94: Tim Brown, Co-Founder of Allbirds, On Creating A Sustainable Brand & Having A Winning Mindset

Tim Brown is a former pro-soccer player, a New Zealander, and the co-founder of the billion-dollar brand Allbirds. He never imagined the success of a shoe back in 2009 when it was just an idea but looking back understands why people fell in love with the product.

Tim joined Jason on the mbgpodcast to talk about the journey of Allbirds, which began after he realized “the world didn't need lots more shoes, it needed one that was very, very simple.” It started as a passion project and then launched as Allbirds in 2016 after he met his co-founder Joe Zwillinger.

He explains how the three pillars of Allbirds—simple design, sustainability, and comfort—came to be and why they remain at the forefront of every business decision.

In this podcast you’ll hear about:Why Tim and Joe chose to make Allbirds with wool, eucalyptus fiber, and SweetFoam, a new material that replaces the petrol in EVA, which is commonly used to create the cushy foam on the bottom of your shoes, with sustainably processed sugarcaneThe three pieces of advice you need when starting a businessThe exercise he calls his meditationAllbirds is revolutionizing the sustainable retail space as they “think of sustainability not as a nice to have but a non-negotiable.” And he tells us this imperative in the fashion industry right now as they are the largest contributor of carbon emissions, making around 20 billion pairs of shoes a year on average.

Whether you’re interested in starting a business, excited to hear the story behind a great brand, or are into living sustainably, Tim’s words will inspire to you to keep the planet in mind whatever your next step may be.

To contact Colleen or Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please email podcast@mindbodygreen.com. For all sponsorship inquiries, please email sales@mindbodygreen.com. Want to join our podcast email newsletter? Sign up here!

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