abandon this undertaking. I have already seen that no matter how busy I am, rest is necessary to keep fit. Argentina is one of the countries through which my sister Page and I rushed in 2002, participating in the reality show The Amazing Race on CBS. (Fate ordered that we should have four minutes to win and a million dollar prize after the race around the world, which lasted 31 days. While I was writing these lines, I almost cried from my memories.)

Once in Argentina again, I wanted to immerse myself in its culture and life. I spent days learning the national dance (tango), practicing the national sport (polo) and, of course, drinking the national wine ("Malbec").

And I'm used to walking in national shoes alpargata   - soft canvas shoes worn by almost all residents of the country, from polo players to peasants and students. I noticed these universal shoes everywhere: on the streets, on farms, in night clubs. A thought began to wander in my head - but would the Alpargate not be to the taste of American customers? But I put it aside, like my other ideas that were not fully formed. I came to Argentina to be distracted, not to work.

Toward the end of my vacation, I met an American in a cafe, who, along with a small group of volunteers, was engaged in providing children with shoes. She explained to me that many children lacked shoes - even in such fairly developed countries as Argentina. The absence of shoes literally at every step makes life difficult for children (barefoot to school, barefoot to the nearest well for water); their health is at risk. Her organization collected shoes from benefactors and donated to needy children; however, donations did not solve the problem until the end. Charity was one hundred percent dependent on donations, but even when donations came in, shoes were often not the right size, which meant that many children were still barefoot. It broke the heart of my new friend.