OP-ED Changing the face of business

Author: Blake Mycoskie

Social entrepreneurship is not just a trend; it is a movement that is changing the face of business as we know it. The ability to not only connect with your consumer but to connect your consumer to a cause that is greater than their purchase is incredibly powerful. While on The Amazing Race, one of the countries that touched me the most was Argentina, so I traveled back there. I fell in love with the culture, passion, and life of the people who live there and was deeply moved by the poverty in which many Argentinians live.

In 2006, I decided to start a company that would combine business and philanthropy. TOMS is built on a One for One model - for every pair purchased, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. Most businesses operate on a premise of exchanging services or goods for money - a true capitalistic model. With the tough economic times we are currently facing, the effectiveness of that model has diminished.

Conducting business that provides more value to customers is a critical method in not only achieving measurable success, but more importantly in creating a social, ethical, and financial dialogue with your consumers. That, I think, is something that has happened at TOMS. Through Shoe Drops, TOMS supporters are able to travel with (the team) us on trips to Argentina to hand-deliver shoes to children who may have never owned a pair. So far, TOMS has given over 85,000 pairs of shoes to children in Argentina, South Africa, Ethiopia, and the U.S. And through the continued support of TOMS consumers, we have made it our mission to give 300,000 pairs of shoes in the next 12 months. When I first started in the business, I received the following words of advice that I'll never forget: "The more you give, the more you live," and we at TOMS intend to operate on that mantra for years to come.

(Blake Mycoskie is the founder and Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS Shoes. He appeared on The Amazing Race.)