Start Something That Matters

Christi Hegstad November 9th, 2012

Imagine starting a shoe business in which, for every pair you sold, you gave a pair away to someone in need. While it sounds wonderful, it’s not a sustainable business model…or is it?

Blake Mycoskie dreamed up this idea after a trip to South America, where he saw many children who couldn’t afford shoes to protect their little feet from the elements. In 2006, he founded TOMS Shoes, a business designed to provide consumers with quality shoes and donate just as many to those children in need. 

His business model is simple: One For One. For every pair sold, a pair is donated.

While he encountered his fair share of naysayers (“It will never work,” “You’ll put yourself out of business”), Blake carried his vision high and honored his underlying mission. Within 5 years, TOMS had given more than a million pairs of shoes to children in need. 

Start Something That Matters shares Blake’s journey from idea-conception to today, where TOMS is a thriving, socially responsible business making a difference. Three of my takeaways from this book:

Know Your Mission. A mission statement is a succinct tool that can guide every decision you make and action you take. Creating a mission statement is one of my favorite topics to coach people on because it’s such a game-changer! “I didn’t have to compartmentalize any of my life’s ambitions: personal, professional, or philanthropic,” writes Blake. “They all converged in a single mission.”

Think Big, Start Small. While we often crave the dramatic overhaul, “small improvements made every day will lead to massive improvement overall.” Capture your vision, then break it into manageable pieces that you can move on daily.

Plan Your Giving. Rather than scattering your giving, or donating only when you feel you have extra money, incorporate philanthropy into your strategy. You can do this as a business owner, an employee, and an individual. When we streamlined our giving as a family several years ago, we found we were able to make a more significant contribution to the causes we cared most about, and in a much more sustainable way.  

The examples and practical action steps shared in Start Something That Matters will leave you feeling inspired, optimistic, and motivated to act. You’ll probably also want to order your pair of TOMS shoes – and know that you’re making a difference. 🙂



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