52 responses to “Lessons Learned From Entrepreneur Blake of TOMS”

1. 

   Chris Cookley December 7th, 2009 at 08:42

   The TOMS story is very moving. It’s great to see a company come out of the wood work and actually care about the global community and try to do their part to help it. Imagine where the world would be if, for every can of food purchased, Wal-Mart would donate a can to countries in need.

2. 

   Zacheriah Ruggles December 7th, 2009 at 08:58

   Very good and caring idea. An entreprenuer idea that was started for others not oneself.

3. 

   Emily Wetterich December 7th, 2009 at 09:17

   I’ve heard a lot about this company and I love what they do. If only more people were interested in the welfare of others. I hope this company keeps it up.

4. 

   Olivia Freeman December 7th, 2009 at 09:51

   Toms is a great company. I hope they can continue to be successful and keep helping those who aren’t as fortunate as us.

5. 

   Karlis Jansons December 7th, 2009 at 09:52

   Toms is a great company. I hope they can continue to be successful and keep helping those who aren’t as fortunate as us.

   Sorry Olivia, I forgot you signed in with my computer yesterday and didn’t switch the user name before posting.

6. 

   Olivia Freeman December 7th, 2009 at 10:08

   hahahahaha. OMG Karlis i was so so so confused at first. Toms does sound like a great company. I think that it is truly important to be utterly passionate about the business idea that you want to take on. I strongly believe that if you start something from the heart even if one may not be successufl the important part is that you started something honestly and out of your heart.

7. 

   Katelyne Moody December 7th, 2009 at 10:24

   I love when people use their education and expertise to help those less fortunate.

   –katelyne–

8. 

   Mayura Davda December 7th, 2009 at 11:23

   A very thoughtful business idea! The word- TOMS should spread everywhere. And I completely agree with Katelyn’s comment.

9. 

   Marisa Strupp December 7th, 2009 at 11:50

   This company is very inspiring, and I hope Toms continues to expand and grow everyday.

10. 

    Jennifer Cook December 7th, 2009 at 11:51

    I love my TOMS shoes! This is such a good cause.

11. 

    Quentin Campbell December 7th, 2009 at 12:52

    Its great that a company like this one had the decency to give back.

12. 

    Andrew Rodriguez December 7th, 2009 at 13:25

    Blake and TOMS Shoes have received a lot of publicity because of their unique and philanthropic business model. People, especially entrepreneurs, can learn very much from him.

13. 

    Lyndsey S. December 7th, 2009 at 15:11

    It’s amazing to know that some people will actually give in an opportunity that they could just take. So many corporations and even small businesses experience greedy scandals and TOMS is actually putting work to a good use too. I love it!

14. 

    David Uhlenhake December 7th, 2009 at 15:21

    I love the passion they show about helping people and I admire their giving spirit. After hearing about this company in class I have slowly noticed more and more people who were wearing TOMS shoes.

15. 

    Jake Vanhooser December 7th, 2009 at 15:30

    I think that is such a great idea. He has come up with a great business idea that can be profitable for him and help so many people.

16. 

    Brent McClean December 7th, 2009 at 15:47

    Sounds familiar from class

17. 

    Greg Forney December 7th, 2009 at 15:53

    This is a very inspirational company.

18. 

    Ankit Buti December 7th, 2009 at 16:27

    Nice job and for sure truly innovative, if you help the ones in need then god helps you.

19. 

    Jenna York December 7th, 2009 at 17:03

    TOMS is such a great company. I love what they are doing to help out the less fortunate!

20. 

    Kyle Chen December 7th, 2009 at 17:38

    Truly inspirational company indeed! Do a job that has a purpose, not just to make money

21. 

    Chris Perry December 7th, 2009 at 17:39

    If more businesses did this the world would be a much better place.

22. 

    Chris Miller December 7th, 2009 at 17:52

    “You can have a for-profit business and simultaneously incorporate giving in anything you do.” I wish companies like Wal-Mart would listen to statements like this.

23. 

    Sree Harsha Uddandam December 7th, 2009 at 18:27

    i am pretty impressed by the idea and also it requires a lot of motivation for a person to start a business like this.
    i mean we all think of helping people in need but never thought of any idea like this , which directly offers its services to the people in need.

24. 

    Nick Brenneke December 7th, 2009 at 18:50

    TOMS is a great company that is socially conscience. Good story!

25. 

    Nathan Ferguson December 7th, 2009 at 19:12

    We did a presentation on TOMS.

26. 

    Kristeen December 7th, 2009 at 19:13

    Thanks for the great story. I think all companies should be more aware of how they can help others.

27. 

    Phillip Jenkins December 7th, 2009 at 19:24

    Having a network is very helpful to entrepreneurs. Go Vogue and AT&T.

    One of the other key things about entrepreneurship is that it takes some unsustainable and ‘makes’ it sustainable.

28. 

    Christina Jacobs December 7th, 2009 at 19:39

    TOMS shoes is really neat. I remember when they came to Purdue last year. I think the philosophy of that company is right on track. Giving is great!

29. 

    Zhiheng Liu December 7th, 2009 at 20:34

    In the 21st century, technologies and services will eventually becom the “old times”, while environment and charity will become the next big things; businesses that fail to encorporate the two new element into their business plans will eventually fail.

30. 

    Chris Borer December 7th, 2009 at 21:20

    The fact that a company can become profitable through the gift of charity is very promising to the prosperity of the world and to business men and women around the world. Not only can Tom Shoe’s business plan be viewed as a heartfelt return to the community, it can also be interpreted as an ingenious marketing plan. Any prospering company that has it foundation in a moral and unplifting principle will only look better and become that much more lucrative. All prospective business owners should learn from Tom’s Shoes example.

31. 

    eugene December 7th, 2009 at 21:57

    I think it’s amazing that a business plan bases on giving actually works…not only is this a moral lesson, but it’s also an entrepreneurial lesson…great blog.

32. 

    Shawn Tomlinson December 7th, 2009 at 22:19

    This is an amazing story of someone using their company to really give back to the community. He is a philanthropist entreprenuer doing what he loves and helping people at the same time.

33. 

    Zheng Wang December 7th, 2009 at 23:50

    I am definitely a fan of TOMS shoes. Any company that relate their products with charity can easily make a difference because they can touch the customers’ heart.

34. 

    Alex Conkright December 8th, 2009 at 08:29

    this is an amazing idea that he was able to create a business plan for that showed that the company could be sustainable.

35. 

    Amber Illig December 8th, 2009 at 09:07

    TOMs is really cool. I actually like the shoes and although $45 is expensive for such a simple pair, it is totally worth it since it is also paying for a second pair for a child in need.

36. 

    Amber Illig December 8th, 2009 at 09:08

    Blake is such an awesome entrepreneur. His company is booming, and I feel like one of the main reasons it is so blessed is its good cause.

37. 

    Erica Lied December 8th, 2009 at 10:18

    I love TOMS. I think Blake is such an amazing inspiration to the business world. A young entrepreneur, he inspires others to do something that is worthy, not just profitable. I think TOMS shoes is going to start a trend that moves our business world forward in a positive less selfish way.

    P.S. Yay group 7

38. 

    Brian Lee December 8th, 2009 at 12:29

    TOMS is a very unique company in that their goals try to help others in addition to making money. I think that’s a very noble goal, to look to benefit others while benefiting yourself as well. It’s something aspiring entrepreneurs should look at as i think there’s a good market to tap by helping peopel

39. 

    Michael Mullen December 8th, 2009 at 14:38

    Very moving and great idea. I hope TOMS will be a very successful company.

40. 

    Theresa Reinhart December 8th, 2009 at 20:45

    It is amazing to see that there ARE entrepreneurs out there who do not have only the almighty dollar in mind. I think that the world would be so much different if the business world was not as cut-throat and if every corporate company would take up a charity since it would more than likely barely dent their profits.

41. 

    Bin Lin December 8th, 2009 at 21:11

    The products are not the only thing that indicate if a company is successful or not, what’s more important is the moral part of the company. Good blog, good information!

42. 

    Heath Hiatt December 8th, 2009 at 21:12

    TOMS has always been an intriguing company. It almost seems too easy to make money for charity doing this by buying something you would already be buying.

43. 

    Marisa Nakajima December 8th, 2009 at 22:59

    aww this is such a good story and a great idea. I’m glad it was such a great success.

44. 

    Yi Li December 9th, 2009 at 08:26

    I think I have heard this company before. It’s definitely a good idea to benefit both your company and others.

45. 

    Rohan Thakkar December 9th, 2009 at 21:01

    Toms shoes is great, I’ve been to some of there fundraisers the the owner is a really nice chills guy.

46. 

    Cara Cymbala December 9th, 2009 at 21:51

    What a great,guy. Smart and has a big heart. I think all of us, myself included, need to be reminded every now and then of how good most of us have it. Making money and helping struggling people that need it the most- you can’t beat that. I’m sure the journey his company is taking him on is very emotionally rewarding. This blog taught me that if your company is for a good cause, people are going to want to be a part of it, which equals profit.

47. 

    Ashley Grice December 10th, 2009 at 10:29

    This is a heart felt moving story i do not like the shoe style but the story gets me everytime which is why i own a pair! People can make a difference.

48. 

    Alex Selby December 10th, 2009 at 13:53

    I love these types of businesses, people helping people and making money off it is brilliant. Its cool to see this idea catching on with other companies to “buy this and we’ll give this”

49. 

    Steve Shih December 10th, 2009 at 21:46

    This is a nice story. TOMS shoes is awesome.

50. 

    Ross Peare December 11th, 2009 at 16:41

    We had a unit over this guy in my Highschool business class. His interesting concept made his business such a success because it was completely different than all other business ideas. TOMS shoes is now a global business with a huge success rate, that not only helps out others, but keeps paying it forward.

51. 

    Kevin B. December 13th, 2009 at 20:15

    I think of this not as much as a nice way to help people out but a clever way to make money. He doesn’t have to have the cheapest prices out there, all people need is to know that kids will be given shoes. That will bring in the customers to purchase from him over others even if he doesnt have the lowest prices.

52. 

    Josh Johnson December 15th, 2009 at 13:03

    Very cool and self-less, putting others before themselves.