START SOMETHING THAT MATTERS

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My second book that I find interesting is Something that matters written by Blake Mycoskie.

Blake Mycoskie was born in Arlington,Texas. He got a partial scholarship into the university of Southern Methodist but had to drop out when he lost the opportunity to play due to an injury he sustained. He started running a laundry business and from their he dabbled into the media/showbiz business. He volunteered in an organisation that donates shoes to childrens in need.

He became inspired after seeing the effects of not having shoes on them. Here he discovered his purpose by creating a shoe brand formerly called Shoes for better tomorrow which was later shortened to Tomorrow Shoes (TOMS). For every pair he sold, he donates a new pair of shoes to the needy. He became a financial ad business guru who then went on to write his book, as a pilot on ways to build things that will be relevant enough to make a difference.

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Here are some lesson I learnt from the book:

1. LET YOUR BUSINESS BE KNOWN WITH A REAL STORY: According to Blake, he wears different color of the Toms shoes on his leg so that, people would ask him why. He will then be compelled to them about the story of his shoes/brand. He said humans react faster emotionally to story rather than on fact, it helps connect them with him and to his brand. Always tell your story in other to spread a message about your brand because that is the best form of communication for a brand to connect with its buyers.

2. SIMPLICITY: He praised his brand for its simplicity. Stating how simple and natural their shoe is and how they made use of alpargata(simply a piece of canvas around the foot attached to the sole) making it easy for them to build their shoes on it. Brands should go for simplicity because it sells more than they can ever imagine.

3. FACE YOUR FEARS: A fearful heart will remain stagnant and will not be empowered for exploits. Failure and setbacks will come, do not let this deter you from your path. Face your fears and no matter what happens, life continues. When he was at a crossroad in his business; deep in debt and scared, he surrounded himself with interns. He fed off their energy and eagerness to succeed and he made something of TOMS.

4. BE CREATIVE: The author talked about not waiting for the right time because there is nothing like it. Social media is the norm of today, make good use of it. Creativity are often sparked by lack of resources, starting with nothing helps keep the company efficiency and thriftiness in good shape. Blake utilised his resources by having to use a coffee shop address he patronised regularly in Hollywood Boulevard when he started to receive his company email.

Facebook began in Mark Zuckerberg’s dorm room.
Kenneth Cole’s first shoe display was in the boot of his car.
LinkedIn began in Reid Hoffman’s living room.
Apple started in Steve Job’s family garage.

1. TRUST: When your employers and customers are happy, your business will grow and you will be happy. He divided trust into 2; the internal trust within the organisation and the external trust outside the organisation. When a business owner who has employee(s) do away with autonomy and delegates task to his/her employee, they are left with time to focus on other things. Leaders who own up to their mistakes and also listens to his people, creates loyal employees who in turn satisfy and creates loyal customers.

TOMS once accidently created 6,000 shoes with too much fabric. They were fine at first but after a few weeks of wear, they became slippy. No customers complained but TOMS recalled the shoes at great cost. In the long run it showed they stood behind what they made and gained a great deal of trust. Potentially irate customers had been turned into a potential evangelist for the brand.

1. BE A GIVER: When your brand is associated with a good cause, your customers will be proud to tell your story, you will have amazing employees. Most times it doesn't have to be money, when you impact positively in people's lives businesses will want to partner with you.

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Blake Mycoskie's dream became his purpose and goal. From creating a company that helps children without shoes, he has been able to influence other brands and people into helping others positively. He wrote Start something that matters in other to teach and show people what he learned with his company TOMS.

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