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For years I’ve believed that it’s critical for my soul to take a vacation, no matter how busy I am. Argentina was one of the countries my sister, Paige, and I had sprinted through in 2002 while we were competing on the CBS reality program The Amazing Race.
I also got used to wearing the national shoe: the alpargata, a soft, casual canvas shoe worn by almost everyone in the country, from polo players to farmers to students. I saw this incredibly versatile shoe everywhere: in the cities, on the farms, in the nightclubs. An idea began to form in the back of my mind: Maybe the alpargata would have some market appeal in the United States. But as with many half-formed ideas that came to me, I tabled it for the moment. My time in Argentina was supposed to be about fun, not work.
An idea hit me: Why not create a for-profit business to help provide shoes for these children? Why not come up with a solution that guaranteed a constant flow of shoes, rather than being dependent on kind people making donations? In other words, maybe the solution was in entrepreneurship, not charity.
It was a simple concept: Sell a pair of shoes today, give a pair of shoes tomorrow. Something about the idea felt so right, even though I had no experience, or even connections, in the shoe business. I did have one thing that came to me almost immediately: a name for my new company. I called it TOMS. I’d been playing around with the phrase “Shoes for a Better Tomorrow,” which eventually became “Tomorrow’s Shoes,” then TOMS. (Now you know why my name is Blake but my shoes are TOMS. It’s not about a person. It’s about a promise—a better tomorrow.)
We described to them precisely what we wanted: a shoe like the alpargata, made for the American market. It would be more comfortable and durable than the Argentine version, but also more fun and stylish, for the fashion-conscious American consumer.
Most of the shoemakers called us loco and refused to work with us, for the hard-to-argue-with reason that we had very little idea of what we were talking about. But finally we found someone crazy enough to believe: a local shoemaker.
Soon we started collaborating with some other artisans, all working out of dusty rooms outfitted with one or two old machines for stitching the fabric, and surrounded by roosters, burros, and iguanas. These people had been making the same shoes the same way for generations, so they looked at my designs—and me—with understandable suspicion.
One of the first of many important lessons I learned along the way: No matter how convenient it is for us to reach out to people remotely, sometimes the most important task is to show up in person.
People are hungry for success—that’s nothing new. What’s changed is the definition of that success. Increasingly, the quest for success is not the same as the quest for status and money. The definition has broadened to include contributing something to the world and living and working on one’s own terms.
TOMS is only one example of a new breed of companies that are succeeding at this volatile moment in capitalism. The tremendous growth of TOMS would never have been possible during my parents’ generation or even when I was first getting started in business in the not-so-distant past. In this fast-paced and constantly mutating world, it is easier than ever to seize the day, but in order to do so, you must play by a new set of rules—because, increasingly, the tried-and-true tenets of success are just tried, not true.
They teach that having a story may be the most important part of your new venture; that fear can be useful; that having vast resources is not as critical as you might think; that simplicity is a core goal in successful enterprises; that trust is the most important quality you bring to your company; and, finally, that giving may be the best investment you’ll ever make.
If you’re like me and most of the people I know, you yearn for something more than just business success. You’re searching for meaning. You want to have the time and freedom to do the things you love and contribute to making the world a better place. The stories that follow will show that you can earn money, achieve personal fulfillment, and make a positive impact on the world all at the same time.
But because the two had a compelling story to tell about who they were, why they wanted to create this product line, and how environmentally safe it was, they were eventually able to attract attention from the press, including coverage in Vogue, Time, and other publications, which caught the attention of store buyers. Along the way, they were also creating a loyal cadre of customers who not only found the product useful but felt connected to a story that moved them and a movement that became part of their story.
Stories are the most primitive and purest form of communication. The most enduring and galvanizing ideas and values of our civilization are embedded in our stories, from those of Homer, whose preliterate epic poems united the Greeks’ national spirit, and Virgil, whose poems did the same for the Romans, to those told by Jesus, who used parables to teach his disciples. It seems to be in our genetic makeup to capture our best ideas in stories, to enjoy them, to learn from them, and to pass them on to others.
“Human minds rely on stories and story architecture as the primary road map for understanding, making sense of, remembering, and planning our lives—as well as the countless experiences and narratives we encounter along the way.” Smart, future-oriented companies use this ancient impulse in new ways, by telling stories that people can watch on YouTube and share on Facebook.
When you have a memorable story about who you are and what your mission is, your success no longer depends on how experienced you are or how many degrees you have or who you know. A good story transcends boundaries, breaks barriers, and opens doors. It is a key not only to starting a business but also to clarifying your own personal identity and choices.
A story evokes emotion, and emotion forges a connection. This is why the way companies introduce themse...
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“Facts are neutral until human beings add their own meaning to those facts. People make their decisions based on what the facts mean to them, not on the facts themselves. The meaning they add to facts depends on their current story … facts are not terribly useful to influencing others. People don’t need new facts—they need a new story.”
A barrage of facts is simply not as powerful as a simple, well-told story—and science offers proof.
Facts are important, but the story matters. Poorly presented facts can even get in the way of the story’s impact.
“People just aren’t that good at remembering facts,” he wrote in his book Meatball Sundae. “When people do remember facts, it’s almost always in context.
the company has created (and lives) a story that has less to do with clothing and more to do with the environment. Their mission statement is: Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. And the company absolutely adheres to that mission.”
Conscious capitalism is about more than simply making money—although it’s about that too. It’s about creating a successful business that also connects supporters to something that matters to them and that has great impact in the world. As consumers, customers will want your product for the typical reasons—because it works better, because it’s fashionable, because the price is competitive, because it offers an innovation—but as supporters they also believe in what you’re doing; they’ve bought into your story because it taps into something real, and they want to be a part of it.
The lesson: The power of your story isn’t just a way to connect to your ultimate consumer but is also a means of making you attractive to potential partners who want to attach themselves to something deeper than buying and selling.
Almost everyone has a passion for something, but sometimes we have trouble saying what it is. It’s surprisingly easy to lose touch with our true passions—sometimes because we get distracted with everyday living; sometimes simply because in the usual stream of small talk or transactable business, no one ever asks us about our dreams. That’s why it’s so important that you first find a way to articulate your passion to yourself. When you discover what your passion is, you will have found your story as well.
If you’re not sure about your passion, here are three questions I sometimes ask people: • If you did not have to worry about money, what would you do with your time? • What kind of work would you want to do? • What cause would you serve?
The more strongly you feel about what you do, the more likely you are to push yourself to be good at it and find a way to make a success of it. If you organize your life around your passion, you can turn your passion into your story and then turn your story into something bigger—something that matters.
Once you figure out your story and begin your project—be it a business, a philanthropic organization, or even a job search—how do you spread it? The most important thing is that you commit to telling that story at every opportunity. It’s not an incidental part of your business; it has to be a major area of focus—otherwise, you won’t spend the time you need to promote and share it.
We are also quick to use ideas that come from our supporters, rather than our own brainstorming.
Customer case studies, and use cases that fit the ideal customer profile.
Don’t ever think that good ideas will come only from within your organization—sometimes your supporters will think up ideas as good as anything your employees could ever invent.
People outside an organization can sense the difference between a story that is authentic and a story that was fabricated just to make money—but so can people within an organization. So can you, as the leader of your project, whatever it is, and if you doubt your own authenticity, it will sap your passion. But if you genuinely love your story, you will love to share it with others.
Talk up your story anywhere someone is likely to ask you, “So what do you do?” Some of my favorite places to engage in this kind of story-sharing are ski lifts, subways, planes, holiday parties, business networking events, and trade shows. Take the opportunity to let your passion run wild.
Stories don’t have to stand alone. If your story resonates with someone else’s, find a way to merge the stories, as AT&T did with TOMS.
When you have a story that’s larger and more interesting than your product or service—or you—other people and companies will want to incorporate your story into theirs to share in the halo effect.
If someone is interested in hiring you, or consulting with you, or joining your business, or even dating you, he or she will go online and Google you. Your Facebook page or your Tumblr or your Flickr feed will appear, and if they’re not compelling, if they don’t offer opportunities for others to feel a connection to your story, it will be very hard to stand out.
In every niche there are the people Malcolm Gladwell famously labeled “connectors” in his book The Tipping Point, the bigmouths who are at the hub of their networks. Make sure to get your story in front of people who are in a position to tell it to others. Sharing your story with a hermit may earn you one new convert; sharing it with someone at the center of a social network will have an exponential effect.
It’s important to know your audience. At its center, your story is about a specific idea or product or expertise that you’re offering. You can’t be all things to all people and still maintain your credibility and integrity. Make sure your story is crafted to appeal to the people you really want to become your supporters and that it draws from your core strength.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. —MARK TWAIN
Fear is much more common than most people realize. That’s because we live in a society where fear isn’t something we like to talk about; as a rule, we’re much more impressed by boldness. But fear happens, and it happens to everyone—especially anyone who is starting a business, interviewing for a job, or rallying people around a cause.
Fear stays with us throughout our lives. When we’re unemployed, we fear that we’ll never get another job. When we do get a job, we fear being fired. When we invest our earnings, we fear losing our savings. And when we start our own company, throwing in our own savings and efforts and faith, we fear losing everything. Since fear is going to be with us for the rest of our lives, we must learn to face it, and the first step is understanding what fear is. Fear happens when we feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible situation or event—in other words, something that hasn’t even happened yet.
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Everyone feels fear in business at some point, but the important thing to remember is that what you fear won’t kill you, in business at least. Those who are successful face up to their fears and create a plan to overcome them.
In fact, the more you read about successful enterprises, the more you’ll discover how many successful people, faced with rejection, bankruptcy, loss of support, or outright failure had every opportunity to shut down what they were doing and simply fold. Instead, they faced their fears, managed to get past them, and ultimately triumphed.
The more you read biographies, talk to successful people, and listen to business leaders speak, the more you’ll hear about mistakes, screwups, fears, and failures. But you’ll also see that those downers often turn out to be the biggest blessings they ever received. This is a lesson you have to keep learning.
Fear is one of our most powerful emotions, and the more we focus on it, the more it grows and distorts our behavior. But there’s a way through it. Instead of focusing on the fear itself, which you cannot control, focus on what you can control: your actions. How you react to negative feelings will be the key to your success. Becoming comfortable with fear, and acting confidently in its face, will not only give you more courage when facing it next time but also greatly increase your chances of achieving success and happiness.
NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, WIN, LOSE, OR DRAW, NEVER FORGET THAT LIFE GOES ON Courtney explains: “It was scary leaving Goldman, but as frightening as that was, the fact was, when we started VeeV, I was twenty-seven years old. I thought, What if all this is a terrible failure—what would be the worst that could happen? I would wake up at thirty having had an amazing experience and be ready to do something else. In other words, the downside is not as bad as people think. While a financial failure can be disheartening and difficult to deal with, your career path may yet be brighter: I know many
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DON’T FEAR THE UNKNOWN “People fear the unknown, but the truth is, everything is unknown by definition—no one really knows what they are getting themselves into. When we started VeeV, we had no idea what would happen. Neither my brother nor I knew anything about the alcohol industry; we didn’t even know what a distributor was, much less where to find one. “People tend to think that they should start something only when they are totally and completely knowledgeable about the field they want to enter. That probably will never happen. No one goes into these ventures knowing everything. You have a
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EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES “When people start something new, they often become so scared of making mistakes, they come down with Analysis Paralysis. They become so fixated on the idea that every decision matters so much that they obsess over each one and ultimately do nothing. Rather than let the boat stall, I’d always keep it moving in some direction. A few mistakes will seldom sink the entire ship. You may get a hole in the boat and start taking on water, but ...
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DON’T WORRY ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK “I’m sure some people at Goldman, when they found out about VeeV, sneered and said, ‘Courtney just can’t hack it.’ So what? My brother and I may not be making as much money as these people (if they’re still in the business). But we’re doing something we really care about and that we love. That’s worth it. Yes, it was rough at first, thinkin...
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DON’T FALL VICTIM TO THE BEST IDEA FREEZE “Many people starting something new are intimidated by the question ‘Is this the best idea I have?’ Of course a good idea is a great start, but the success of most ventures actually lies in the execution phase, not in the idea. I’d take a decent idea and ...
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Having a group of enthusiastic people around you, all busy working toward the success of your enterprise, gives you confidence, makes you feel legitimate, and, ultimately, helps make whatever idea you are trying to create a reality.
