Shadowing Practice: THE VISIONARIES: Blake Mycoskie, Founder of TOMS - Learn English Speaking with Video
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I think my entrepreneurial life started with a cookie stand when I was like eight years old, you know, typical story.
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And then my first real company was a laundry business that I started in college.
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And after running that for a few years, I got kind of fascinated with different forms of media
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and specifically how to kind of interrupt and kind of cut through the clutter of media.
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So started doing these massive wall installations in Nashville, specifically for country music stars.
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And that was kind of our niche that we focused on, and really putting their album covers larger than life on the sides of buildings
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and kind of cutting through and really getting attention in that regard.
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And ultimately ended up selling that company to Clear Channel, one of the larger media companies in the world.
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And from that went on a series of different other entrepreneurial ventures before landing with Tom's and down in Argentina.
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I think the thing interesting about the Tom's story originating in Argentina,
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and that's where I first encountered some children who didn't have shoes, is sometimes surprising to people because Tom's does so much work
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in places like Haiti or Ethiopia or Cambodia or places where you would think of much more intense poverty.
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And that in some levels is true, but also in some levels,
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the worst poverty that I've ever experienced and seen is actually poverty that is close in proximity to urban wealth.
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Because the people who are living in these either townships or ghettos see everything they don't have, and so it's really crippling for them.
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And so what I experienced just outside of Buenos Aires was, you know, kids living in the street, sniffing glue, not going to school, not having proper clothing or shoes.
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And that poverty now, after years and years of doing this, still to this day was some of the most heart-wrenching poverty that I've ever seen.
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And it's what ultimately kind of led me to want to help these children that I met.
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And, you know, for me, the vehicle was shoes.
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They didn't have shoes.
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They needed shoes to go to school.
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Not having shoes was kind of affecting their self-esteem, their self-worth.
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Really, someone without shoes living on the street is seen very differently than someone
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that has a pair of shoes and has the proper clothing.
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And so I thought that was a basic need that we all deserve to have. And ultimately,
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that's what led to the idea of starting a shoe company where the company would not be based on just selling shoes, but really providing shoes to those in need.
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So we would sell shoes to people who want them so that we could provide shoes to people who need them.
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And that's where the one for one idea originated from and this idea of what we called tomorrow shoes,
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which ultimately became Tom's.
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I think what's interesting, especially looking back to 2006 when we started,
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there was really nothing of this kind in the business world.
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It was either for-profit businesses that would write checks to charities at the end of the year for tax write-offs,
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or there were non-profits who subsided on donations all year long.
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And so Tom's was, I think, one of the first companies that was for-profit, but deeply rooted in purpose and mission.
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And not just purpose and mission from a philosophical standpoint,
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but actually dedicating a large percentage of our profits and our sales every year to fulfilling this mission.
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And that was with giving shoes every time we sold a pair.
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And so, you know, now there's many more companies that have followed Tom's, and that's something that we are very proud of
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and we think is really amazing to think that this little idea that we had, you know, 11 years ago has now not only provided 75 million children a pair of shoes,
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but it's also inspired thousands of businesses around the world to incorporate a real giving component to the sale of their product.
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But back then it was really a radical idea.
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I think it's an interesting question of where inspiration comes from.
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I mean, one of the most inspiring people I've ever met was Mohamed Yunus.
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I met him when I was at Richard Branson's safari camp.
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I mean, you know, it's like I'm inspired by both equally, I think.
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You know, I think that I'm inspired by the entrepreneurs that have disrupted industries that have done things differently.
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I'm definitely not inspired by the wealth they've created or, you know, the businesses they've built.
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It's more about the ideas and the courage it took to take that idea and turn it into a reality, which is the same thing for Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank.
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You know, it was an idea that, you know, we can help the poorest of the poor by extending them credit.
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And that was something that very few had ever done before
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and actually showed that it actually was a sustainable model as well.
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So I think what inspires me is really, you know, people who are willing to take risk
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and try business models and create businesses
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that most people would think would not work and to show that they can work by taking a non-typical approach.
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And so that's where I'm constantly pushing myself
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and trying to surround myself by is people who truly are thinking outside the box
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and who truly are willing to try things differently, to really think differently. Who gave us these?
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Nate did.
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Are they the same?
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They're the same ones.
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He just found another pair today.
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So he wanted to make sure that you had the blue ones too.
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I like them.
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I think that, I don't know, how do you think these got cut from the lines?
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I don't know.
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I think it could potentially be like the sole just for our market, but seeing them in person,
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I like them so much better than I do in the picture actually.
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Which color do you like better?
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I think that the way we've always approached our marketing is really just in kind of basic storytelling.
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I mean, first off, as the company's grown, we've recognized that we have to have amazing product.
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So we've hired more designers, more developers than we had in the early days so
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that we could really create desirable product that people really love wearing and are attracted to in its own merit and right.
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But then integrating our giving component and really making sure that it is relevant to our customers is all about storytelling.
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There's a lot of amazing things happening out there because of the giving that Tom's is doing.
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And while the numbers have gotten really big, what really resonates with people still are individual stories.
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And so whether we're using, you know, virtual reality technology to take you to a village in Peru
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and meet the kids that are getting the shoes or, you know, creating an online app or platform that allows you to choose where your gift is going,
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whether it's what country it's going to or what, you know, kind of product or issue you're most engaged in, I think it's about involving the customer in the story.
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And the more that it becomes their story and part of their identity and not something that Tom's is doing, I think that is a big part of the future of the way
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that we will market and the way we will sell our products.
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Because I think people don't want to be sold to, they want to be involved in or invited to be part of the story.
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So, what are we trying to do?
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Show us the rest of this week.
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So we got, okay, chat tomorrow morning, Pat and I'll He gets in at 8.30 tonight.
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Great.
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And you have guest speaker tomorrow.
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Yeah, I'll take that and read how I'm going.
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Okay.
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And doctor's appointment.
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H&S calls from the house.
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From the house.
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Cool.
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Okay, great.
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Cool.
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I'm going to take off.
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Okay.
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Sounds awesome.
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See you tomorrow.
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As I consider myself, you know, the brands that I have engaged in, and it's probably no surprise are ones that have some real purpose.
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There's an awesome denim company called Height Denim out of Wales.
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There's like nine people that work there and they have this deep mission of bringing back denim manufacturing to their town.
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Their town used to make hundreds of thousands of jeans a year
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and then as so much of production went to the Far East and places like that, the town literally shriveled up and died.
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And these amazing entrepreneurs have really brought back the craftsmanship of great denim.
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And every pair is very handmade.
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Every pair has a history tag in it.
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So you can tag photos with your denim.
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And so if you sell them or give them away, then the next person picks up the tag.
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And so now you can see all the pictures of someone else wearing your jeans, which is really cool.
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And so each pair where the denim has this life.
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And I think they do a great job of storytelling, they're building their brand on purpose, they really have a social mission that I think is important for that town.
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And they're just doing it in a really smart, smart way.
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And so they're a small company, but to me, they have all the ingredients of what I think makes an important brand.
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On a bigger company scale, but still a mid-sized company, is Patagonia.
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They're just up the road from us.
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I think they have continued to really walk the walk, not just talk the talk.
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And I really admire how they have also gone from a company
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that had good product and an amazing story to a company that has great product and a great story.
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And so I think as Tom thinks about our trajectory and going forward, we are really on that same journey, maybe a decade or two behind them in terms of when we were founded.
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But it's a company that I admire a lot.
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Okay, bye again.
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Bye, see you tomorrow.
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Yeah, that's the best part about, I think, the TOMS model, and I think the thing I'm most proud of from a
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legacy perspective of how we've affected business culture is now there's far more humanitarian efforts
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and aid funded by business than just charitable donations and that kind of endless need to fundraise.
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And so now you're having people who might have started a non-profit a decade or two ago say,
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actually, I'm going to start a business and that business is going to fund my philanthropic goals and desires.
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And I think that's a more sustainable way long term.
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And I also think it's an interesting value proposition to where you're asking someone to buy your product
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that they are going to get to use and enjoy versus just writing a check to your charity.
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One of the things that's really wonderful about my life
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and work with Tom's is that kind of most of my interest
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and passions as entrepreneurs could be kind of explored underneath the Tom's brand.
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But at the same time, you know, I'm open to the idea that I'm young
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and there's a lot of exciting ideas and opportunities out there
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and there might come a time where I do something besides Tom's or outside of Tom's.
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But right now at this point, I'm kind of most interested in really helping this next chapter of Tom's.
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It's almost like a a parent, right?
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It's like I gave birth to Tom's and I was there in the early years and now Tom's is like,
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you know, kind of going off to college and I still want to stay connected to my son or daughter at college,
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but I also need to know that it needs to go learn its own things and be able to, you know, take care of itself without me.
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And so that's, I think, goes back to that same analogy of feeling more like a coach and less like the athlete.
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Thank you.
Blake Mycoskie: From Entrepreneur to Visionary of Purpose-Driven Business
In the video, Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS, shares his journey from a young entrepreneur with a cookie stand to creating a global movement. He recounts how a trip to Argentina, where he met children without shoes, inspired the "one for one" model—selling shoes to fund donations. This story isn't just inspiring; it's a goldmine for English learners, with natural conversational flow and vivid storytelling.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "Cut through the clutter": To stand out from many distractions. Example: "Her unique marketing idea helped cut through the clutter of social media."
- "Heart-wrenching": Extremely sad. Example: The documentary about animal rescue was heart-wrenching.
- "Basic need": Something essential for survival. Example: Clean water is a basic need for every community.
- "Radical idea": A very new or different concept. Example: His plan to work four days a week was a radical idea at the time.
- "Disrupted industries": Changed an industry in a major way. Example: Tech companies have disrupted industries like taxi services.
Step-by-Step Shadowing Guide for This Video
Shadowing—repeating speech immediately after the speaker—is a great way to improve fluency. Here's how to use this video: 1. Watch once to understand the story. Focus on Mycoskie's tone as he talks about his experiences. 2. Pick a 30-second clip (try the part about Argentina). Pause after each sentence and repeat, mimicking his pace and emotion. 3. Use a shadowing app or site to record yourself. Compare your version to the video—note differences in stress (e.g., "one for one") and intonation. 4. Practice "shadow speech" daily. This video's mix of personal stories and business terms helps you master both casual and professional English. Remember, consistency is key—even 10 minutes a day with learn English with videos like this will boost your confidence!
Whether you're using a shadowing app or a simple notebook, this video offers real-world language that sticks. Dive in, and let Blake's journey inspire your English learning too!
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.