Episode
#266: Joe Foster – Building Reebok Into A Billion Dollar Empire
1:16:18
Published: Mon Oct 24 2022
Description
Joe Foster is the founder of Reebok. In this conversation, he discussed the early days (his first 21 years in business), why he never got a job, his most important lesson, the importance of a name, what rapid growth feels like, and what he thinks of his American counterpart, Phil Knight. (0:00) Welcome Joe (1:15) World War II (6:10 Father’s Failing Company (9:11) Badminton (11:14) Early Days of Reebok (21:14) Importance of Name (25:01) Why Joe Never Got A Job (33:24) Going To America (50:57) Angel Martinez (55:05) $9 Million To $1 Billion In 5 Years (1:00:51) Giving Up Company (1:05:11) Phil Knight (1:09:34) Question From George Heaton (1:11:10) Curiosity About Technology Joe's Links New Book (Shoemaker): https://www.amazon.com/Shoemaker/dp/1471194043 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reebokthefounder/ My Links ✉️ Newsletter: https://dannymiranda.substack.com 🎙 Podcast: https://anchor.fm/dannymiranda 🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/heydannymiranda 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/heydannymiranda 🕺 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@heydannymiranda
Chapters
The founder of Reebok, Joe Foster, speaks with the host about his company's success and his experience as an entrepreneur.
00:00 - 01:09 (01:08)
Summary
The founder of Reebok, Joe Foster, speaks with the host about his company's success and his experience as an entrepreneur. They kick off the conversation by discussing Foster's age and the fact that he lived through World War II.
Episode#266: Joe Foster – Building Reebok Into A Billion Dollar Empire
PodcastThe Danny Miranda Podcast
A man describes his experience of growing up during wartime, where his school was taken over for air raid posts and the streets had no lights on to avoid being targeted by air raid bombers.
01:09 - 07:22 (06:12)
Summary
A man describes his experience of growing up during wartime, where his school was taken over for air raid posts and the streets had no lights on to avoid being targeted by air raid bombers.
Episode#266: Joe Foster – Building Reebok Into A Billion Dollar Empire
PodcastThe Danny Miranda Podcast
The speaker talks about how the initial years of their business were full of fun and enjoyment while designing and making products, meeting people, and making friends.
07:22 - 12:30 (05:07)
Summary
The speaker talks about how the initial years of their business were full of fun and enjoyment while designing and making products, meeting people, and making friends. They also reflect on the importance of having a good time while being in business.
Episode#266: Joe Foster – Building Reebok Into A Billion Dollar Empire
PodcastThe Danny Miranda Podcast
The speaker discusses leaving a declining company to start a new one, emphasizing the importance of unique branding and avoiding trademark infringement.
12:30 - 15:48 (03:18)
Summary
The speaker discusses leaving a declining company to start a new one, emphasizing the importance of unique branding and avoiding trademark infringement.
Episode#266: Joe Foster – Building Reebok Into A Billion Dollar Empire
PodcastThe Danny Miranda Podcast
The speaker shares their experience of looking up words in a dictionary to find inspiration and motivation for a running race.
15:48 - 18:48 (02:59)
Summary
The speaker shares their experience of looking up words in a dictionary to find inspiration and motivation for a running race.
Episode#266: Joe Foster – Building Reebok Into A Billion Dollar Empire
PodcastThe Danny Miranda Podcast
Joe Foster, Co-Founder of Reebok, discusses the company's trademark dispute and how they prevented anyone from making shoes out of "Reebok skin".
18:48 - 22:22 (03:33)
Summary
Joe Foster, Co-Founder of Reebok, discusses the company's trademark dispute and how they prevented anyone from making shoes out of "Reebok skin".
Episode#266: Joe Foster – Building Reebok Into A Billion Dollar Empire
PodcastThe Danny Miranda Podcast
After eight years in business, the founders of Reebok received a legal letter indicating that their logo of two stripes and a T-bar infringed on Adidas' three stripes.
22:22 - 26:47 (04:24)
Summary
After eight years in business, the founders of Reebok received a legal letter indicating that their logo of two stripes and a T-bar infringed on Adidas' three stripes. They switched the T-bar to a vector shape, which became the iconic Reebok logo of today.
Episode#266: Joe Foster – Building Reebok Into A Billion Dollar Empire
PodcastThe Danny Miranda Podcast
A sudden spike in orders for cycle shoes is credited to an agent from London, though it is unclear why he was so successful in selling the product.
26:47 - 31:54 (05:06)
Summary
A sudden spike in orders for cycle shoes is credited to an agent from London, though it is unclear why he was so successful in selling the product.
Episode#266: Joe Foster – Building Reebok Into A Billion Dollar Empire
PodcastThe Danny Miranda Podcast
The speaker discusses the financial challenges he faced while trying to set up a business in America with limited capital, comparing the disposable income of people living in England versus America.
31:54 - 36:48 (04:54)
Summary
The speaker discusses the financial challenges he faced while trying to set up a business in America with limited capital, comparing the disposable income of people living in England versus America.
Episode#266: Joe Foster – Building Reebok Into A Billion Dollar Empire
PodcastThe Danny Miranda Podcast
The podcast host asks the guest if it frustrated him that his shoe was not recognized as the number one shoe by a magazine despite him believing it to be the best shoe at that time.
36:50 - 43:18 (06:27)
Summary
The podcast host asks the guest if it frustrated him that his shoe was not recognized as the number one shoe by a magazine despite him believing it to be the best shoe at that time.
Episode#266: Joe Foster – Building Reebok Into A Billion Dollar Empire
PodcastThe Danny Miranda Podcast
Joe shares how the combination of knowing what you're doing, a good design, and quality materials can lead to the creation of a five-star shoe.
43:18 - 46:40 (03:22)
Summary
Joe shares how the combination of knowing what you're doing, a good design, and quality materials can lead to the creation of a five-star shoe.
Episode#266: Joe Foster – Building Reebok Into A Billion Dollar Empire
PodcastThe Danny Miranda Podcast
The sudden death of a business partner caused a shift in strategy for a company, leading them to focus on building their brand and sales in America.
46:40 - 51:21 (04:40)
Summary
The sudden death of a business partner caused a shift in strategy for a company, leading them to focus on building their brand and sales in America.
Episode#266: Joe Foster – Building Reebok Into A Billion Dollar Empire
PodcastThe Danny Miranda Podcast
The conversation started with the debate between nylon and leather, and how the most important thing about leather is that it breathes.
51:21 - 55:53 (04:32)
Summary
The conversation started with the debate between nylon and leather, and how the most important thing about leather is that it breathes. Then, it shifted towards the mental effects of rapid growth in a business.
Episode#266: Joe Foster – Building Reebok Into A Billion Dollar Empire
PodcastThe Danny Miranda Podcast
In this excerpt, the speaker talks about the rapid growth of their company, Pump technology, from 1979 to 1984, and the difficult decision to sell it after building it from the ground up.
55:53 - 1:05:33 (09:40)
Summary
In this excerpt, the speaker talks about the rapid growth of their company, Pump technology, from 1979 to 1984, and the difficult decision to sell it after building it from the ground up.
Episode#266: Joe Foster – Building Reebok Into A Billion Dollar Empire
PodcastThe Danny Miranda Podcast
The speaker discusses the concept of the metaverse and how it may affect individuals and society as a whole, pondering its potential ramifications.
1:05:35 - 1:08:07 (02:32)
Summary
The speaker discusses the concept of the metaverse and how it may affect individuals and society as a whole, pondering its potential ramifications.
Episode#266: Joe Foster – Building Reebok Into A Billion Dollar Empire
PodcastThe Danny Miranda Podcast
The advancement of technology has allowed us to communicate more effectively and efficiently, with the ability to easily add on to previous discussions and not have to resort to telegram-style communication.
1:08:07 - 1:14:38 (06:30)
Summary
The advancement of technology has allowed us to communicate more effectively and efficiently, with the ability to easily add on to previous discussions and not have to resort to telegram-style communication.
Episode#266: Joe Foster – Building Reebok Into A Billion Dollar Empire
PodcastThe Danny Miranda Podcast
In this transcript snippet, an unnamed speaker expresses gratitude towards the listener for spreading their message and being kind, curious and happy.
1:14:38 - 1:16:15 (01:37)
Summary
In this transcript snippet, an unnamed speaker expresses gratitude towards the listener for spreading their message and being kind, curious and happy. They suggest the possibility of meeting for coffee sometime in the future.