The Birth of a Brand

by Brian Smith

Before UGG became one of America’s most beloved brands, rugby player and lifelong surfer Brian Smith was leading a quiet day job of desperation as an accountant. Then one day, the overwhelming feeling that he’d missed the starting gun to life hit him over the head like a sleeper wave, so he pulled himself up by his bootstraps and got to work. What came next was a sales adventure of a lifetime chockfull of stops and starts and the witnessing his comfy brand of sheepskin boots turn into household name.

Using the honed wisdom of hindsight, The Birth of a Brand reveals the business practices and deeper truths the about life and business that Brian unearthed along his path. Written with candor, seasoned with time-worn knowledge and perspective, this book is for anyone interested a being a joyful, genuine, spiritual person while and still be wildly successful in your professional life.

In business, just as in life, we have to crawl before we can leap—and success had nothing to do with standing still.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published November 18, 2014

About the author

Born in Australia, now a resident of Southern California, Brian Smith is a former top-level rugby player and a lifelong surfer. A Chartered Accountant, he studied at the UCLA Graduate School of Management. He founded UGG Imports, Inc., and UGG Holdings, Inc., which was sold to Deckers Corporation as sales reached $15 million; in 2012, UGG boots sales first broke the $1 billion mark for sales around the world.

Still an avid surfer and business developer, Smith has gone on to kickstart and sell several businesses, including PREFAST, a concrete wall delivery system, and Ecolite Concrete USA.

Known across the United States as “Mr. UGG,” Smith is a frequent media guest and speaker who entrances listeners with his breakthrough “birth-to-adulthood” strategy for translating personal vision and spirituality into company culture.

Reviews

[Kym Hamer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read about a brand I know well. 3 stars.

[Michael Levitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian's journey with UGG Australia is a MUST READ for any entrepreneur, that's in the early days of their business.

The format of telling the story of UGG Australia's launch from San Diego (My favorite place) to selling the business (spoiler alert), in a way that mimics a child's journey through education was well done.

Brian's story felt more like reading a novel than a business and branding book, so this is one of those books that will transcend time.

[Miesha Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best business books I’ve ever read. It’s not about the technical aspects, it’s about the journey. This book is a total rollercoaster of ups and downs but in the end it’s so heart warming. Beautiful story!

[Aimee H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Australian surfer, Brian Smith, had a job as an accountant and a life that left him feeling empty and uninspired. When he was surfing, he was at one with the universe, but life on land was only becoming more of an uphill struggle. As in Pink Floyd’s song “Time” he realized, at age twenty-eight that he had “missed the starting gun.” As if comfortably waiting for the perfect wave in the wrong spot, unaware that it would never come.

He desired a life that inspired him, and he realized his best bet would be to open himself up to the powers that be and let his intuition guide him. Almost immediately inspiration struck, and with it an undeniable understanding of his true calling. Brian quit his job, got on a plane and headed half way around the world. This leap of faith, into the unknown, was the beginning of an adventure that forever would remain more valuable than the multi-million dollar company, named UGG, he would soon create.

This book chronicles seventeen years of Brian’s financial, intellectual and spiritual insights. He tells the tale of how his success was built, not from the numbers of his bank account, but rather from an indestructible optimism, and his ability to continually put one foot in front of the other. Brian’s life is proof of what CAN happen when you learn go with your gut and trust yourself, instead of going for what is safe.

The Birth of A Brand is a book that every entrepreneur will enjoy reading. If you have been looking for a book with substance, this is it. It does not matter if you own a business, or would like to one day. This book covers everything you could ever want to know