TOMS Shoes

Have you ever heard of TOMS shoes? Tonight, I had the privilege of hearing about TOMS firsthand from Chief Shoe Giver for TOMS Shoes, Blake Mycoskie.

Mycoskie briefed the UNC-Chapel Hill audience of charismatic, want-to-be-a-part-of-change-in-the-world audience about how his once seemingly "crazy" dream to give away shoes to kids around the world has turned into an incredible phenomenon.

He said, "If you give your customers a reason to talk about it [your mission or company], you won't hafta spend a dollar on traditional advertising."

He went on to explain that when you do something good and make it a cause or a mission to help people, then people will naturally want to help you. He gave a few examples that he could never dreamed of coming true, such as Ralph Lauren's son calling him up randomly, telling him that Lauren was interested in designing Toms for his Rugby Line. Blake said that Lauren hasn't before co-branded a product in over 40 years in the industry, until he did with TOMS.

Mycoskie went on to say that in order to stand out in the world, to be successful, you have to be like a "purple cow" (an allusion he made to a recent book he read by Seth Godin); you have to be REMARKABLE.

The Chief Shoe Giver continued with emphasis on the importance of giving and sustainability and how the combination of the two creates the ultimate business.

And how did "TOMS" get its name, you ask? Well, it started out and still continues with the principle that you buy today and TOMS gives TOMorrow. They realized pretty quickly that "TOMORROW" didn't fit so well on a tiny shoe label. So, Blake stuck with "TOMS."

Check out www.TOMSshoes.com for more! "With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One."