Start Something That Matters

By: Blake Mycoskie

Narrated by: Blake Mycoskie

Love your work, work for what you love, and change the world—all at the same time.

What matters most to you? Should you focus on earning a living, pursuing your passions, or devoting yourself to the causes that inspire you? The surprising truth is that you don’t have to choose—and that you’ll find more success if you don’t.

That’s the breakthrough message of the TOMS One for One movement. You don’t have to be rich to give back, and you don’t have to retire to spend every day doing what you love. You can find profit, passion, and meaning all at once—right now.

In Start Something That Matters, Blake Mycoskie tells the story of TOMS, one of the fastest-growing shoe companies in the world, and combines it with lessons learned from other innovative organizations such as Method Products, charity: water, FEED Projects, and TerraCycle. Blake presents the six simple keys for creating or transforming your own life and business, from discovering your core story to being resourceful without resources; from overcoming fear and doubt to incorporating giving into every aspect of your life. No matter what kind of change you’re considering, Start Something That Matters gives you the stories, ideas, and practical tips that can help you get started.

Why this book is for you:

• You’re ready to make a difference in the world—through your own start-up business, a nonprofit organization, or a new project that you create within your current job.
• You want to love your work, work for what you love, and have a positive impact on the world—all at the same time.
• You’re inspired by charity: water, method, and FEED Projects, and want to learn how these organizations got their start.
• You’re curious about how someone who never made a pair of shoes, attended fashion school, or worked in retail created one of the fastest-growing footwear companies in the world by giving shoes away.
• You’re looking for a new model of success to share with your children, students, co-workers, and members of your community.

You’re ready to start something that matters.

©2011 Blake Mycoskie (P)2011 Random House

Start Something

I loved this book. I loved the story and how inspiring it was. Just last week I started my own local non-profit for my Community “Make Bullhead Better” and Blake’s story and advice were so helpful. Thank you so much!! And thank you for reading it as the author those are my favorite it means so much more coming from the writer themselves.

This is my fourth time reading this book.

Thank You Blake for writing this book. It is such a beautiful reminder of the power of humanity our power to impact change in the world and our power and responsibility as human beings to make life better not only for ourselves but those in our communities and around the world. it's incredibly infective to read this book and know that the author Blake Mycoskie is the one narrating it which makes it that much more potent. I highly recommend this book to any entrepreneur startup, business leaders, non for profit organizations or social entrepreneur looking to find their way amongst the noise of capitalistic business building.

Very inspiration listen!

What made the experience of listening to Start Something That Matters the most enjoyable?

I purchased this book after reading some other reviews. I was not disappointed at all! In fact, I have listened to it twice now. Blake's story made me want to go out and do

Have you listened to any of Blake Mycoskie’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was the first time I listened to anything by Blake.

What’s an idea from the book that you will remember?

That if you do something to better society, it would be well worth the time and effort...and could make you a healthy income as well.

A Must Read For Any Entrepreneur

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Blake Mycoskie shows us that being an entrepreneur doesn't have to be a "dog eat dog" endeavor. Corporations with a positive social mission can be successful with an ROI that goes far beyond anything a balance sheet can calculate. Truly Inspiring.

A Social Entrepreneur's Handbook- full of action

Blake Mycoskie made a difference through listening to his intuition, experimentation, and asking for help. This extraordinarily well-designed Social Entrepreneurs' guidebook is easy to understand, full of well-thought through business advice for those starting out, and rich with stories. Highly recommend to anyone seeking to go from Inspiration to Action to help those most in need.

Full of Ideas!

What did you love best about Start Something That Matters?

I'm starting a social enterprise and this book gave me tons of ideas about how to get started on a shoestring budget. He didn't talk much about the amount of funding he started with - and it didn't really matter - but I found ideas like using Craigslist to find interns who can help start the company very helpful! I implemented that right away and had a couple of people respond within a day.

What other book might you compare Start Something That Matters to and why?

This book isn't a comparison but is complimentary to those in the social enterprise space - The Art of Social Enterprise by Carl Frankel and Allen Bromberger.

Which scene was your favorite?

The ones in which they deliver shoes to communities. Not only does it impact the community, but the staff and others who are on the trip receive the beauty of the act of giving.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Just try not to cry!

So emotional yet inspiring!!

Thank you so much for this story and giving us all hope, courage, insight, and so much more! I’m going to tell everyone I know to read this book!
Much love!!
-fellow entrepreneur with big dreams 💜

Great story of purpose and inspiration!

If you could sum up Start Something That Matters in three words, what would they be?

Inspiring...Motivating...Challenging

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narration is the one thing I had trouble with...his tone and reading style I did find annoying, I'm sad to say. I still listened to this audio twice because I was so encouraged by the stories and content but had to push myself passed the narration style. I appreciate that the author wanted to perform the reading but his choppiness and very predictable inflections at the end of every sentence made the audio part...sorry I have to say it...annoying.

Any additional comments?

I completely love the finding a deeper purpose stories of not only TOMS but many other stories included. It made me very envious of all the people that found their own purpose and greater purpose because it helped others. Very likely I will listen to this audio a 3rd time and hope inspiration hits me square in the face.

Goog

one of the most likely to be a book, in this recent years. overall the best.

Inspiring!

Would you consider the audio edition of Start Something That Matters to be better than the print version?

Yes

What other book might you compare Start Something That Matters to and why?

The five secrets you must discover before you die.
By John Izzo

What does Blake Mycoskie bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Personal touch.

What did you learn from Start Something That Matters that you would use in your daily life?

Reminded me to be true to myself.