Smartcuts: The Breakthrough Power of Lateral Thinking

by Shane Snow

thank him every time I see him,”

#1: HACKING THE LADDER “I always wanted to be better.”

“I challenge my kids to be better than they were yesterday,”

#2: TRAINING WITH MASTERS

he became a first-class noticer, a master of tiny details

decades-long relationship with his mentor Robert Greenberg helped Edwards master the shoe business, but most important, Edwards’s personal relationship with the deceased Jackie Robinson guided his life’s journey.

#3: RAPID F...

#4: PLATFORMS

PENSOLE allowed Edwards to scale himself, to reach, teach, finance, and place more talented kids in footwear design careers than he could before.

#5: CATCHING WAVES

#6: SUPERCONNECTING

shoe design contest, Future Sole, and eventually his PENSOLE academy.

he taught and mentored those stars in how to brand themselves.

#8: SIMPLICITY

Edwards cut PENSOLE’s curriculum and process down to core principles.

class to just a few weeks’ time in order to instill urgency and focus on what’s core.

#9: 10X THINKING

“My mission?” Edwards chuckles. “Change education and change the industry.”

the deep life skills that they’ll need to thrive

He made his own path, found leverage to do more in less time, and swung for the fences.

now his students are paying it forward.

What matters most at the end of the day is not how many sneakers he’s shipped, but how many people he’s helped become a little bigger or better.

You can make incremental progress by playing by the rules.

To create breakthrough change, you have to break the rules.

Contently who believe in the power of great stories.

And to all the other teachers and friends whose names I have not space to list: my deepest gratitude.

The secret word is kangaroo.

SHANE SNOW is a journalist and entrepreneur based in New York City.

cofounded Contently Inc., with the mission of building a better media world.