Blake Mycoskie – another one I’ve never heard of. Here’s the bio:
“Acknowledged as one of today’s most dynamic serial entrepreneurs, Blake Mycoskie launched five successful companies before the age of 30. He is best known as the founder and “chief shoe giver” of TOMS shoes, a for-profit company with a unique social enterprise model that has drawn tremendous media attention. Providing a new pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair sold, they have distributed more than 400,000 pairs of shoes to children around the world to date. Darren Whitehead, teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, will interview Mycoskie on leading organizations with a cause and navigating the start-up phase of an organization.”
And the session notes:
Making Conscious Capitalism Work: The Toms Shoes Story
The idea – a for profit shoe company that gives away one pair of shoes for every pair it sells.
A single unique and generous idea creates impassioned customers. Those customers do a lot of marketing work. Mycoskie’s company spent no money on advertising to launch the idea, but large companies (i.e. Microsoft) supplied millions of dollars in free online adverts.
He’s taken the idea of viral marketing and free product into the realm of the concrete.
Why not go non-profit?
The for-profit model funds the giving side of the equation. If he had taken the initial capital and bought shoes 40,000 pairs but because he invested in the company, they’ve been able to give away 680,000 pairs and counting.
Giving the opportunity to make a difference. People who wear TOMS love to tell other people about the company.
“You can’t be bashful if you want to make change.”
http://www.onedaywithoutshoes.com/
