Start Something That Matters

In 2006, while travelling in Argentina, young entrepreneur Blake Mycoskie encountered children too poor to afford shoes, who developed injuries on their feet that often led to serious health problems. Blake knew he wanted to help, but rather than start a charity, he went against conventional wisdom and created a for-profit business to help the children he met. With the help of a local shoemaker, Blake launched TOMS Shoes (which stands for "Tomorrow's Shoes") and promised to give a pair of new shoes to a child in need for every pair sold. Starting with only two hundred pairs of handmade shoes, Blake successfully grew TOMS into a high fashion brand seen on celebrities such as Keira Knightley, Scarlett Johansson, and Tobey Maguire. Blake's mission is to prove that you can achieve financial success and make the world a better place at the same time. In this book, he shares six counterintuitive principles that guided TOMS' growth: Make Business Personal, Be Resourceful Without Resources, Reverse Retirement, Keep It Simple, Stay Humble, and Give More, Advertise Less. It is an inspiring account of entrepreneurial spirit and a call to others to do the same.