In his 2020 memoir: The Cobbler: How I Disrupted an Industry, Fell From Grace, and Came Back Stronger Than Ever, American Fashion designer Steve Madden writes about the origin story of Steve Madden, his battle with alcoholism, drug addiction, parenting, family trauma, dealing with grief, going to prison and bouncing back. He started the brand with $1,100 and as of March 2022, the Steve Madden brand has a market cap of $3.13 Billion.
The Cobbler by Steve Madden: Quotable Quotes
The more successful I’ve become, the less sure of anything I have grown.
- When I was young and just starting out, I thought I had all the answers. Hard work and money were all that mattered. Success at all costs would be worth it. Now, I’m not so sure.
Whether it’s a shoe or a life, without each piece carefully stitched together, the final product will never be the same.
Don’t Ask for Permission
- One of my strong- est beliefs, especially when it comes to business, is that it’s better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.
I believe the truth is never boring
- ADHD is funny. Later on, it helped me drive my business forward in a fanatical, single-minded fashion. But in my home and personal life, it’s been much more of a burden.
Effect of Drugs
- Drugs diminished me as a person. The full field of vision I’d always had access to was narrowed, and my charm and intellect were squashed by this beast that completely controlled me. As I relive it, I honestly can’t imagine how I survived.
- Acceptance is the answer, Be where your feet are. – Guidio – AA Meeting, Italian Guy
Any addict will tell you that he has to hit bottom, and then another bottom, and then another, before making any changes.
Don’t rest on your laurels
- I learned the valuable lesson then that, no matter how well things are going in business, you can never let yourself coast. You’ve got to keep moving and pushing forward, always looking ahead and around corners for potential problems and opportunities.
Avid Reader
- Despite everything, I was still an avid reader. Books and drugs were my favorite escapes. I was thrashing around the room doing God knows what when the cinder blocks collapsed, and the books came tumbling down.
Finances
- When you’re in the early days of starting a business, you can find yourself upside down so easily, and this can keep you from ever getting off the ground. Cash flow is a constant struggle for every entrepreneur. If you earn one nickel less than you owe, it can all fall apart.
Unless there’s outside funding, cash flow is the biggest issuefor any entrepreneur.
- Money was my new drug, and in the hands of an addict it is just as toxic a substance.
- Making shoes is a lot like baking a cake. If you don’t use good quality ingredients, the product won’t turn out right.
- You could be the most creative, talented person in the world, but without the hustle and grind, you’ve got nothing.
- As an entrepreneur, you’re always selling. It’s not enough to just create something, no matter how amazing that product may be. You have to sell it, but that’s not enough either. You also have to constantly sell people into your dream and sell your employees to get them amped up.
- For the most part, the hardest thing about life in prison wasn’t actually life in prison. It was the heartbreak of the world moving on without me while I was stuck in there, trapped in this strange limbo On some days, I thought, This must be what it feels like to be dead.
- Business decisions can be made in a vacuum. A good business decision is a good business decision. But design is all about context.
Business decisions can be made in a vacuum. A good business decision is a good business decision. But design is all about context.
- To me, being an entrepreneur doesn’t have to mean starting a business. It can be anyone who breaks the rulebook and has a creative way of doing things.
- When you face real loss, the petty stuff gets right- sized, and it’s easier to forgive.
- The small moments of parenting are torture and reward at once: Kids are freedom from the bondage of self.
To me, being an entrepreneur doesn’t have to mean starting a business. It can be anyone who breaks the rulebook and has a creative way of doing things.
All the Best in your quest to get Better. Don’t Settle: Live with Passion.
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