Everyone knows Steve Madden's name and his shoes, but few are familiar with his story. Over the past thirty years, Steve Madden has taken his eponymous shoe company from the fledgling startup he founded with a mere 1,100 to a global, multi-billion dollar brand. But Madden's demons, from his battle with addiction to the financial shortcuts that landed him in prison, are as important to his story as his most iconic shoes. In this raw, intimate, and ultimately inspiring book, Madden holds nothing back as he shares what it took to get here and the lessons he's learned along the way. From his unconventional hiring strategies to his slavish devotion to product, Madden offers a business perspective that is as unique as his styles.
In The Cobbler, readers are treated to the wild ride through Madden's rise, fall, and comeback. But they will also walk away uplifted by a man who has owned up to his mistakes and is determined to give back and use his hard-won platform to create positive change. Originally written in 2019, The Cobbler was released at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. During and in the aftermath of the pandemic, Madden's perspective on life and business shifted. This new, updated version includes a prologue and epilogue revealing how Steve Madden the man and the company not only survived, but managed to come back stronger than ever for the second time.
