Blake Mycoskie founded TOMS shoes in 2006 after taking a trip to Argentina and seeing children without shoes. The TOMS business model involves giving a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair sold. Since then, TOMS has expanded to provide eyewear and clean water in addition to shoes. In 2014, Mycoskie sold 50% of TOMS to gain funding to further grow the product lines and social missions of the company. TOMS relies on word-of-mouth marketing and social media to promote its mission-driven brand.

1. BLAKE MYCOSKIE
Submi'ed
by
Sonali
Dhasmana,
MUM13MD35

2. 1
Background
• Born: August 26, 1976, Arlington, Texas
• Parents: Mike Mycoskie, an orthopedic surgeon, and Pam
Mycoskie, an author.
• High school: St. Stephen's Episcopal School in Austin in 1994.
Initially a tennis player since the age of 10, attended Southern
Methodist University on a partial tennis scholarship in 1995, and
elected a dual major in philosophy and business. After an
Achilles tendon injury he sustained as a sophomore ended his
tennis career whereupon he turned into a serial entrepreneur.

3. TOMS
1995
2001
2005
2006
2008
Store American Rag displays shoes, 2006
2010
Article in Los Angeles Times, 2006
10,000 shoe sold, Sept 2006 - VOGUE
AT&T Advertisement, 2008
ODWS – one day
2013
2011
EZ Laundry, 1995
Mycoskie Media, 2001
Amazing race 2, 2002
Reality Central, 2003
DriversEd Direct, 2005
TOMS, Jan 2006
Ralph Lauren, 2008
without shoes
Start Something
That Matters, 2011
Seva, 2011
Water for
people,
2013
25 mil
shoes

4. The Product
The shoe was a local design called alpargata made of thick canvas,
comfortable, simple to create and was already being used by local
farmers.
After many experimentations the first design of the shoe was created
as the TOMS shoe.

5. Early Years
1995 – After an Achilles tendon injury Mycoskie left SMU and
launched his first business, 1EZ Laundry generating close to $1 million
in sales. Mycoskie sold the company to his partner in 1999.
2001 – Founded 2Mycoskie Media an outdoor billboard company
focusing on country music. Sold to Clear Channel nine months after its
launch.
2002 – Took part in reality show Amazing race 2. Came in third.
2003 – started a reality channel by the name of 3Reality Central but
was outbid by FOX reality channel for advertising and programming.
Closed down in 2005.
2005 – In collaboration with TrafficSchool.com created
4DriversEd Direct, a technological solution to teach teenagers how to
drive. For its promotion created 5Closer Marketing Group.

6. 2
Introduction to venture
Jan 2006 –
On vacation in Argentina where as a part of
his volunteer work met a woman who was a
part of an organization which was providing
shoes to children. Inspired, he returned to
US. Sold DriversEd and went back to
Argentina and created 6TOMS.
According to Blake “ (due to) the driver-education
business, I didn’t have a great deal
of time to devote to hawking shoes”

7. In 2006 Blake was on holiday in Argentina when he saw
small children with no shoes. He wanted to help them.
He had an Argentinian friend by the name of Alejo, his polo
teacher with whom he started search for a shoemaker. Most
of whom booted them out. They had already started to
work out of Alejo’s Barn.
Then with $5000, the first 250 pairs were created.
These shoes he took to America and told the story to his
group of friends in a get-together who loved the story and
TOMS shoe was born.

8. “decided to test the durability of the outsole material we were using.
I would put on our prototypes and drag my feet along the concrete
streets of Buenos Aires with Alejo walking beside me.”
Excerpt From: Mycoskie, Blake. “Start Something That Matters.”
Based on One for One business model, Tomorrows shoes
or TOMS is a for-profit business wherein when one
person purchases a pair of shoes, the company donates
one pair to under-privileged children.
Ensures constant flow of shoes.

9. American Rag the first store which displayed
TOMS shoes based on just its story.
• Vogue

10. Early 2006
• Booth Moore, the fashion writer for the Los Angeles
Times heard the story, interviewed Blake and wrote an
article about the story.
On the day the article was published, 2,200 orders for
the shoes had been placed.
Sudden high demand but no Merchandise. Emergency
interns were hired who called the customers individually
for any cancellations.
Result: no. of cancellations - 1

11. September 2006 – 10,000
shoes (out of a studio
apartment) milestone had
crossed when Vogue
approached Blake for a
spread in their magazine.

12. Ralph Lauren in
spring 2008 created a
line of limited edition
TOMS featuring
special prints and
patterns.
(one MATCH RUGBY
shirt, one pair of TOMS
shoes , and one FEED
bag)

13. “…Nordstrom, Whole
Foods, and Urban
Outfitters. Soon, celebrities
like Keira Knightley, Scarlett
Johansson, and Tobey
Maguire were spotted
around town wearing
TOMS.”
Excerpt From: Mycoskie, Blake.
“Start Something That Matters.”
Keira Knightley in TOMS shoes

14. 2008 – Blake Mycoskie shot a television interview for LXTV
which was picked up by AT&T (telecom company), who
approached TOMS and an advertisement was created in
Argentina.
2010 - Created another advertisement with Blake Mycoskie
on one millionth pair shoe drop.

15. 2011
• Released book Start Something That Matters by Blake
Mycoskie.
• ODWS – One Day Without shoes, encourage people to
feel what children of Argentina, Ethiopia and Africa are
feeling everyday.
• Taking customers on Shoe Drops – Fifty trips with around
200 people.

16. 3
Financial assistance
The first investment of $5000 was provided by Blake
himself. However within few months the design became
self sustainable because of its profit based setup.
In part this was also helped by the ‘word of mouth’
advertisement that the company followed.

17. 4
Product Diversification
Today TOMS is active in over 70 countries with
Shoe, Sight and Water Giving strategies
Events:
Anybody can host an event with TOMS as central
theme. The Host can purchase blank shoes and give
them to the guests to decorate and colour.

18. Gift of Sight
Seva Foundation,
2011 TOMS’ Sight
Giving Partner (and
other partners),
restores sight of one
person on purchase of
one eyewear through
‘sight-saving surgery,
prescription glasses,
or medical treatment’.

19. Gift of Water
Water For People, 2013
In 5 countries where coffee is
created.
‘With every bag of coffee you
purchase, TOMS will provide
one week of clean water to a
person in need. One for
One.®’
Selling 1 bag of coffee
beans = 140 litres to a
person in need.

20. Acquisition by Bain International
August 2014 - Blake Mycoskie sold 50% of shares to Bain
International for further diversification in Products.
Currently TOMS shoes is estimated at $625 mil value.

21. 5
P2P Marketing
The organisation believes in person to person advertising.
The shoes are advertised as conversation starters – because
of their unusual design.
The cost of advertising is almost none which is where the
profit margin comes in.
Sold for $50 a pair, one more shoe is made out of the rest of
the money and then taken to the children and is put on their
feet by hand. (Drop off)

22. 6
Why it is still a Success story
1. Recognised supporters (customers) as potential
advertisers.
People believe word of mouth easily as compared to
blatant advertising.
2. Retained original members.
3. Un-created hierarchies.
4. Concentration on online selling rather than store – no
rents or upkeep of the store.
5. Responsible Capitalism.
6. Simple product with cultural connotations.

23. References
Mycoskie, B. (2011). Start something that matters. New York: Spiegel &
Grau.
toms.com/stories/category/giving, as sited on 6 September, 2014
toms.com/gift-of-water, as sited on 6 September, 2014
seva.org/site/PageServer, as sited on 6 September, 2014
Chassany, Anne-Sylvaine (August 21, 2014) Bain buys half of ethical
shoemaker TOMS (E-news), link: ft.com/cms/s/0/1c72aa86-2945-11e4-
baec-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3CibWptPw, as sited on 7 September,
2014
toms.com/stories/giving/expanding-one-for-one-to-coffee, as sited on
7 September, 2014
toms.com/blakes-bioas sited on 7 September, 2014
toms.com/stories/giving/a-giving-department-whats-that, as sited on 7
September, 2014
contest-corner.com/att-toms-shoes/, as sited on 7 September, 2014