Sale
Authentic: A Memoir by the Founder of Vans
Vertel Publishing
ISBN13:
9781641120241
$29.99
$27.63
In the tradition of bestsellers such as Shoedog, Authentic is a surprisingly candid, compelling memoir by a high school dropout who went on to establish one of the world's most iconic brands. Paul Van Doren is the founder of Vans--the shoe company beloved by skateboarders, creatives and fans everywhere for its laid-back, colorful SoCal vibe, and famous for its people-oriented company culture. How did Van Doren, who started as a 16-year-old "service boy" at a local rubber factory, establish a family shoe business that evolved into a globally recognized brand with annual revenue of more than four billion dollars? A blue-collar kid with no higher education and zero retail experience, Van Doren leveraged a knack for numbers, a genius for efficiency, and the know-how to make a great canvas tennis shoe into an all-American success story. In 1966, when the first House of Vans store opened, there were no stand-alone retail stores just for sneakers. Paul's bold experiments in product design, distribution, and marketing (Why not sell custom shoes? Single shoes?), aided by legions of fans--skateboarders, surfers, even Sean Penn wearing Vans' famous checkerboard slip on shoe in the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High--made Vans a household name. But there was also back-breaking work, a shocking bankruptcy, family turmoil and a profound shift in how customers think about athletic shoes. Authentic details Van Doren's personal life, but also hard-won business lessons learned over six turbulent decades in the shoe trade: the importance of deep-rooted values, of improvisation, of vision (and revision), and above all, of valuing people over profits. Refreshingly forthright and totally entertaining, Authentic is a business memoir by an American original.
- | Author: Paul Van Doren
- | Publisher: Vertel Publishing
- | Publication Date: April 27, 2021
- | Number of Pages: 336 pages
- | Language: English
- | Binding: Hardcover
- | ISBN-10: 164112024X
- | ISBN-13: 9781641120241
- Author:
- Paul Van Doren
- Publisher:
- Vertel Publishing
- Publication Date:
- April 27, 2021
- Number of pages:
- 336 pages
- Language:
- English
- Binding:
- Hardcover
- ISBN-10:
- 164112024X
- ISBN-13:
- 9781641120241