TOMS shoes founder explains the power of giving

The roughly 500 people that gathered at the Show Me Center on Tuesday night had one thing in common: a love of shoes.

Specifically, TOMS shoes.

Southeast Missouri State University students and community members packed the seats, many sporting the lightweight cloth shoes most often associated with TOMS, to listen to a lecture from the company's founder and "chief shoe giver" Blake Mycoskie.

Mycoskie was the second speaker of the university's 2013-2014 Speakers Series. His presentation, "Start Something That Matters," told how TOMS began and where it hopes to be. The for-profit company made a name for itself after creating its "One for One" model: For every pair of shoes the company sells, another is given to a child in need.

Nearly an hour before Mycoskie's presentation, at least a dozen people waited in freezing temperatures outside the Show Me Center to get the best seats. Southeast sophomore Rachel Benson was among them.

Blake Mycoskie, founder and Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS, addresses the crowd during his Southeast Missouri State University Speaker Series presentation, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013, at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau. (Laura Simon)

"I'm not really sure what to expect, but I really support the TOMS cause and what they do," she said.

Freshman Samantha DeMarco said she also supported the company's mission and hoped to learn more about its founder.

"I want to see what started it ... what motivated him to do it," she said.

According to Mycoskie, the idea for TOMS and One for One began in 2006 when he was vacationing in Argentina. He previously visited the country while competing in the second season of "The Amazing Race" with his sister, and said he chose to return to immerse himself in the culture.

A few days into his vacation, Mycoskie began a conversation with other American tourists participating in a volunteer shoe drive. They gathered gently used shoes from wealthier families in Buenos Aires and gave them to children in need. Without shoes, Mycoskie said, children were not permitted to attend school.

Mycoskie participated in the volunteer shoe drive the next day, actually placing the shoes on the feet of the children. He shared his experience with Alojo Nitti, a local polo instructor and friend, who brought up the issue of sustainability: What happens when the children wear out or outgrow the shoes?

"I realized I didn't really have an answer for those questions," Mycoskie said.

At the time, Mycoskie, who started his first business at 19, determined the answer might not be charity, but entrepreneurship. He shared his idea of a for-profit business and the One for One model with Nitti, who helped him make the idea a reality by putting him in touch with local shoemakers. Mycoskie brought about 200 pairs of the shoes back to the U.S.

From those beginnings, TOMS quickly became an internationally known brand. It celebrated its 10 millionth pair of donated shoes in June.

Mycoskie said the company is looking toward the future. It has designed new footwear options, including boots and ballet flats, but also created TOMS eyewear, which helps give sight to those in need.

The TOMS website recently launched the Marketplace, where site visitors can access products from other businesses that focus on giving.

Encouraging other businesses to focus on giving is very important, Mycoskie said, "especially for this time, which is in a sort of social entrepreneurship movement."

He also said the focus on giving is what helped make TOMS so successful.

"If you incorporate giving and a purpose into your business, your customers become your greatest marketers," said Mycoskie. "They become part of the movement, and they're proud of that."

He closed the lecture with a final point:

"Giving doesn't just feel really good. It's also really good for business and for your personal brand," he said.