I have to say, Ken has built quite the following!   He is kind enough to always share the emails he receives from people and it is so amazing to know that something I created is bringing people together. I can’t even describe how excited it makes me!! Earlier this week Ken shared an email he received from someone who found him on this site and then another again this morning….that is why I decided to have him write about it. My goal is to have several Ken’s  from different parts of the industry who contribute to not only encourage others but to make new relationships that benefit themselves as well.  Besides that, I cannot tell how throughly entertained I am by all my contributors Will, Sheena, Ken as well as some of our newer or less frequent writers. I love it and I am appreciative of all of you!! -Julia

I have named this weeks topic “The Global reach of Shoebizness.com”

Julia asked me to write about the people that have contacted me through my articles on Shoebizness.   I must admit that I am completely stunned as to how far reaching this site has become.   Thus far, I have received emails from people in China, India, Norway, Austria, Texas, the UK, Ireland and most recently, Chicago.   The emails from China and India tend to be about sourcing, but every single other email I receive has almost exactly the same theme: “I want to be a designer, I want to start my own company, I want advice on how to find someone to make a shoe that I have sketched, I want to follow my dream”.   Some of the people direct me to a website they have created, and quite honestly I have seen some real talent.   Others have made up their mind to follow their dream and want directional advice.   For every person that is currently employed in the shoe industry that complains about it, there is another person out there that wants in!

Recently, I got an email from a young man who I will call George (not his real name).   George is currently employed at a hotel somewhere in the Midwest but is dreaming of starting his own men’s shoe company.   He wrote me and explained that he came home from work one day and told his fiancee that he  was disgruntled at work, and really wanted to pursue his dream of creating a men’s brand that made shoes, bags, and watches.   He emailed me asking for some advice and direction.   I wrote George back and encouraged him to follow his passion but warned him that there are far more easy paths to follow then starting a shoe company(especially men’s).    He wrote back unfazed, and peppered me with questions.   George has no background in footwear or business but clearly has a vision of what he wants.

I thought about this overnight and realized that George is facing almost insurmountable odds of achieving success.   I have been in the industry for 21 years and it has been nothing short of a Herculean effort to get Twig to where it is.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it would be easier to try and teach a horse to learn our tax code.   I thought about telling him this but stopped myself.   I was not going to be a dream stealer!

I wrote to George and told him my story.   I pointed out every frustration and obstacle and frustration I have faced.   I told him to sit down, and write a business plan and that I would review it when he was done.   No, I am not going to be that person that says “You can’t…it is too hard….you have no experience…you don’t have enough money…..etc”.   I was going to stand by George and guide him to the best of my abilities and let him come to his own conclusions.

One of the benefits of writing for this site is that I get to encourage people.   We are surrounded by negativity in the industry and I find that when someone writes to me about following their dream, it is as if someone recharges my batteries.   When Julia, Seth and I had dinner a few months ago, we both spoke about people who discouraged us from following our dreams.   The odds of success are long in any business, but having someone to bounce ideas off of makes the journey a bit more palatable.

When people ask me for help, I always agree with one caveat (Julia knows this)..I will help them anyway I can but they must agree to help someone else in the future…Yes..they must pay it forward.   This is the greatest benefit for writing for the site.   So thanks Julia, for giving me the forum to encourage people and to give back!

Ken Proctor Front Man Twig Footwear, LLC c: 501.276.0140 e: Ken@twigfootwear.com www.twigfootwear.com