Shoes of every color and size stepped into the Student Union Theater Monday night, each pair different but all with the same label stitched on the back — TOMS.
 
Canvas shoe-clad students flocked to hear Blake Mycoskie, founder and chief shoe giver of TOMS Shoes, tell his story of entrepreneurship at “The New Rules of Tomorrow’s Business: A Student’s Guide to Making a Difference in the World,” hosted by the Student Activities Board and the Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute.
 
TOMS was founded in 2006 after Mycoskie made a trip to Argentina that ultimately changed his life. He said he witnessed a local shoe drive first-hand and saw how a simple pair of shoes could make a powerful impact.
 
“I watched volunteers get on their hands and knees [putting on shoes], and I wanted to do the same thing,” Mycoskie said. “I was so filled up, I had never had an experience like this.”
 
This feeling translated into a for-profit business that provides one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair purchased.
“No formulas, no percentages. You buy $45 shoes, we’ll give a pair away,” he said.
 
After brainstorming and visiting local artisans, the first basic shoe model was designed and about 250 pairs of original TOMS were created.
 
“But there were two problems,” he said.”First, I had to go to work. Second, I knew nothing about shoes.”
 
He introduced the shoes to family and friends, worked to sell the product to retailers in Los Angeles and struggled with a business driven solely by passion. Finally, a store agreed to buy 80 pairs, and the rest was history.
 
This initial sale resulted in an article in the Los Angeles Times, the catalyst for a boom in business and a string of future publications from magazines like Vogue and Time.
 
Mycoskie laughed as he remembered the trials and tribulations of running a business out of his Venice district apartment. He told stories of interns, setting up factories in Argentina and the lessons he learned along the way.
 
As of September, TOMS had given away a million pairs of shoes.
 
“I could stand up here all night and tell funny stories about the start of TOMS, but I want to take the opportunity to speak to you guys very seriously,” he said. “I really want to take a few minutes to share a few things I’ve learned that I didn’t anticipate.”
 
Mycoskie first reviewed his definition of sustainability as “creating something that will sustain itself.” He used this definition in relation to the investments made in the company and how TOMS has grown. He also reviewed the most important aspects of his business — the consumers.
 
“What I didn’t know and what I know now, giving doesn’t just feel good,” he said. “It’s also really good for business.”
 
He said this “giving mentality” translates to consumers becoming marketers.
 
“Any business is about its people,” he said. “People came because they wanted to be part of something and experience giving in their life. This is truly an advantage.”
 
Mycoskie closed by praising the unique partners he works with and answering questions from the crowd.
 
“I expected something cheesy, but I was pleasantly surprised,” said Michelle Reulet, ISDS sophomore. “It was geared toward our level and could definitely reach us.”
 
Lauren Hoffpauir, fashion design senior, owns 27 pairs of TOMS and said she hopes the presentation will promote an on-campus club dedicated to the TOMS mission.
 
The event cost nearly $30,000 and was paid for by student fees and donations.
 
 
 
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Contact Sydni Dunn at [email protected]