Episode 213: Reboot - Jodie Fox
You can find so much information in incredible books. And I think the story that Jodie goes into in this is just inspiring, no matter what type of business you have. In today's episode, Fiona shares one of the books she highly recommends for business owners. Tune in!
Topics discussed in this episode:
Introduction
Reboot by Jodie Fox
Conclusion
Get in touch with My Daily Business Coach
Resources and Recommendations mentioned in this episode:
Jodie Fox
Shoes of Prey
Michael Fox
Hello and welcome to episode 213 of the My Daily Business Coach podcast. Today, it is a quick tip episode, and that is where we share a tip tool or tactic that you can implement immediately. And today it is a tool, but before I get stuck into that, I just want to acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians on the land, on which I live and work and play and record this podcast. The Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation and I pay my respects to their elders, past, present, and emerging, and acknowledge that sovereignty has never been ceded. And I also welcome and pay my respects to any other people from indigenous groups that may be listening in to this today. The other thing I wanted to mention before we get into today's tip episode is that group coaching is open. So if you would like to come on board, for the next round of group coaching, please do so you can find everything you need to know about what's involved. What's the cost. You know, what else do you get besides the actual coaching and everything else that you need to know over at mydailybusinesscoach.com/groupcoaching. One word we'll link to that in the show notes as well. All right, let's get on with today's quick tip episode.
So today, it's a tool and this is actually a book. And it's something that honestly, I had no idea of what it would be like when I picked up this book, but it's something that I've recommended now to countless business owners. And that's because I just think it's a really good business book. So what am I talking about? I'm talking about Reboot by Jodie Fox. Actually the full name of the book, I think is Reboot probably more than you ever wanted to know about starting a global business by Jodie Fox and Jodie Fox was co-founder of Shoes of Prey. And if anyone grew up in Australia was working in fashion in Australia and not just Australia, literally this was a global brand. So anywhere in the world cerca, or I'm trying to think of when this would've been.
I remember it was when I was living in London, but then also I was still checking out their shoes when I worked in the brand and marketing team for a major shoe and accessories brand here in Australia. And so I'm guessing that they started around 2009, that would've been right when I was living in London and then it kind of this business, it seemed to be going from strength to strength, and like could do no wrong. And it was just this sort of unicorn that was like, look at how big they're getting and look how incredible the media and the whole buzz around them is. And then the business stopped doing so well. And it kind of came to a halt. And I would say that would've been in maybe around, I don't know.
I should actually look this up, but I'm guessing they were in business for 10 years. I'm guessing. So maybe between 2018 and 2019, it kind of stopped. The book that I'm talking about today is actually Jodie, who's the co-founder her story of how did they start and everything else. And that book came actually came out in 2019. So they must have finished up around before 2019 so that she could write the book, but it is just such an interesting book about everything from exactly how to create a product-based business, to how to find manufacturers. It talks about in detail, going to China, trying to find different people to create your products and all the issues that can come up when you are not a product designer yourself. And so you're going, and you're relying on help from different people.
And I really was drawn to this book initially because I had worked in the fashion space for a long time. I'd written about fashion, I'd worked editing magazines and Jodie Fox just seemed to be this perfect epitome of the kind of fashion girl. She was not a fashion girl. She's actually a lawyer, but I saw her speak at so many fashion events and she was always so articulate, so beautiful, so perfectly groomed, and then she had this idea and she had a great origin story about her Italian background and how shoes used to be made properly and made to last, but made in customization where somebody could go to their local shoe cobbler and get these beautiful, different materials and choose what they wanted and have a shoe that was perfect for them. And so she tried to create that with the Shoes of Prey.
Well, she did for a long time, creating that with Shoes of Prey. So Jodie was married to Michael Fox, the other co-founder, and he's actually written a great article on medium about what went wrong in the business and will link to that in the show notes as well. But Michael and Jodie created this platform really where you could go online and you could basically build a shoe. And so you could say, well, I don't like stilettos. I like a chunkier heel, or I like this type of leather, or I like this type of sparkle, or I want the toe to be rounded. No, I want the toe to be pointed. So it was just this incredible, like a playground of like, anything that I wanna create, I can create. And it's going to be completely unique to me. However, for anyone listening, who's got a product-based business or has worked in that space of anything that's customizable.
It's very hard to scale that it is very hard to scale. And so that's what they found it quickly blew up because of course, everyone's so invested and everyone wants their particular type of shoe. And people were buying them for birthdays, and milestones. You really wanted to create your own shoe and be like, I'm the only one in the world who has this exact shoe. And so everyone got into it and fashion got behind it. American, I think it was Nordstroms that kind of helped them really get huge attention in the US and everyone loved it. And it was just the poster Jodie Fox with the poster child for this really great intersection company between tech and fashion. And then what happened, which she goes into detail in the book is that it didn't work out.
And also what was really interesting, especially as somebody who'd been drawn to the book, because I had seen her speak was really seeing behind the scenes. I mean, you never know when you see someone speak in a panel or a keynote talk, you don't know what's actually going on behind the scenes. And so I had seen her speak and thinking my, I mean, she just can't do anything wrong. And then to read it, it wasn't like a, oh, I wanna see that she did something wrong, but it was just this really genuine take, even when things were going right of her talking about the pressure that this put on their relationship, the two founders they did end up breaking up. That's not a spoiler. It's very easy to find that information as soon as you Google anything about this book, but it also talked about just the pressure of success.
And I think that is something that we often don't think about as small business owners. We don't think about, if it all goes right, it's almost seen as like, well, isn't your life perfect then? And yet there's so much pressure when it goes right as well because you've gotta keep building, you've gotta keep growing. You've gotta keep performing even more, especially when you've got investors who are investing because they see growth and they need to keep seeing that over and over and over again. So if you are in the market for a book that is well written, well told it's, it's just written like it's a non-fiction book and it is a business book and there are lots of different strategies and frameworks that Jodie talks about in here. But mostly I would say it is a story.
It is a story of how something became so big so quickly. And then what that did to the founders and what that did to Jodie as a person, and then how she has dealt with everything else that's gone on since the business has sort of, I wouldn't say it's failed. She talks about it failing, but I would actually say it changed and it evolved and it went in a different direction. And so if you are looking for a book that is going to inspire you, but also give you lots of business gems, I would 100% recommend this book Reboot by Jodie Fox. We also have it in our business book club, which is part of the group coaching program, because I just think it was a really different business book when I picked it up, I have to say, I only picked it up because her name was on it and I wanted to read it.
I didn't know what to expect. I just thought, I mean, there are a lot of kind of biography sort of books out there from business owners that I feel aren't always the total truth. And this one is, I mean, this is like the subtext line. It says on the title or the subtitle, probably more than you ever wanted to know about starting a global business. And it really is. I mean, it goes into the deep dark depths of what happened behind the scenes, but also just these stories that you think, is that actually true? Everything from like ransoms through to just incredible luck as well. That happened in addition, of course, to a whole lot of hard work. So that is today's tool Reboot by Jodie Fox. It's published by Wiley. Of course, we will link to that in the show notes, which you'll be able to find over at mydailybusinesscoach.com/podcast/213 as this is episode 213.
I just found this book. It's something that I'll actually probably read once a year, if not once every second year, and just really take in all the ideas and the tips and the insights from this book, books can be incredible tools in the business. I know. So often now we're like, what platform is this? And what tech tool is this? And what app is there? But books are always where it's at. You can find so much information in incredible books. And I think the story that Jodie goes into in this is just inspiring, no matter what type of business you have. So that is it for today's quick tip episode. If you found this useful, I would love it so much. If you might leave a quick review for us, either on Apple or Spotify or wherever you usually listen to your podcast. And just a reminder, as I said at the start group coaching is open. If you would like to apply for that, you can go on over to mydailybusinesscoach.com/groupcoaching. See you there. Bye.
Thanks for listening to the My Daily Business Coach podcast. If you wanna get in touch, you can do that at mydailybusinesscoach.com or hit me up on Instagram @mydailybusinesscoach.
