Monday, Blake Mycoskie, the founder and chief shoe giver for TOMS Shoes, spoke in Stewart Theatre about the success of his company, which has delivered more than 140,000 shoes to needy children across the world.
The business is built on the motto “One for One,” the idea of giving away one pair of shoes for every pair purchased. He got the idea after a chance meeting in Argentina.
“The truth is, when I had the idea, it was just a concept, something to try out,” Mycoskie said. “I didn’t decide on shoes. Shoes decided on me.”
Other unpredictable factors came together to make TOMS Shoes a success.
“When I look back at how things happened, why things happened, someone was definitely looking out for me,” he said.
According to Mycoskie, his first contacts with businesses seemed ineffective.
“After a week, not a single person had called me or e-mailed me back,” he said. “But, in life, sometimes you just have to show up.”
His doggedness paid off, especially when a feature in The Los Angeles Times netted 2,200 orders in a single day.
“I had the Web site set up so that every time I got an order, I got an e-mail,” he said. “My BlackBerry screen froze, and it vibrated so much, it died.”
To further complicate matters, Mycoskie only had 150 pairs of shoes at the time.
However, according to him, the nature of his venture made success inevitable.
“The idea of giving is an incredible business strategy,” he said.
By not being a non-profit organization, his work is more sustainable and less subject to the whims of the economy or investors. Also, people are naturally attracted the idea of making a difference.
“Customers become your marketers,” he said. “You don’t even have to worry about advertising.”
“When you’re doing something really good, and the purpose is higher than yourself, you’re going to attract amazing talent,” he said.
Mycoskie’s work now spreads across two continents, creates jobs in other countries, gives children the chance to go to school and helps prevent many foot-related diseases.
Matt Woodward, a sophomore in applied sociology, chairs the Union Activities Board’s Issues and Ideas Committee, which invited Mycoskie to campus.
“We heard it from a lot of students,” Woodward said, “about who Blake was, what his business was.”
His popularity on campus was evident as nearly half the audience stayed after for autographs and a photo, including freshman in chemical engineering Ellery Ward.
“I wore these shoes in the rain, just to get them signed,” she said. “I’ve been on missions trip before and met really cool kids, and I love to think about them getting TOMS.”
The committee thought the event would be a great way to raise awareness about social entrepreneurship, according to Woodward.
“Social entrepreneurship is when you have a business and use the revenue to give back,” he said.
Woodward applied this philosophy to the event itself. For the first time, the committee sold tickets, an idea they took from Mycoskie’s own business plan, the idea of “selling a product to give back,” Woodward said.
Attendees bought more than 350 tickets, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefitting Stop Hunger Now, a movement that, like TOMS, Woodward hopes proves contagious.
“I hope more students find a way to connect their passions to help others,” he said. “At least one person left inspired to make a positive change.”
Students can get involved with Mycoskie’s work through the TOMS Shoes Club, which formed at the beginning of this semester. Ashley Chorda, a senior in communications, was part of the effort to start the group and to spread the TOMS story.
“It would be cool if everybody knew about TOMS,” she said, “and you could see people wearing them all over campus. Right now, we’re getting kickstarted with Blake being here.”
According to Chorda, the club is supporting two major events this semester, starting with two “No Shoe Days” in November, which will accompany a screening of a film telling the story of TOMS. A “Style Your Soles” party will take place in December, where students can pre-order TOMS and decorate the shoes together.
