4min chapter

#249: How to Make a Difference and Find Your Purpose -- Blake Mycoskie

The Tim Ferriss Show

notes

CHAPTER

Do You Have a Long History of Doing Market Research?

Tom's Shoes is a non-profit that sells shoes to children in argentina. When Tom first started the company, he thought only women would buy his shoes. He says they were selling thousands of pairs and then all of a sudden it became hugely profitable. The business has since grown from $1 million to more than $10 million per year.

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Transcript

Episode notes

This episode of the podcast features Blake Mycoskie (@blakemycoskie). Blake Mycoskie is the Founder and Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS, and the person behind the One for One® business model, which helps a person in need with every product purchased. This simple idea has grown into a global movement: TOMS Shoes has provided more than 60 million pairs of shoes to children since 2006, TOMS Eyewear has restored sight to more than 400,000 people since 2011, and TOMS Roasting Company has helped provide over 335,000 weeks of safe water since launching in 2014. In 2015, TOMS Bag Collection was founded with the mission to help provide training for skilled birth attendants and distribute birth kits containing items that helps women safely deliver babies. As of 2016, TOMS has supported safe birth services for more than 25,000 mothers. In this episode we cover: Early entrepreneurial ventures The power of journaling How "the stool analogy" changed Blake's life Lessons from Ben Franklin And much, much more… This episode comes from my new television show Fear(less), where I interview world-class performers on stage about how they’ve overcome doubt, conquered fear, and made their toughest decisions. You can watch the entire first episode with illusionist David Blaine for free at att.net/fearless. (To watch all episodes, please visit DIRECTV NOW). We recorded three hours of material and only one hour was used for the TV show. This podcast episode is almost entirely new content that didn’t appear on TV. Enjoy! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This episode is brought to you by Inktel. Ever since I wrote The 4-Hour Workweek, I've been frequently asked about how I choose to delegate tasks. At the root of many of my decisions is a simple question: "How can I invest money to improve my quality of life?" Or, "how can I spend moderate money to save significant time?" Inktel is one of those investments. It is a turnkey solution for all of your customer care needs. Its team answers more than one million customer service requests each year. It can also interact with your customers across all platforms, including email, phone, social media, text, and chat. Inktel removes the logistics and headache of customer communication, allowing you to grow your business by focusing on your strengths. And as a listener of this podcast, you can get up to $10,000 off your start-up fees and costs waived by visiting inktel.com/tim. That's inktel.com/tim. This podcast is also brought to you by 99Designs, the world's largest marketplace of graphic designers. I have used them for years to create some amazing designs. When your business needs a logo, website design, business card, or anything you can imagine, check out 99Designs. I used them to rapid prototype the cover for The Tao of Seneca, and I've also had them help with display advertising and illustrations. If you want a more personalized approach, I recommend their 1-on-1 service. You get original designs from designers around the world. The best part? You provide your feedback, and then you end up with a product that you're happy with or your money back. Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade. Give it a test run...

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