When Laura was teaching children and volunteering in the construction projects in the Situmi Village on the border of Uganda and Kenya, she came across an interesting scenario. Four previously shoeless Ugandan children each received a pair of TOMS shoes, along with a “TOMS” piece of fabric that resembled a flag. The four children hung the fabric on a stick and ran through the village for days waving it joyously. Today, the flag is still a toy in the Situmi Village (“Waving the TOMS Flag in Uganda”). Some may ask why these children are getting shoes; this happiness is all thanks to a man named Blake Mycoskie. He has created a surprisingly successful business, in which for every pair of shoes bought, a pair is given to a barefooted child. This respectable business may be a representation of the evolution of business in the future.
After a visit to Argentina in January 2006, Blake Mycoskie got the idea to create a shoe company. He saw many children without shoes and decided he wanted to do something to solve the bare foot problem (“A Shoe That Fits So Many Souls”). This was an average guy with a mission. When he returned to Santa Monica in 2006, the CEO reasoned it was time to start solving the problems he found in Argentina (DeBernardi). His business partner and previous polo instructor, Alejo Nitti, is now the head of production.
Originally these men took over 200 samples of Argentinean shoes to the doors of U.S. citizens to see which type of shoe was most popular (Sharkton). The glass slipper is called an apargata, which is worn by farmers. Mycoskie transformed the plain, canvas shoe by adding a soft leather insole and sturdy rubber sole (Irwin & Fifield). The two planned to have a very small business and sell the shoes out of ...
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...pr. 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. Fifield, Will. “Not business as usual.” The Costco Connection Sept. 2010: 24-27. Print.
Irwin, Jennifer. “The lowly alpargata steps forward.” New York Times. 17 Jan. 2007. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.
Loten, Angus. “Why interns are good for business.” MSNBC. 12 Mar. 2008. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.
Obrien, Sean. “One For One: The Toms Shoes Story.” Surf Expo. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.
Sharkton, Craig. “Toms Shoes - Philanthropy as a Business Model.” Small Business, Big Profits. 23 Aug. 2008. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.
Sieberg, Daniel. “Giving Kids Their First Pair of Shoes.” CBS News. 28 Oct. 2009. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.
“Toms.com” Alexa: The Web Information Company. Sept. 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.
“TOMS One for One Movement for Eyewear: How it Works.” TOMS. 2011. Web. 7 Dec. 2011.
“Waving the TOMS Flag in Uganda.” TOMS Blog, 2 Sept. 2010. Web. 7 Dec. 2011.
Daumeyer, Rob. "Beware of Too Much Business" Cincinnati Business Courier (June 1996): 9pars. 28 June 1996
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