How I Built This with Guy Raz cover image

How I Built This with Guy Raz

TOMS: Blake Mycoskie (2019)

Feb 11, 2019
Entrepreneur Blake Mycoskie shares his journey of starting TOMS, a shoe business with a philanthropic mission. He discusses the challenges of communicating with shoemakers and fulfilling orders, as well as the pivotal moments that led to increased attention and growth for the company. He also explores TOMS as a movement and addresses customer engagement and criticisms.
53:35

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Starting Toms Shoes after being inspired by a shoe drive in Argentina, Blake Mycoskie created a business model that incorporated giving and philanthropy.
  • Toms Shoes faced criticism for its aid-focused model, but they responded by committing to manufacturing a significant portion of their giving shoes in the countries where they donate, inspiring other businesses to adopt similar giving models.

Deep dives

Blake Mikoski starts Toms Shoes with a philanthropic mission

Blake Mikoski, the founder of Toms Shoes, had a series of entrepreneurial ventures before launching Toms. He started with a laundry business in college, then went on to start an outdoor advertising company, a reality TV channel, and a driver's ed school. While in Argentina learning to play polo, he was inspired by a shoe drive that collected shoes for children in need. This experience prompted him to start Toms Shoes, a company that would give a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair sold. When he returned to the US and started selling the shoes, the business took off after being featured in Vogue and an AT&T commercial. Despite criticism, Toms has donated over 70 million shoes in 70 countries, leading the way for other businesses to incorporate giving into their models.

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