This week the story of Steve Madden caught my eye…

Not sure if you know, but Steve Madden, since 1990 has developed into one of the most iconic global luxury footwear brands.

It started with just $1100 dollars in a small rundown factory in Queens, New York. But today, has 218 stores globally with revenues of $1.2 billion dollars.

That’s not the most amazing thing though!

The most amazing thing is Steve Madden the person (in the early days) got involved with Jordan Belfort (the notorious Wolf of Wall Street) in dodgy share dealing.

Which eventually caught up with him in 2002, when Madden was convicted of stock manipulation, money laundering & securities fraud. Being sentenced to 41 months in prison.

Madden was made to resign as CEO from Steven Madden, Ltd. and from the board of directors. An event like this would have brought most companies down.

‘The Cobbler’ written by Steve Madden is not just the story of how he got involved with the Wolf of Wall Street, but also about Madden’s heavy reliance on drugs and his time in prison.

But what interested me the most, was Madden’s ability to create a top performing team with a great culture, allowing it still to operate and even grow without him, whist in prison.

It’s an amazing story. Yes (pre-prison) Madden did some things, which I’m sure he’s not proud about. But post prison, he’s done many things to counter this and be proud about.

‘The Cobbler’ gets a thumbs up and 5 stars.

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…thank you & see you next week.