March 4, 2026 • 53 mins
Fashion icon Steve Madden sits down with Angie Martinez to talk about growing up with nothing to being the name and face of a shoe empire. Steve explains what it’s like living life as an addict and how coming out of prison reshaped his view on life. Then he explains how different the music industry is compared to the fashion industry, as well as what it’s like to meet hip-hop royalty such as Jay-Z, Beyonce, and T.I. Finally, Steve answers questions from our IRL Bowl of Questions, and reconnects with an old employee (who now works for Angie).
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Your story's not always written for you at the beginning.
It's like you could have went in a completely different direction.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I could have I could have died too. You know,
drugs and alcohol kill. I like to reach out to
young people if I can s to not throw in
the towel in their twenties, if they get going out
and getting fucked up and being foolish, and you know,
it's not too late to turn it around.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Thanks for watching, guys. Today's episode is brought to you
by boost Mobile.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Okay, our entrepreneur is here an entrepreneur and award winning
designer of business Titan, with a company currently worth over
three billion dollars.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
He is also a devoted family man, a provocative shoe designer.
He is nothing but an inspiration. Fit you are You
also happen to be Brittany, my executive producer of the podcast.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
She worked at.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Her boss.
Speaker 5 (01:01):
Okay, Steve, Okay, all right, okay, yes.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
You think of yourself? How do you think?
Speaker 6 (01:14):
Oh god, that's such a deep question.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
How do I think of myself? No, No, it's okay, it's.
Speaker 7 (01:20):
All good, you know, you know, uh, yes, well, sometimes
I mean at the end, at the end of the day,
we're all the same.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
We're look in the mirror and we see pimples and
and you know, we think we're fat and you know,
or whatever it is. And so yeah, every once in
a while, that's cool. I'm Steve Madden. But mostly it's
you know, throw out the garbage, you know, the garbage.
That's it's mostly that's funny.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Whenever we booked somebody, so you know, we had this
Barbara Corcord and was on recently, and then I was
seeing her buildings. All of a sudden, I noticed every
body that she had in New York City.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
So the same thing with you.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
I knew you were coming, and it's like, there's this
Steve Madden's store, Like I feel like on every corner.
It's not every corner, but there's a lot of them.
There's a lot. I was just spending some time in Miami.
They're all over Florida, they're all over New York. What
does that feel like to you when you drive past?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Do you even I get a real big kick out
of seeing people wear my shoes. That's fine, more than
more than well, the stores are good, but then I
think about, you know, how are they running and all
of that. So not that I don't enjoy all of this.
I do. You know, I'm happy. I've been through a lot,
but you know, you know it's like at last four seconds,
(02:35):
that little euphoria and then then life is You're onto
real life. Yeah, I think so. Kids. You know our kids.
My kid goes to school, she looks sloppy, she looks clean.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
Is she wearing Steve Maddens.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Most of the time? Sometimes not? Sometimes?
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Yeah, I was gonna say it is.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
It is a sore point. H And my son doesn't
always wear Steve Madden, which really drives me. Here's marginealous sneakers.
I know it's unbelievable. I live Dibbs to me and
we're going to be in an elevator. Whose juices are those?
And he's eighteen and he says they yours, Steed Baden,
(03:15):
and I find out there Margella, Oh no.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
The disrespect in your own home.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
I know it's unbelievable, but it's fascinating.
Speaker 6 (03:22):
Really.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
I can't imagine for you.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
You make you design these shoes and you walk around
the city because you're still in the city, right, you
live in New York.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
I live in New York.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Yeah, so you're walking around New York and every like
one out of how many people have a paris?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Oh, I don't know. If I see the bags around
a lot?
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yeah, the bags are everywhere everywhere, Shoes are everywhere. Yes,
Like you went to the next game last night. Are
you sitting at the garden looking at people's feet?
Speaker 2 (03:44):
I do. Yeah, I always look at people's feet. I've
been in the shoe business since I'm seventeen years old. Yeah,
and that's my life. And so I often when I
shake someone's hand, I always look down and people and
you know, I don't know if people notice it. I'm
sure it's weird, but I do. I can't help that.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
That's really Yeah, that's what I do.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
What is that like? Because you know, I've interviewed a
lot of a lot of artists, music artists, and I
always hear stories of people like when they first started rapping,
they would sell their mixtapes out of the backseat of
their trunk, like they would sell mixtapes they was. But
I don't know anybody who's done the shoe hustle out
of the trunk.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
I did that, Yeah, you did that.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
You know what is the shoe hustle?
Speaker 2 (04:22):
And it's so funny, because that's why I did have
a few friends in the music business. Yeah, and I
sort of, you know, I sort of connected with that
hustling kind of vibe, you know. Yeah. I was good
friends with a couple of guys, IRV, right with IRV Gotti, Yes,
IRV Gotti. I was thinking about him today. I miss
him so much, me too, And I can't believe he's
(04:44):
not here anymore. And but he you know, he has
that he had that they would you know, they him
from that school, the hustler spirit, the hustler spirit. Yeah.
I used to go to games with IRV and Jah
Rule and they were great. We had so much fun.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Yeah, take me to your time, though, Take me who
was that? Who's selling shoes out of the trunk of
the car? Who are you? What age are you?
Speaker 3 (05:04):
So?
Speaker 2 (05:04):
I worked for a company when I was in my twenties,
and then I went on my own in my thirties. Yeah,
you know, and I just started with one shoe. There
was a little factory in East New York in the
middle of a you know, a tough neighborhood, and you know,
I would just make I started with what I could do,
you know what I mean? By that is I didn't
(05:27):
have a lot of money, so I couldn't it couldn't
be like a startup, you know, like I started with
one shoe. I would go to the stores, I would
sell that being like seriously, one shoe. I actually started
with one shoe. It was a little clog, yes, you know.
And I had a bank roll, yeah, you know, and
I carried it in my in my pocket. And I
had him a couple of employees, and I used to
(05:51):
pay them every day. At the end of the night,
he has sixty bucks, he has eighty bucks every.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
Single run around door for you.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
No, I'm just saying, like I had a driver was
my first employe, because I had like twenty two d
w i's, so I had no license. So I had
a driver, a guy who worked in my building where
I lived in the village. So I had a driver
and we'd go and we'd sell the shoes, and then
you know, and it just started like that. It really
just you just start, you know, where you can and
(06:21):
built up bank.
Speaker 4 (06:23):
It was really something to that.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
I mean, obviously there was one thousand steps in between
and the ups and downs and all that, but there's
really something about yeah that moment. For so many people
who have an idea, have a dream, have things like, yeah,
do the one start get the washoe, get the one shoe.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Yes, that is exactly right, or do the one thing.
A lot of people, you know, people have you know,
just hear like the word startup. So I get this
idea of like an office with a lot of like desks, right,
and it's a startup. I don't actually know what it means.
They get some money and they start up. But for me,
it was the startup was to take a hot shoe,
(07:02):
a shoe and get it into stores. I had a
connections with the stories from my previous job, you know,
and they bought the shoe and they reordered the shoe,
and then I had two shoes Steve made, and then
and then it just it just multiplied.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
And then then from that point to today, that's how
many years.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Now it's thirty five, thirty six. This will be the
thirty six years started in nineteen ninety. Wow, yeah, started
almost it's almost, yeah, about thirty six years.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
And then does it even feel like you still like
or does it feel like I don't know, it's like
a story at this point, right, it's so long it's
a story.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
It is a story, but it's me and I'm still
a hustler and I'm older and wealthier and maybe less insecure.
I'm lucky that I could be on a show like yours.
And these are things that I never really talk about
since I don't have a psychiatrist anymore. But uh, you know,
(08:03):
I feel like for me, like I feel like, Okay,
I got kids, and I'm feeding my kids like a
hunter gatherer, you know, in my mind, and uh, you know,
I that's it. I'm getting up. I'm going to take
care of my family. I'm going to feed them. And
I know that sounds a little primitive, and but for me,
(08:23):
it helps me. It keeps me going during the day.
It's not about me. I got to take care of
these three kids and ex wife and ex girlfriends and
all that that. You know what I'm saying, you know,
but you know that's that's what I do.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
So that's the motivation, yeah, because back then your motivation
was what to make money, to be successful, to beat
your demons to because I you know, I know a
lot of your story. I know that you've been through
trauma and addictions and loss and addiction. Yes, I mean
addiction itself.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
Yes, it's not a small thing. It's not a small
it's a blur.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
And you're like, you know, in your book and the
cover your book, and it talks about you, you're recovering.
But addiction is sometimes people's whole story.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
You know, that's so smart what you're saying, doesn't have
to be your whole story. But it's definitely part of
my story. And and but it doesn't have to be
the whole story. It's it's just so it's it's hard
to explain it to people. It's it's considered substance abuse
is a disease by the textbooks now. And when you're
(09:30):
you know, when you're in it, it's hard to get
out of it, you know, and li liken it to
you know sometimes like diarrhea, let's just say, and you can't,
I know, this is awful, but you can't will yourself
to stop, like I'm gonna just not go to the bathroom.
But if that's the way it is getting high, you know,
(09:52):
you just wow, yeah, you know, it's kind of like that.
And and when you're in it, it's it's really almost
impossible to get out of it, and it's it's uh,
you know.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
But had you beaten addiction at the early stages of
your like the trunk out the trunk, the.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Trunk days, that's when I started getting sober, the trunk days.
You know, Yes, you can get sober. One can get sober.
It can happen. And if I can get sober, anybody
can get sober.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Because what is the thing?
Speaker 4 (10:21):
What do you attribute that to?
Speaker 1 (10:23):
How? You know?
Speaker 2 (10:23):
I go to I have places that I go where
people like me and we and we you know, and
that's what we do. You know. It's uh, yeah, you
have to surround yourself with healthy people.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
And it's still an ongoing and absolutely, yes, yes, it's ongoing.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Does that stick with you through like, uh, I don't know,
you've had so many highs awards success. Money, No, seriously,
it's not a small thing. People work there, you know.
It's a big thing.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Money, money, money, money, money, people list.
Speaker 6 (10:57):
I know, well, if you know, is a real thing.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
It's a real thing. And you money. Money cannot make you.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
Happy, you know, can't cure addiction.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
It can't cure addiction, and it cannot make you happy.
You can buy buy things and you can be comfortable
with money, but money itself will not make you happier.
It will not. But but of course, because it's sort
of an inside job, you know what I mean. And
(11:31):
the other thing is it occurs to me that sometimes
it can depress people in a way because you think, Okay, well,
once I get this, I'm going to be good, you know,
And then you get it, and then it's like, wait,
I still feel like shit, what's going on here? You know?
And so then it can be a little bit depressing
in a way.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
Like probably could set people back.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Yeah, well you know, you can say, like I thought
I was going to be so happy, you know, but
I'm thinking about like somebody that's a movie maker or whatever,
you know. I mean, and they have let's say a
lot of money, but I think at they want to
make money, but they also want to make good movies,
you know. So and I feel that way. I want
to make money, but I want to make good shoes,
(12:15):
and I want to have a great company because I
have money now, you know. So, so now the goal
is good. I mean, the goal is to have a
great business and lived sort of a healthy life, you know.
I mean, I don't mean eat kal, you know what
I mean. I mean like, you know, sort of live
a sort of a healthier make healthier choices.
Speaker 4 (12:39):
What does that for you? What does that look like
for you?
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Less?
Speaker 7 (12:43):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (12:44):
No temper tantrums, do you know what I mean? I
used to lose my temper a lot, and you know,
stuff like that, and uh and also knowing that a
lot of things have nothing to do with you. So
you know, when you're when you're not really healthy, every
kind of little thing, you know, you get insulted easily.
(13:08):
You know, somebody doesn't answer your phone, or it doesn't
text you right back, you know, and a lot of
things have nothing to do with you. So if you
can live your life like that, that's for me. That's
just me. You know, you learn that, you know, they're
not even thinking about me, they're just it's not an insult.
You know, this has nothing to do with me, you know.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
That's the that's the that's the message.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
That's like, that's very important, you know, but certain you know,
I've been in that place where everything's about me, you know,
everything's about me all the time, you know, and so
we talk about, you know, freedom from the bondage of self,
you know, and so being healthy is kind of like
that it's kind of like, not everything is about me,
(13:51):
and don't get insulted over every little thing that goes on.
I mean, you know people like that. Yeah, they get
insulted about every little thing, and sometimes you with to go,
why are they upset? Did I say something?
Speaker 1 (14:03):
What did I do?
Speaker 2 (14:05):
And I hate that? But I could be that guy,
you know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (14:09):
Yeah, but you're trying to not be I could be
that guy.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
You're trying to be better.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
I'm pissed off all day.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
But you're trying to be better.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Well, I'm trying to be happier and I'm trying to
be I don't know better, but I'm trying to be
happier and I'm trying to you know. It's good to
learn about stuff too. Yeah, but not everybody needs.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
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You're like a lot of people's boss, yes, yes, how
many people? Thousands, thousands of people thousand boss yes, well yes, yes,
(15:33):
yes people. So people expect you to have the answers
to a lot of We have a.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Big company today and there's a lot of layers. So
I don't know everybody yet, like I used to know
everybody in the company.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
But yeah, I just wonder what that feels like to
have to be a leader of such a so many people.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
You know, The funny thing is it's it's in some
ways it's the opposite. Many if the guys and women
and men that work for me don't always listen, so
and I go, what are they listening to me? And
so if you had more some people like me in business,
(16:12):
you'd find that that's a very common thing, you know,
that they don't.
Speaker 4 (16:15):
Well, that would require you to hire.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Well, I've hired so well. That's really one of the
one of the keys to my success. I've been very lucky.
I picked a lot of smart people.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
What is the what is the secret sauce?
Speaker 6 (16:29):
What is the thing?
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Because there's a lot of shoe companies, a lot of like,
what is the Steve Madden secret sauce that lets you
have this much success for so long?
Speaker 2 (16:38):
There is no secret sauce. We work hard, we move
quick speed product. You know. We we have a north
Star in her company. All the people that I work
with have this this we know. So I always say, like,
(16:59):
take care of the first and the money will come.
That's sort of the way I believe, you know. I
don't really get too hung up on that. Of course,
making money profit's very important, but the first thing is
to make sure you have good shoes. That's what we do. Yeah,
that's that's what it is.
Speaker 4 (17:16):
And when you go into design even now.
Speaker 6 (17:18):
Yeah, we're trying to make shoes that people want to buy.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
That's what I want to make it.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Yeah, I'm not interested in making shoes people don't want
to buy.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
But you you you serve as a very specific customer too. Right,
It's like you chose accessibility, right, you chose like to
be able, to be affordable. And because you could have
designed I'm sure, I don't know. You don't think you
could have designed it.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
I'm not sure. I've always been in the same thing.
I make shoes that are not too cheap, not too expensive.
Speaker 4 (17:48):
It's a sweet spot.
Speaker 6 (17:49):
It really a nice spot.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
You know, it's a nice spot. No, you know, I
don't know if I could. I don't really know if
I could.
Speaker 5 (17:57):
I'm just you've never thought about that.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
It's a different ball game.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
It's just a different thing. Jay Z had a famous
Steve maddenline. I wonder how you felt about that.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
You know, I was in prison when that happened. Oh
my goodness, I was.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
How did you take that well?
Speaker 6 (18:12):
Because you could take it good or bed, you couldn't
care less.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
I'm happy, you know, I you know I would just
in prison and he mentioned me, and you know, everybody
was talking about it. And it was when I actually
met him at a party and I told him about
it and he laughed in my face.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
No, he did it.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
He did. I don't know if he was hurt me.
We were at a party. He was with Beyonce. She
was so nice.
Speaker 4 (18:39):
I mean, she's lovely.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
She really was so lovely, so sweet. Well how did
you handle it? And I said, I gotta tell you
a story, and you know, and I told him the story.
He just giggled and laughed in my face.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
That it did.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
You already feeling about it.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
I was trying to like talk to him about it,
but like he wasn't.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
It wasn't.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
It wasn't. But his wife was lovely.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Yeah, but so what so you're in prison.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Yeah, and it came out it was a thing. Yeah,
it was a thing.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Then how did you feel about that?
Speaker 2 (19:07):
It was fine, it was it was good mentioned yeah
when you mentioned the brand, and it was fine, and uh,
you know, it was no big deal. But I wanted
to like talk to him.
Speaker 5 (19:19):
What would you have said?
Speaker 2 (19:20):
What would you know?
Speaker 6 (19:20):
No, it's just like I was in prison. You helped
me out.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Everybody treated me so great. Thanks.
Speaker 4 (19:26):
You wanted to have your moment.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Yeah, And he wasn't going for it. He wasn't going
for Maybe.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
It wasn't Maybe it wasn't the time.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
I'm sure he was busy doing what he does.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
I feel like there was a whole bunch of other
lyrics too.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
I feel like that there was some other mentioned I met,
I met all those guys. I yeah, I met Nas.
That was fun.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
How was that?
Speaker 6 (19:47):
He was cool?
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Yeah? I met Nas and met t I. I took
a plane ride with t I.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
The plane.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
I like t I's music, by the way, Okay, well
that was big also when I was away. Oh yes,
sound you know you don't know me? All those songs. Yeah,
I really, I really liked it. I try to tell
him that too, but I was. I had him on
a plane with me, so he couldn't get away from me.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Tell you his full attention. What was that time like
for you?
Speaker 2 (20:15):
It was a heartbreaking, heartbreaking moment and.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
You already your shoes are already I'm already hot.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Everybody knows who I am, not like I am today.
But you know, it was twenty years ago and it
is the doing of the time. It's not It's not terrible.
I mean, it's not like going to sing Saint Regis
fucking Hotel it's terrible. And but actually, you know, you
(20:44):
get into groove. You know, you're surviving, you're doing your thing,
you're working out, you're reading, you know, having some laughs
with the guys, and you know you're getting through the day,
you know. But the heartbreaking thing is that all the
stuff's gone on outside. People are falling in love and
having children and eating steak and moving on, and you
(21:08):
think it's like being dead. You know, it's kind of
like being dead, Like this is what death is like,
only I'm not dead, but you know, like everybody's out
there doing their thing and you're you know, and especially
after visiting day, you know, people would come to see
me and then they would go one way and I
would go back to my little cube. Yeah, you know,
(21:31):
it's like a little and my heart would break as
I would walk back, you know, I would I would
have this sadness. You know, everybody's going to something and
I'm going back to your reading People magazine or something.
But you know, I mean, so it was tough.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
As somebody who's visited people, I've visited people in jail,
and that moment when you when the person in there
and their jail falls, is turning around and going back.
It's tough to even watch that from the outside.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
To think about that, so.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
I can only imagine your imagine.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
I can't what it's like to be the guy going back.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
So that was very hard.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
So what is the thing that like drives you through it?
You've been through so much and then you get out
of jail, by the way, then you get out.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Yeah, oh that is so good.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
That was so good.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
It was so good.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
Now you're out. Yeah, you probably like on a it's like, right, now,
what are they call it?
Speaker 4 (22:27):
This February is the.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Year of the horse?
Speaker 2 (22:29):
The year of the horse.
Speaker 4 (22:30):
Yeah, you were probably like, yes, I was right.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
I came out and I had a lot of energy,
and I was grateful and it was it was an
exciting time to come out and and thankfully, you know,
the team was in place and we went and we
just exploded. You know, it was great.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Yeah, that was very lucky.
Speaker 6 (22:52):
Like that.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
It's super inspiring and so and it's so much of
a testament to like, I don't know, it's just like
your story's not always written for you at the beginning.
It's like you could have went in a completely different direction.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
I could have I could have died too, you know.
Drugs and alcohol kill. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
Yeah, I'm sure.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
You just don't wake up one day, that's it.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
Yeah, So what was the thing that woke you up?
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Well, you know you're sick and tired of being sick
and tired. Yeah, you know, that's what it is. We
have an alcoholism in my family, yeah, yeah, and my
brothers too, and so you know, I don't know, Lucky Star,
you know. And but you have to surround yourself with
(23:35):
a lot of sober people.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
And is there a survivors remorse in that?
Speaker 2 (23:41):
No, But there are times when you just, you know,
you feel like, you know, you feel like I just
need to get it high or I need to get out,
you know, And and those are the times you need
to reach out. I mean, now I feel like smoking
a mob.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
Borrow red right now?
Speaker 2 (23:58):
What I miss station? I don't know. Lately, I've been
missing cigarette. Smoking a cigarette so bad, it's so bad
for you.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Don't do it.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
I'm not doing it, but I'm just saying it's so like,
that's what I oh god, I just want to like
light up a cigarette, you know, and just uh yeah,
I know it's tough, but you know.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
So bad.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
It's so bad and it's so good. It's so bad
and it's so bad and so good and it's so bad.
And I have I have shitty lungs.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
To be you have to have different vices now.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
To kind of like you know, uh, well, yeah, you know,
I'm I uh, I work out a lot, you know,
I work out and I don't know, you know, it's
not that special.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
You know, we just were just you are special.
Speaker 6 (24:49):
No, I don't know about all that. Hey, guys.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Support for this podcast is brought to you by Walden University.
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Walden University set a course for change certified to operate
by SHIV. Okay, so these are just in real life questions.
Pick one till you like okay, pick one till you
(25:33):
like one, and then answer it.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
How happy are you from a scale of one to ten?
Speaker 4 (25:38):
Today?
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Today I'm a nine. Today I'm a nine. But every
day is different. You know, most of the time, I'm happy. Okay,
you're a happy guy most of the okay. Then when
I walk in a room, I want people to feel.
I want people to feel. What do I want them
to feel? Expect? You know, maybe respect?
Speaker 1 (26:02):
What do you respect most about yourself?
Speaker 2 (26:04):
I respect the ability to do things that are not comfortable,
you know, you know, mostly not getting high. I respect
that about myself. Yeah, no, really, that's true.
Speaker 4 (26:15):
It's a real thing.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Yes, it sure is.
Speaker 4 (26:17):
Yeah, But what are the things?
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Were going to the bar? People are drinking tequila? You know,
everybody drinks tequila. Now I miss the tequila thing. Like
people are like fans. They buy these like one hundred
dollars or whatever, maybe even more bottles of tequila. They're experts,
they are, I know, people that fancy themselves tequila experts
(26:39):
and I'm sipping on a coke.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
Yeah, what should people.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Know because there's so many of us I have, I
have family gambling addicts.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
Also yes, alcohol.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Yeah, so what should people know about addicts? Like what
should outside people when dealing with family or what should
they understand because it's hard sometimes aside from family members,
you know.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
This, Yeah, that's that's a big question. What should they
understand that it's a disease. It's a disease like diabetes,
like cancer. It's a disease. They can't stop. Adducts can't stop,
alcoholics can't stop, but there are places where they can stop.
It's it's arrested. You can arrest it, but you can't
(27:27):
cure it ever ever. Wow. Yeah, but that doesn't mean
you can't have a great life. And you know, you
arrested and you go on and you could have a
great life.
Speaker 4 (27:37):
There's you're like the poster boy for that.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Well today I am you know what I mean, it's
we have it's a day at a time, and there's
a lot of people out there that are sober, and
you know, some doing great things. They don't they don't
broadcast it.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
Yeah, but uh, because it's probably hard to revisit sometimes, right.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
So I they want to stay humble about it too.
But Anthony Hopkins just celebrated fifty years of sobriety. You know,
the old actor that was in course Silence of the Lambs.
Speaker 6 (28:08):
Yeah, I saw.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
He went in and spoke about it online on TikTok.
Speaker 4 (28:14):
Had he never talked about it before?
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Well, yeah, people knew that. But yeah, fifty years.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Fifty years. Yeah, God, bless.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
God, blesses.
Speaker 4 (28:22):
Right, amazing, that is amazing.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
What do you like when we talk about business, It's
like there's so many people. I'm sure you do. You
do a lot of mentorships. You have your organizations. You
believe in rehabilitation and giving people a second. I know
even in your company you hire, you do formally incarcerated.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Yeah, we have a few. A few people that I
was in prison with work with me.
Speaker 4 (28:45):
Oh that's a company.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
And then we work with some organizations the DOFUND and
and I like to I like to reach out to
young people if I can to not throw in the
towel in their twenties, if they get going out and
(29:08):
getting fucked up and being foolish, and you know, it's
not too late to turn it around, and it's hard
to teach the entrepreneur thing. Yeah, so you're an entrepreneur
and you know it comes it could be anything, you know,
it's just someone that makes their own way and does
(29:30):
things differently and succeeding.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
Yeah, you know, it's so funny though. I just was
saying this to Brittany. I was like, my whole career,
I have never focused on money enough. I've always been like,
I want to make a cool I want to do
this great thing, which you probably have some of that,
which is true, but you've also been very diligent about
creating a successful financially you know, successful company.
Speaker 4 (29:51):
It is different.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
I do think it's I think that's a good point
you're making. I think you have to make money as
an entrepreneur. Yes, I actually think it. If you're you're
failing as the entrepreneur. If you're not ringing the register,
I think you need to ring the register.
Speaker 4 (30:07):
Got to ring the right.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
But of course, you know, if you're if you have passion,
you're an artist, you're trying to design that dress or
make that song or you know, or you know, and
so you say, well I'm going to do that. But
usually if you take care of those things, the money
will follow. And you have to make sure that.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
That's what they've always said to us. And I feel
like we've gotten a lot of shit wrong.
Speaker 5 (30:30):
Number one.
Speaker 4 (30:31):
Number one, we have to be hustle.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
You have to hustle, work so hard all the time.
I don't know if that was right. At this big age,
I'm starting to think maybe I need a little more balance, right,
and maybe I have to work hard for all these
years to get the balance.
Speaker 8 (30:42):
Now.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
We're working hard is good? Working smart is good?
Speaker 6 (30:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
And then the other thing is, you know, you create
something you love and the money will come.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
I don't know if that's always right.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Sometimes it doesn't. But if you're smart, that's part of
the trip. You have to make that happen. Yeah, that's
part of the entrepreneurial trip.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
You know you're balance saying like do I want to
enrich myself? Do I want to build my business? Like?
There's so many things that go into this ride that
you're on. You know, I was just listening to I
just was an audio book because my eyes are ship.
Speaker 4 (31:19):
Trying to go on the ball.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
Oh god, And I was listening to a book. There's
Lorne Michaels.
Speaker 4 (31:24):
He's the Saturday Night Live guy, of course.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
And uh, you know, it was taken with he's been
there forever and he's built this huge thing, and uh
he's a great entrepreneur and he had so many things,
you know, on his plate that he was and I
was really taken with the book. Really enjoyed that. Yeah,
I really enjoyed it. I met him once and but
(31:51):
it was a long time ago and he doesn't remember me. Sure,
but it's okay, who cares.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
You got something out of his book that there's people
watching this podcast that will never meet you, but we'll
get something out of this end.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Yeah, that would be great.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
What makes a great entrepreneur?
Speaker 2 (32:05):
You know, there's just I feel like it's this big
boat ride you're on and you got to keep the
boat moving, and it's a battle that it's not always
so great, you know, the entrepreneur thing. You know, it's
very lonely too. You know it can be because you're
you're on this journey and and you're trying to survive
(32:26):
and flourish, and people are attacking you and and and
the swamps and and you just got to keep moving forward.
And so the great thing for me is that I
got a lot of help. You know, I got a
lot of people helping me. So even though my name
is on the shoe, you know, I got so many
(32:47):
great people that I work with.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
Yeah, it wasn't always like that.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Well, you start, you don't have any you know, you're
in the.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
Boat by yourself at some point, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
The boat by myself.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
And you're not just in the Steve, You're not just
in the boat by yourself. You're like in the boat
with like this history and trauma and addiction.
Speaker 5 (33:06):
Yeah, and you're still in this boat, in the boat.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
I mean that's I'm still in the boat.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
You're still in the still in the boat.
Speaker 4 (33:13):
It was a time when you were in the boat
by yourself.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
Still in the boat. But you know, the boat's bigger
now boat is bigger, but still and then you know,
there's different challenges as you go along, you know, you know, and.
Speaker 4 (33:24):
So what's been some of your biggest ones aside from
addiction obviously.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
So yeah, well yeah, you know, letting go and letting
smarter people do stuff and you know that and not
freaking out. You know, I'm the kind of guy that
if we had a big market, a big show and
I didn't like, you know, the cookies. I would freak out.
I'd call the person, what the fuck is this? This
(33:49):
tastes like medicine, you know. I was like that. I
was crazy like that. I needed to control everything, you know.
But then as you go along, you realize that you
can't control everything, you know, so you learn what you
can sort of control.
Speaker 4 (34:03):
And in the place and the cookies are bad, what
do you do?
Speaker 2 (34:07):
I don't say anything anymore.
Speaker 5 (34:09):
Well, maybe I will, but inside the cookies, fucking cookies.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
You can't make a You can't make a bad cookie
because it's such a waste of calories. Crazy when I
go to a mall, malls and the elevators don't work.
These guys charge so much money for these stores, they
are so successful, and they can't fix the escalator.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
How theare they?
Speaker 2 (34:32):
The escalator escalator and the escalator didn't work At Manison
Square Garden last night there was an escalator going down
to seventh Avenue and the escalator didn't work. He can't
afford to. He pays Brunson fifty million a year. He
can't fix the escalator.
Speaker 5 (34:47):
What is that?
Speaker 2 (34:48):
Because they don't give a shit about the public, because
they got a product you know that people love.
Speaker 4 (34:54):
But they're gonna walk up there. The people walk up there,
I don't care.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
But on the other hand, yeah, I used to stay
at the Wind Hotels in Las Vegas because the room
service coffee was so great. And I thought to myself,
this guy, this Steve Win, this nut. You know, he's
amazing hotel man. He took care of like he took
(35:20):
care of that detail. His coffee. I'm telling the coffee person.
His coffee was so fucking great. And I stayed there.
I was loyal to him.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
Mm hmm. You can stay anywhere in the world he want.
Speaker 2 (35:32):
He and his room service coffee was the greatest thing
because he cared about his So you got attention to detail.
Really I love that.
Speaker 4 (35:40):
I was gonna say, you're your passion.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
Shout out to Steve.
Speaker 4 (35:45):
I just played.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
I love when people do that.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
Shut out to Steve Win.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
White people don't do shut out to Steve Win. You know,
I'm serious, but it's really true, you know, But I
do like that because it's like, yes, I don't know
where he is. I see TikTok.
Speaker 4 (36:00):
You always wanted to give a shout.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
Out because she really cared this billionaire. Dude. I know
that I want my coffee to be great.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
He cares about the detail, Yes he did.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
That's when I was loyal to the win A hotel
because of it.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
They have a lovely golf course as.
Speaker 4 (36:17):
Well, by they do.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
I've played it.
Speaker 5 (36:19):
I'm a golfer, Yes you are.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
I didn't know that. Yes, I played.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
I just found the game about four years at Stree
and I'm a full This is what I'm an addict.
I'm an golf addict. Yeah, I will golf sport.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
I will golf every day.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
Yeah. And then you play in Miami I do. Anytime
you want to go to the gorse, let me know.
Speaker 6 (36:36):
I want to go, hit me up.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
Yeah, I'm gonna hit you up. And I want to
go with Steve Madden. And you should make a Steve
You should make a Steve.
Speaker 4 (36:42):
Madden golf shoe.
Speaker 5 (36:43):
Yes, I play.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
And you know what, I think we did make some
golf really yeah we did. It was fun, but it
you know, we just it was.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
I'm going to find this. I'm going to find one. Yeah, Yeah,
I'm gonna going up and I'm going to show up
a little gorse and by Steve Madden.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
Because people wear they don't wear. When I started to
play golf as a child. I really started when I
was fourteen, and golf shoes were really cool. They were
like tassels and two tones and amazing, mind blowing. Golf
shoes were mind blowing. If you look in the fifties,
you look at the sixties to old players wore beautiful
(37:18):
shoes and then it kind of like Nike sort of
took over the business, and it's sort of like sneakers now.
Speaker 6 (37:23):
I try to.
Speaker 4 (37:23):
Cuten it up.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
I do the little flaps on the top of my sneakers.
Speaker 6 (37:26):
I'm all about flat.
Speaker 4 (37:27):
Those are good.
Speaker 2 (37:28):
Yes, flaps, you're good. I'll put on a good golf yeah,
little golf.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
Golf shoe for yeah, yeah, yes, so you golf.
Speaker 2 (37:37):
I do. I do play golf, So that's.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
A good meditator. That's like meditation to me.
Speaker 5 (37:41):
It's like it's so frustrating everything.
Speaker 6 (37:45):
I lose my fucking mind on the golfers, but I
love it.
Speaker 1 (37:48):
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(38:10):
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So we have a segment that we do on IRL
podcasts is the Edge. It's the voice note section. It's
presented by boosmobell thank you to Okay, we love and
(38:31):
it's usually a fan, a friend, or somebody has a question. Okay,
so she is our she's to our voice note today.
Speaker 2 (38:41):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
She's a former employee of Steve Madden. Right, Yes, she
worked in the Aventary store.
Speaker 2 (38:46):
Yes, wow, that was That's one of my favorite stories.
Speaker 8 (38:50):
In my last year of college, I have failed my
seniors and I hate it. I hated being in school.
It was like in a bad place. And Steve Man
was my first wee til Jo. I'm like, I'm just
gonna go work and see and it was one of
the best times that I've ever had. Whoever was my manager?
Speaker 6 (39:08):
Yeah yeah, really yeah uh.
Speaker 8 (39:12):
Me and you also had the best employee, Birks, because
it was fifty.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
Wow, that's a lot.
Speaker 5 (39:19):
That's a lot.
Speaker 8 (39:24):
During the busiest times.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
I worked through Christmas Black Friday. Yes, Shane, and.
Speaker 8 (39:29):
You visited and I was like, what the fuck is Steve?
Speaker 2 (39:33):
Yeah, I do that.
Speaker 8 (39:34):
And I was working cashier and you said something to me.
You were like, you got the best seat in the house.
Speaker 4 (39:40):
Yeah, I did see that.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
I got to upgrade my material. That was good, But
I did you. I love going to Aventura during the holidays.
I love chopping around and seeing the action.
Speaker 1 (39:51):
Yeah yeah, you like telling themself.
Speaker 8 (39:53):
One of the associates sell Isshoe, that you camber early
before the big right. Well, but that like inspired me
to like and then I started reading a fun story
and that inspired me to finish school. I went back.
Speaker 1 (40:06):
I finished.
Speaker 8 (40:07):
I just started for like four or five months, and
it was just like one of the best experiences in retail.
Speaker 1 (40:12):
That I ever had.
Speaker 8 (40:13):
Minus some of the people, because retail also teaches you
a lot about.
Speaker 6 (40:17):
Dealing some of the customers the public.
Speaker 2 (40:20):
They can be rude. Yeah, yeah, I know, but.
Speaker 8 (40:23):
But I always respected that, Hey you're giving us your part.
Speaker 2 (40:27):
Sure, yes, that.
Speaker 8 (40:30):
That never bothered me. But I really admire the.
Speaker 2 (40:36):
Thank you, thank you?
Speaker 1 (40:38):
Wow. So wasn't it really a question? There was no question?
Was there a question?
Speaker 4 (40:43):
There's no question?
Speaker 2 (40:43):
Okay, Well I used to enjoy. I loved going to
the aventer a mall and uh, so many different it's
just great customers, all different walks of life, very very
cross sectioning, and it was great.
Speaker 1 (40:58):
You're like you like to, uh, you probably study the
customer to some extent.
Speaker 2 (41:03):
Well, I do. I do. There's all types. And Aventura
is great because so many different We skill out of
South Americans Canadians, and we do. We test a lot
of shoes in Aventura.
Speaker 4 (41:19):
How do you test a shoe?
Speaker 2 (41:21):
So what you do is, you know, you make a
short run, little sample in a sample room and you so,
for instance, an example of that would be you would
make a sandal and you put it in Aventura because
it's freezing in New York and no one's buying a sandal.
So you go down there and you get a little
feedback on it. So if you know they start picking
(41:42):
up the sandal. You know that you might have this.
Speaker 6 (41:44):
Is a good one here, Yes, test and react.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
We still do it.
Speaker 4 (41:48):
I love that you love this still I do.
Speaker 2 (41:50):
That's my favorite part of the business. I love that
testing shoes and seeing what they mean. Love it all
these years later, love it. I still do. And it's
such a it's such a gas, you know, it's really.
Speaker 1 (42:03):
I'm sure people come to you for advice all the
time about starting business.
Speaker 2 (42:06):
Usually they come to me for money.
Speaker 1 (42:07):
Really, what is the number one thing people ask for
money for?
Speaker 4 (42:12):
I mean, you know, they go to a lot of
startups and things like that of stuff.
Speaker 2 (42:17):
Usually I get fifteen or twenty before one o'clock.
Speaker 4 (42:22):
But but what about people who are really starting?
Speaker 1 (42:24):
Do you have like advice that you get give?
Speaker 2 (42:27):
So you know what I'm Chad yelled at me last
time because I always say the same thing. It's okay, dad,
my colleague over there. I believe that you have to
learn the business. You know, a lot of people want
to go into business, and I think it's helpful to
know the business. For example, I think that if you were,
(42:53):
you know, wanted to learn the restaurant business, it would
be helpful to maybe working around restaurant, maybe be a
waitress or a waiter, you know, and if your goal,
like if you said, like I want to open my
own joint one day, or be a bartender, like I
think those are just things that come to mind.
Speaker 4 (43:12):
Ye, learn your business.
Speaker 2 (43:14):
I think learning the business and then going into business. Yes,
is now that for me? That happened sort of organically.
I was sweeping a basement when I was sixteen. By seventeen,
I was up on the floor selling shoes. I mean
I learned all these things. It wasn't a plan, you know,
it was just the way it went down. But by
(43:35):
the time, you know, I was ready to go on
my own, I knew a lot of stuff or any
had sort of good Yeah, had sort of good college.
It was sort of the school of shoes.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
Yeah. People never want to do that.
Speaker 4 (43:48):
They want to go right to this.
Speaker 2 (43:49):
Yes, they do. They seem to right now, this generation,
because you know, they see they see the you know
on social media, you see success, and you want to
do it right away. And I certainly don't blame them,
but I am telling you my advice, and that's my
ropes to learn the ropes man and whatever you know
(44:12):
or The other thing is to find a mentor. You know,
like if you got lucky to work in a company,
Let's say it was a bigger company and you had
somebody that you looked up to, that you worked for,
and you would be willing to do anything as an
assistant or whatever the title was. You know, that is
(44:34):
like just gold, gold, That is fucking gold. You get
a mentor and you and you learn and you you know,
and that's Those are the things that I would suggest.
There's and then the other stuff. Whether you have talent
or not, it's another story, my story for another day.
It is a story for another day.
Speaker 1 (44:55):
Anyway. I know we're wrapping up and I probably shouldn't ask.
This is more of like a beginner I should have
asked at the beginning. But is there some thing about
a shoe? Like what is the love of a Shoehe it.
Speaker 2 (45:04):
Is, It's a great question, it is. It's just what
I do.
Speaker 4 (45:08):
Where did that come from?
Speaker 2 (45:09):
You know? I worked in a shoe store as a teenager.
Speaker 4 (45:12):
I know, But how did you even wind up there?
Speaker 2 (45:14):
It was God, I don't know what. I walked into
a shoe store and got a job because you needed money,
I needed a job. I was a kid, and we
went to work. That's what you did in those days,
you know. He said he got a job.
Speaker 4 (45:33):
What was the shoe store like?
Speaker 6 (45:36):
It was a shoe store, regular my hometown, neighborhood, neighborhood,
shoe store called Toulouse. It was called Toulouse. And the
owner of the store was a sort of an ex hippie.
It was I was again another lucky break.
Speaker 2 (45:52):
This guy was this like great artist character and he
owned the store and he was like this like ex hippie,
you know, he look like a rock star and he
had the store, and I wanted to be like this guy.
And so that was it.
Speaker 4 (46:06):
So you just shoes shoes.
Speaker 2 (46:10):
And so that was it. That's the thing. You get
a mentor, you know. Yeah, So what a break that
is if you can find somebody.
Speaker 4 (46:17):
I'm sure you've done that for a lot of people.
Speaker 2 (46:19):
I don't know about all that, but no, it's true.
Speaker 4 (46:21):
Look at even Brittany, young Brittany, Young.
Speaker 1 (46:23):
Brittany was one. I'm sure there are many many, all right.
And then finally, what is the what does the future
look like? What is the next five ten years?
Speaker 2 (46:30):
So the future, what does the future look like?
Speaker 1 (46:34):
What are your goals now, like, what do you do.
Speaker 4 (46:36):
You have any more goals?
Speaker 1 (46:37):
Are you just trying to like get a good night dad,
get a good night sleep.
Speaker 6 (46:41):
Get a good night's sleep, Be good dad, Be good guy.
Speaker 2 (46:45):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (46:46):
I like you like your legacy, like work.
Speaker 4 (46:49):
Let's talk about your legacy.
Speaker 6 (46:51):
Come on, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (46:52):
Here's what I want to do. I want to make
great shoes. I still do. Really, I want to make
shures that you guys all by. That's what that's we
buy them all the time. So you did that, so no, no,
But the thing is that before this, you know, you
have your think, well, maybe I should like make a movie,
you know, or maybe I should make a you know,
like you go into music right because I like music, right,
(47:15):
But just because you like music doesn't mean you can
go to the fucking music basis. That's dopey. I did that.
So I think a lot of people that make a
lot of money do that stuff. And so you learn that,
you know, it's not about staying in your lane. I
don't give a shit about that. I mean, there are
(47:37):
many people that do a lot of different things. But
for me, you know, this is what I do. I
do what I do, and you know, I'm cool with it,
and I'm happy to like, you know, listen to music
and not own it.
Speaker 1 (47:51):
Right. I'm not going to go be a professional golfer
anything exactly.
Speaker 2 (47:54):
I wish I was better at golf.
Speaker 1 (47:56):
Yeah, but even then, I don't want to be a professional.
Speaker 2 (47:58):
No, it's no, but there's you'll see them down there.
Speaker 1 (48:01):
Yah.
Speaker 8 (48:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (48:01):
But then you find that thing, your shoe, your shoe,
then it becomes your thing.
Speaker 2 (48:06):
Yeah, it's it is my thing.
Speaker 1 (48:08):
It's about in real life though, as a human being,
like do you have anything that you're chasing for yourself?
Speaker 2 (48:13):
Lo, And it's getting late, honey, it's kind of late.
I'm getting up there. Uh yeah, I mean I'm getting
up there.
Speaker 6 (48:21):
You know.
Speaker 2 (48:22):
I'm still in good shape. I'm still you know, doing
my thing. And it's getting late. It's getting late, you know.
But I guess the big thing is, you know, being
trying to raise kids, be good dad. That's a good thing.
That's a really good thing. The thing is, though there
is no secret to that. You know, everybody could say whatever,
(48:45):
Like my father, you know the stuff that I get
from my dad. My dad died a long time ago,
and I learn it. I get it today, Like now
in my last twenty years. Oh that's what my dad
I was talking about. So as a kid, I was
an idiot. I didn't know that's probably healing and what
he's saying the fuck he's talking. But now I said,
(49:10):
oh shit, that's what my dad meant. Yes, So that's
the gift sometimes.
Speaker 1 (49:16):
What do you think your parents would think if they
saw what the world sees now those Steve Mann and
signs everywhere.
Speaker 2 (49:23):
I don't know. They'd be surprised maybe, but think so. Yeah,
you know, but the things you get don't often happen
at that moment, and no one listens to their parents
when they're seventeen or twenty two. You think you know
everything and you just want to have fun and get
high and whatever it is, you know.
Speaker 4 (49:42):
But they'd probably be proud.
Speaker 2 (49:44):
They would be proud. And I am so grateful for
my parents now the things that I now that I'm
able to use the stuff they gave me.
Speaker 1 (49:52):
Yeah. Yeah, you've done what you've done pretty well.
Speaker 2 (49:56):
I don't know about all that, but we did. We're trying.
Speaker 5 (49:58):
You did.
Speaker 1 (49:59):
Yeah you did ye And I'm sure you have a
lot of people have at testament to what they've learned
from you, and and I'm hoping hopefully today your story
is to be on the show. Thank you, thank you
for today. Is there any segment things that we need
to do before we go? Thank you so much for
your time today. You're a fucking rock star. Do you
have do you have favor?
Speaker 4 (50:22):
Do you have a new all time favor?
Speaker 1 (50:24):
I do?
Speaker 2 (50:24):
Well, I have a lot of shoes, Yes I do.
Speaker 1 (50:29):
They said, Joe, I like, why do you hate those?
Speaker 2 (50:34):
You know? But I like. I like a lot of
boots that I'm making. I'm really into. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (50:43):
Uh, you know when you show up for Workingston Steve
Maddison's your shoes and trash.
Speaker 4 (50:49):
You know what I like?
Speaker 2 (50:50):
I love the look. Let me tell you the look
I really love. I've been excited about it for a
while and just now it's bearing fruit. Is the look
that girls are wearing dresses with boots or skirts with
the with the tall shaft boot and the leg. You know,
so they were in a short skirt with the boot
or with a western boot, you know, cowboy boot with
(51:12):
a short shirt is so funky. I just love that look,
you know I do. It's such a great look.
Speaker 4 (51:17):
You don't have a favorite shoe of all time.
Speaker 2 (51:19):
Well, I mean, you know, I had so many shoes,
so many.
Speaker 1 (51:22):
Great that's like this annoying ask question.
Speaker 6 (51:24):
No, it's not annoying.
Speaker 1 (51:24):
People ask me all the time, what's your favorite interview
of all time? I'm like, it's impossible to say that.
It's probably the same thing when somebody says, what is
your favorily.
Speaker 2 (51:33):
You know, I've had a lot of favorite shoes. I've
had so many great shoes. I'm the First time I
made a sneaker was so exciting, a platform sneaker. First
time I made a slipper, I made this big slipper,
changed the slipper business, and everybody went on and made
these shoes and I never made another slipper again. I
was called it the Fuzzy and it was great. But
(51:53):
we made a lot of great boots, and now we're
making like these. You know, this look which is very
sort of very sort of collegy kind of short skirts
with the boots.
Speaker 4 (52:05):
That's what you're in right now.
Speaker 2 (52:06):
I love that look.
Speaker 4 (52:07):
Yeah, and it gets great.
Speaker 2 (52:09):
It's kind of like almost like they wear it in
the spring. Yeah, you know, most it's very sort of
festival I think, Yeah, I would call it.
Speaker 4 (52:17):
I love how much you love it?
Speaker 2 (52:18):
I do, I do. I've never been to What's the
Big Fast? My daughter goes, Yeah, I can't go.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
But the fact that you still love designing that much
is really it's too hot?
Speaker 2 (52:29):
Is too hot?
Speaker 1 (52:31):
You know?
Speaker 2 (52:32):
They really are to get some fucking hot. I went
to coach, I went to.
Speaker 1 (52:36):
Here's what we learned from Steve Madden today. He's a
fucking stickler for detail. He will find what the fuck
is wrong with something, but he will also find the
beauty of something.
Speaker 5 (52:45):
All right, Steve Madden everything.
Speaker 1 (52:47):
Yes, you're so fun.
Speaker 2 (52:50):
Yes, this is Steve Madden in real life.
Speaker 1 (52:55):
Hey guys, thanks for watching. Make sure you subscribe, like comments,
and check out all of the other episodes we have
on Age Martinez i RO Podcast
Your story's not always written for you at the beginning.
It's like you could have went in a completely different direction.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I could have I could have died too. You know,
drugs and alcohol kill. I like to reach out to
young people if I can s to not throw in
the towel in their twenties, if they get going out
and getting fucked up and being foolish, and you know,
it's not too late to turn it around.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Thanks for watching, guys. Today's episode is brought to you
by boost Mobile.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Okay, our entrepreneur is here an entrepreneur and award winning
designer of business Titan, with a company currently worth over
three billion dollars.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
He is also a devoted family man, a provocative shoe designer.
He is nothing but an inspiration. Fit you are You
also happen to be Brittany, my executive producer of the podcast.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
She worked at.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Her boss.
Speaker 5 (01:01):
Okay, Steve, Okay, all right, okay, yes.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
You think of yourself? How do you think?
Speaker 6 (01:14):
Oh god, that's such a deep question.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
How do I think of myself? No, No, it's okay, it's.
Speaker 7 (01:20):
All good, you know, you know, uh, yes, well, sometimes
I mean at the end, at the end of the day,
we're all the same.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
We're look in the mirror and we see pimples and
and you know, we think we're fat and you know,
or whatever it is. And so yeah, every once in
a while, that's cool. I'm Steve Madden. But mostly it's
you know, throw out the garbage, you know, the garbage.
That's it's mostly that's funny.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Whenever we booked somebody, so you know, we had this
Barbara Corcord and was on recently, and then I was
seeing her buildings. All of a sudden, I noticed every
body that she had in New York City.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
So the same thing with you.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
I knew you were coming, and it's like, there's this
Steve Madden's store, Like I feel like on every corner.
It's not every corner, but there's a lot of them.
There's a lot. I was just spending some time in Miami.
They're all over Florida, they're all over New York. What
does that feel like to you when you drive past?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Do you even I get a real big kick out
of seeing people wear my shoes. That's fine, more than
more than well, the stores are good, but then I
think about, you know, how are they running and all
of that. So not that I don't enjoy all of this.
I do. You know, I'm happy. I've been through a lot,
but you know, you know it's like at last four seconds,
(02:35):
that little euphoria and then then life is You're onto
real life. Yeah, I think so. Kids. You know our kids.
My kid goes to school, she looks sloppy, she looks clean.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
Is she wearing Steve Maddens.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Most of the time? Sometimes not? Sometimes?
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Yeah, I was gonna say it is.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
It is a sore point. H And my son doesn't
always wear Steve Madden, which really drives me. Here's marginealous sneakers.
I know it's unbelievable. I live Dibbs to me and
we're going to be in an elevator. Whose juices are those?
And he's eighteen and he says they yours, Steed Baden,
(03:15):
and I find out there Margella, Oh no.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
The disrespect in your own home.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
I know it's unbelievable, but it's fascinating.
Speaker 6 (03:22):
Really.
Speaker 4 (03:22):
I can't imagine for you.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
You make you design these shoes and you walk around
the city because you're still in the city, right, you
live in New York.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
I live in New York.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Yeah, so you're walking around New York and every like
one out of how many people have a paris?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Oh, I don't know. If I see the bags around
a lot?
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yeah, the bags are everywhere everywhere, Shoes are everywhere. Yes,
Like you went to the next game last night. Are
you sitting at the garden looking at people's feet?
Speaker 2 (03:44):
I do. Yeah, I always look at people's feet. I've
been in the shoe business since I'm seventeen years old. Yeah,
and that's my life. And so I often when I
shake someone's hand, I always look down and people and
you know, I don't know if people notice it. I'm
sure it's weird, but I do. I can't help that.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
That's really Yeah, that's what I do.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
What is that like? Because you know, I've interviewed a
lot of a lot of artists, music artists, and I
always hear stories of people like when they first started rapping,
they would sell their mixtapes out of the backseat of
their trunk, like they would sell mixtapes they was. But
I don't know anybody who's done the shoe hustle out
of the trunk.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
I did that, Yeah, you did that.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
You know what is the shoe hustle?
Speaker 2 (04:22):
And it's so funny, because that's why I did have
a few friends in the music business. Yeah, and I
sort of, you know, I sort of connected with that
hustling kind of vibe, you know. Yeah. I was good
friends with a couple of guys, IRV, right with IRV Gotti, Yes,
IRV Gotti. I was thinking about him today. I miss
him so much, me too, And I can't believe he's
(04:44):
not here anymore. And but he you know, he has
that he had that they would you know, they him
from that school, the hustler spirit, the hustler spirit. Yeah.
I used to go to games with IRV and Jah
Rule and they were great. We had so much fun.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Yeah, take me to your time, though, Take me who
was that? Who's selling shoes out of the trunk of
the car? Who are you? What age are you?
Speaker 3 (05:04):
So?
Speaker 2 (05:04):
I worked for a company when I was in my twenties,
and then I went on my own in my thirties. Yeah,
you know, and I just started with one shoe. There
was a little factory in East New York in the
middle of a you know, a tough neighborhood, and you know,
I would just make I started with what I could do,
you know what I mean? By that is I didn't
(05:27):
have a lot of money, so I couldn't it couldn't
be like a startup, you know, like I started with
one shoe. I would go to the stores, I would
sell that being like seriously, one shoe. I actually started
with one shoe. It was a little clog, yes, you know.
And I had a bank roll, yeah, you know, and
I carried it in my in my pocket. And I
had him a couple of employees, and I used to
(05:51):
pay them every day. At the end of the night,
he has sixty bucks, he has eighty bucks every.
Speaker 4 (05:55):
Single run around door for you.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
No, I'm just saying, like I had a driver was
my first employe, because I had like twenty two d
w i's, so I had no license. So I had
a driver, a guy who worked in my building where
I lived in the village. So I had a driver
and we'd go and we'd sell the shoes, and then
you know, and it just started like that. It really
just you just start, you know, where you can and
(06:21):
built up bank.
Speaker 4 (06:23):
It was really something to that.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
I mean, obviously there was one thousand steps in between
and the ups and downs and all that, but there's
really something about yeah that moment. For so many people
who have an idea, have a dream, have things like, yeah,
do the one start get the washoe, get the one shoe.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Yes, that is exactly right, or do the one thing.
A lot of people, you know, people have you know,
just hear like the word startup. So I get this
idea of like an office with a lot of like desks, right,
and it's a startup. I don't actually know what it means.
They get some money and they start up. But for me,
it was the startup was to take a hot shoe,
(07:02):
a shoe and get it into stores. I had a
connections with the stories from my previous job, you know,
and they bought the shoe and they reordered the shoe,
and then I had two shoes Steve made, and then
and then it just it just multiplied.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
And then then from that point to today, that's how
many years.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Now it's thirty five, thirty six. This will be the
thirty six years started in nineteen ninety. Wow, yeah, started
almost it's almost, yeah, about thirty six years.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
And then does it even feel like you still like
or does it feel like I don't know, it's like
a story at this point, right, it's so long it's
a story.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
It is a story, but it's me and I'm still
a hustler and I'm older and wealthier and maybe less insecure.
I'm lucky that I could be on a show like yours.
And these are things that I never really talk about
since I don't have a psychiatrist anymore. But uh, you know,
(08:03):
I feel like for me, like I feel like, Okay,
I got kids, and I'm feeding my kids like a
hunter gatherer, you know, in my mind, and uh, you know,
I that's it. I'm getting up. I'm going to take
care of my family. I'm going to feed them. And
I know that sounds a little primitive, and but for me,
(08:23):
it helps me. It keeps me going during the day.
It's not about me. I got to take care of
these three kids and ex wife and ex girlfriends and
all that that. You know what I'm saying, you know,
but you know that's that's what I do.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
So that's the motivation, yeah, because back then your motivation
was what to make money, to be successful, to beat
your demons to because I you know, I know a
lot of your story. I know that you've been through
trauma and addictions and loss and addiction. Yes, I mean
addiction itself.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
Yes, it's not a small thing. It's not a small
it's a blur.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
And you're like, you know, in your book and the
cover your book, and it talks about you, you're recovering.
But addiction is sometimes people's whole story.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
You know, that's so smart what you're saying, doesn't have
to be your whole story. But it's definitely part of
my story. And and but it doesn't have to be
the whole story. It's it's just so it's it's hard
to explain it to people. It's it's considered substance abuse
is a disease by the textbooks now. And when you're
(09:30):
you know, when you're in it, it's hard to get
out of it, you know, and li liken it to
you know sometimes like diarrhea, let's just say, and you can't,
I know, this is awful, but you can't will yourself
to stop, like I'm gonna just not go to the bathroom.
But if that's the way it is getting high, you know,
(09:52):
you just wow, yeah, you know, it's kind of like that.
And and when you're in it, it's it's really almost
impossible to get out of it, and it's it's uh,
you know.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
But had you beaten addiction at the early stages of
your like the trunk out the trunk, the.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Trunk days, that's when I started getting sober, the trunk days.
You know, Yes, you can get sober. One can get sober.
It can happen. And if I can get sober, anybody
can get sober.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Because what is the thing?
Speaker 4 (10:21):
What do you attribute that to?
Speaker 1 (10:23):
How? You know?
Speaker 2 (10:23):
I go to I have places that I go where
people like me and we and we you know, and
that's what we do. You know. It's uh, yeah, you
have to surround yourself with healthy people.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
And it's still an ongoing and absolutely, yes, yes, it's ongoing.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Does that stick with you through like, uh, I don't know,
you've had so many highs awards success. Money, No, seriously,
it's not a small thing. People work there, you know.
It's a big thing.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Money, money, money, money, money, people list.
Speaker 6 (10:57):
I know, well, if you know, is a real thing.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
It's a real thing. And you money. Money cannot make you.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
Happy, you know, can't cure addiction.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
It can't cure addiction, and it cannot make you happy.
You can buy buy things and you can be comfortable
with money, but money itself will not make you happier.
It will not. But but of course, because it's sort
of an inside job, you know what I mean. And
(11:31):
the other thing is it occurs to me that sometimes
it can depress people in a way because you think, Okay, well,
once I get this, I'm going to be good, you know,
And then you get it, and then it's like, wait,
I still feel like shit, what's going on here? You know?
And so then it can be a little bit depressing
in a way.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
Like probably could set people back.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Yeah, well you know, you can say, like I thought
I was going to be so happy, you know, but
I'm thinking about like somebody that's a movie maker or whatever,
you know. I mean, and they have let's say a
lot of money, but I think at they want to
make money, but they also want to make good movies,
you know. So and I feel that way. I want
to make money, but I want to make good shoes,
(12:15):
and I want to have a great company because I
have money now, you know. So, so now the goal
is good. I mean, the goal is to have a
great business and lived sort of a healthy life, you know.
I mean, I don't mean eat kal, you know what
I mean. I mean like, you know, sort of live
a sort of a healthier make healthier choices.
Speaker 4 (12:39):
What does that for you? What does that look like
for you?
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Less?
Speaker 7 (12:43):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (12:44):
No temper tantrums, do you know what I mean? I
used to lose my temper a lot, and you know,
stuff like that, and uh and also knowing that a
lot of things have nothing to do with you. So
you know, when you're when you're not really healthy, every
kind of little thing, you know, you get insulted easily.
(13:08):
You know, somebody doesn't answer your phone, or it doesn't
text you right back, you know, and a lot of
things have nothing to do with you. So if you
can live your life like that, that's for me. That's
just me. You know, you learn that, you know, they're
not even thinking about me, they're just it's not an insult.
You know, this has nothing to do with me, you know.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
That's the that's the that's the message.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
That's like, that's very important, you know, but certain you know,
I've been in that place where everything's about me, you know,
everything's about me all the time, you know, and so
we talk about, you know, freedom from the bondage of self,
you know, and so being healthy is kind of like
that it's kind of like, not everything is about me,
(13:51):
and don't get insulted over every little thing that goes on.
I mean, you know people like that. Yeah, they get
insulted about every little thing, and sometimes you with to go,
why are they upset? Did I say something?
Speaker 1 (14:03):
What did I do?
Speaker 2 (14:05):
And I hate that? But I could be that guy,
you know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (14:09):
Yeah, but you're trying to not be I could be
that guy.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
You're trying to be better.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
I'm pissed off all day.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
But you're trying to be better.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Well, I'm trying to be happier and I'm trying to
be I don't know better, but I'm trying to be
happier and I'm trying to you know. It's good to
learn about stuff too. Yeah, but not everybody needs.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor,
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You're like a lot of people's boss, yes, yes, how
many people? Thousands, thousands of people thousand boss yes, well yes, yes,
(15:33):
yes people. So people expect you to have the answers
to a lot of We have a.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Big company today and there's a lot of layers. So
I don't know everybody yet, like I used to know
everybody in the company.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
But yeah, I just wonder what that feels like to
have to be a leader of such a so many people.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
You know, The funny thing is it's it's in some
ways it's the opposite. Many if the guys and women
and men that work for me don't always listen, so
and I go, what are they listening to me? And
so if you had more some people like me in business,
(16:12):
you'd find that that's a very common thing, you know,
that they don't.
Speaker 4 (16:15):
Well, that would require you to hire.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Well, I've hired so well. That's really one of the
one of the keys to my success. I've been very lucky.
I picked a lot of smart people.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
What is the what is the secret sauce?
Speaker 6 (16:29):
What is the thing?
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Because there's a lot of shoe companies, a lot of like,
what is the Steve Madden secret sauce that lets you
have this much success for so long?
Speaker 2 (16:38):
There is no secret sauce. We work hard, we move
quick speed product. You know. We we have a north
Star in her company. All the people that I work
with have this this we know. So I always say, like,
(16:59):
take care of the first and the money will come.
That's sort of the way I believe, you know. I
don't really get too hung up on that. Of course,
making money profit's very important, but the first thing is
to make sure you have good shoes. That's what we do. Yeah,
that's that's what it is.
Speaker 4 (17:16):
And when you go into design even now.
Speaker 6 (17:18):
Yeah, we're trying to make shoes that people want to buy.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
That's what I want to make it.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Yeah, I'm not interested in making shoes people don't want
to buy.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
But you you you serve as a very specific customer too. Right,
It's like you chose accessibility, right, you chose like to
be able, to be affordable. And because you could have
designed I'm sure, I don't know. You don't think you
could have designed it.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
I'm not sure. I've always been in the same thing.
I make shoes that are not too cheap, not too expensive.
Speaker 4 (17:48):
It's a sweet spot.
Speaker 6 (17:49):
It really a nice spot.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
You know, it's a nice spot. No, you know, I
don't know if I could. I don't really know if
I could.
Speaker 5 (17:57):
I'm just you've never thought about that.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
It's a different ball game.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
It's just a different thing. Jay Z had a famous
Steve maddenline. I wonder how you felt about that.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
You know, I was in prison when that happened. Oh
my goodness, I was.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
How did you take that well?
Speaker 6 (18:12):
Because you could take it good or bed, you couldn't
care less.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
I'm happy, you know, I you know I would just
in prison and he mentioned me, and you know, everybody
was talking about it. And it was when I actually
met him at a party and I told him about
it and he laughed in my face.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
No, he did it.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
He did. I don't know if he was hurt me.
We were at a party. He was with Beyonce. She
was so nice.
Speaker 4 (18:39):
I mean, she's lovely.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
She really was so lovely, so sweet. Well how did
you handle it? And I said, I gotta tell you
a story, and you know, and I told him the story.
He just giggled and laughed in my face.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
That it did.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
You already feeling about it.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
I was trying to like talk to him about it,
but like he wasn't.
Speaker 4 (18:57):
It wasn't.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
It wasn't. But his wife was lovely.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Yeah, but so what so you're in prison.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Yeah, and it came out it was a thing. Yeah,
it was a thing.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Then how did you feel about that?
Speaker 2 (19:07):
It was fine, it was it was good mentioned yeah
when you mentioned the brand, and it was fine, and uh,
you know, it was no big deal. But I wanted
to like talk to him.
Speaker 5 (19:19):
What would you have said?
Speaker 2 (19:20):
What would you know?
Speaker 6 (19:20):
No, it's just like I was in prison. You helped
me out.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Everybody treated me so great. Thanks.
Speaker 4 (19:26):
You wanted to have your moment.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
Yeah, And he wasn't going for it. He wasn't going
for Maybe.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
It wasn't Maybe it wasn't the time.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
I'm sure he was busy doing what he does.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
I feel like there was a whole bunch of other
lyrics too.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
I feel like that there was some other mentioned I met,
I met all those guys. I yeah, I met Nas.
That was fun.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
How was that?
Speaker 6 (19:47):
He was cool?
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Yeah? I met Nas and met t I. I took
a plane ride with t I.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
The plane.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
I like t I's music, by the way, Okay, well
that was big also when I was away. Oh yes,
sound you know you don't know me? All those songs. Yeah,
I really, I really liked it. I try to tell
him that too, but I was. I had him on
a plane with me, so he couldn't get away from me.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Tell you his full attention. What was that time like
for you?
Speaker 2 (20:15):
It was a heartbreaking, heartbreaking moment and.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
You already your shoes are already I'm already hot.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Everybody knows who I am, not like I am today.
But you know, it was twenty years ago and it
is the doing of the time. It's not It's not terrible.
I mean, it's not like going to sing Saint Regis
fucking Hotel it's terrible. And but actually, you know, you
(20:44):
get into groove. You know, you're surviving, you're doing your thing,
you're working out, you're reading, you know, having some laughs
with the guys, and you know you're getting through the day,
you know. But the heartbreaking thing is that all the
stuff's gone on outside. People are falling in love and
having children and eating steak and moving on, and you
(21:08):
think it's like being dead. You know, it's kind of
like being dead, Like this is what death is like,
only I'm not dead, but you know, like everybody's out
there doing their thing and you're you know, and especially
after visiting day, you know, people would come to see
me and then they would go one way and I
would go back to my little cube. Yeah, you know,
(21:31):
it's like a little and my heart would break as
I would walk back, you know, I would I would
have this sadness. You know, everybody's going to something and
I'm going back to your reading People magazine or something.
But you know, I mean, so it was tough.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
As somebody who's visited people, I've visited people in jail,
and that moment when you when the person in there
and their jail falls, is turning around and going back.
It's tough to even watch that from the outside.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
To think about that, so.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
I can only imagine your imagine.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
I can't what it's like to be the guy going back.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
So that was very hard.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
So what is the thing that like drives you through it?
You've been through so much and then you get out
of jail, by the way, then you get out.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Yeah, oh that is so good.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
That was so good.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
It was so good.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
Now you're out. Yeah, you probably like on a it's like, right, now,
what are they call it?
Speaker 4 (22:27):
This February is the.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Year of the horse?
Speaker 2 (22:29):
The year of the horse.
Speaker 4 (22:30):
Yeah, you were probably like, yes, I was right.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
I came out and I had a lot of energy,
and I was grateful and it was it was an
exciting time to come out and and thankfully, you know,
the team was in place and we went and we
just exploded. You know, it was great.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Yeah, that was very lucky.
Speaker 6 (22:52):
Like that.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
It's super inspiring and so and it's so much of
a testament to like, I don't know, it's just like
your story's not always written for you at the beginning.
It's like you could have went in a completely different direction.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
I could have I could have died too, you know.
Drugs and alcohol kill. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
Yeah, I'm sure.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
You just don't wake up one day, that's it.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
Yeah, So what was the thing that woke you up?
Speaker 2 (23:14):
Well, you know you're sick and tired of being sick
and tired. Yeah, you know, that's what it is. We
have an alcoholism in my family, yeah, yeah, and my
brothers too, and so you know, I don't know, Lucky Star,
you know. And but you have to surround yourself with
(23:35):
a lot of sober people.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
And is there a survivors remorse in that?
Speaker 2 (23:41):
No, But there are times when you just, you know,
you feel like, you know, you feel like I just
need to get it high or I need to get out,
you know, And and those are the times you need
to reach out. I mean, now I feel like smoking
a mob.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
Borrow red right now?
Speaker 2 (23:58):
What I miss station? I don't know. Lately, I've been
missing cigarette. Smoking a cigarette so bad, it's so bad
for you.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Don't do it.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
I'm not doing it, but I'm just saying it's so like,
that's what I oh god, I just want to like
light up a cigarette, you know, and just uh yeah,
I know it's tough, but you know.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
So bad.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
It's so bad and it's so good. It's so bad
and it's so bad and so good and it's so bad.
And I have I have shitty lungs.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
To be you have to have different vices now.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
To kind of like you know, uh, well, yeah, you know,
I'm I uh, I work out a lot, you know,
I work out and I don't know, you know, it's
not that special.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
You know, we just were just you are special.
Speaker 6 (24:49):
No, I don't know about all that. Hey, guys.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Support for this podcast is brought to you by Walden University.
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Walden University set a course for change certified to operate
by SHIV. Okay, so these are just in real life questions.
Pick one till you like okay, pick one till you
(25:33):
like one, and then answer it.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
How happy are you from a scale of one to ten?
Speaker 4 (25:38):
Today?
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Today I'm a nine. Today I'm a nine. But every
day is different. You know, most of the time, I'm happy. Okay,
you're a happy guy most of the okay. Then when
I walk in a room, I want people to feel.
I want people to feel. What do I want them
to feel? Expect? You know, maybe respect?
Speaker 1 (26:02):
What do you respect most about yourself?
Speaker 2 (26:04):
I respect the ability to do things that are not comfortable,
you know, you know, mostly not getting high. I respect
that about myself. Yeah, no, really, that's true.
Speaker 4 (26:15):
It's a real thing.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Yes, it sure is.
Speaker 4 (26:17):
Yeah, But what are the things?
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Were going to the bar? People are drinking tequila? You know,
everybody drinks tequila. Now I miss the tequila thing. Like
people are like fans. They buy these like one hundred
dollars or whatever, maybe even more bottles of tequila. They're experts,
they are, I know, people that fancy themselves tequila experts
(26:39):
and I'm sipping on a coke.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
Yeah, what should people.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Know because there's so many of us I have, I
have family gambling addicts.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
Also yes, alcohol.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Yeah, so what should people know about addicts? Like what
should outside people when dealing with family or what should
they understand because it's hard sometimes aside from family members,
you know.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
This, Yeah, that's that's a big question. What should they
understand that it's a disease. It's a disease like diabetes,
like cancer. It's a disease. They can't stop. Adducts can't stop,
alcoholics can't stop, but there are places where they can stop.
It's it's arrested. You can arrest it, but you can't
(27:27):
cure it ever ever. Wow. Yeah, but that doesn't mean
you can't have a great life. And you know, you
arrested and you go on and you could have a
great life.
Speaker 4 (27:37):
There's you're like the poster boy for that.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Well today I am you know what I mean, it's
we have it's a day at a time, and there's
a lot of people out there that are sober, and
you know, some doing great things. They don't they don't
broadcast it.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
Yeah, but uh, because it's probably hard to revisit sometimes, right.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
So I they want to stay humble about it too.
But Anthony Hopkins just celebrated fifty years of sobriety. You know,
the old actor that was in course Silence of the Lambs.
Speaker 6 (28:08):
Yeah, I saw.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
He went in and spoke about it online on TikTok.
Speaker 4 (28:14):
Had he never talked about it before?
Speaker 2 (28:15):
Well, yeah, people knew that. But yeah, fifty years.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Fifty years. Yeah, God, bless.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
God, blesses.
Speaker 4 (28:22):
Right, amazing, that is amazing.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
What do you like when we talk about business, It's
like there's so many people. I'm sure you do. You
do a lot of mentorships. You have your organizations. You
believe in rehabilitation and giving people a second. I know
even in your company you hire, you do formally incarcerated.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Yeah, we have a few. A few people that I
was in prison with work with me.
Speaker 4 (28:45):
Oh that's a company.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
And then we work with some organizations the DOFUND and
and I like to I like to reach out to
young people if I can to not throw in the
towel in their twenties, if they get going out and
(29:08):
getting fucked up and being foolish, and you know, it's
not too late to turn it around, and it's hard
to teach the entrepreneur thing. Yeah, so you're an entrepreneur
and you know it comes it could be anything, you know,
it's just someone that makes their own way and does
(29:30):
things differently and succeeding.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
Yeah, you know, it's so funny though. I just was
saying this to Brittany. I was like, my whole career,
I have never focused on money enough. I've always been like,
I want to make a cool I want to do
this great thing, which you probably have some of that,
which is true, but you've also been very diligent about
creating a successful financially you know, successful company.
Speaker 4 (29:51):
It is different.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
I do think it's I think that's a good point
you're making. I think you have to make money as
an entrepreneur. Yes, I actually think it. If you're you're
failing as the entrepreneur. If you're not ringing the register,
I think you need to ring the register.
Speaker 4 (30:07):
Got to ring the right.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
But of course, you know, if you're if you have passion,
you're an artist, you're trying to design that dress or
make that song or you know, or you know, and
so you say, well I'm going to do that. But
usually if you take care of those things, the money
will follow. And you have to make sure that.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
That's what they've always said to us. And I feel
like we've gotten a lot of shit wrong.
Speaker 5 (30:30):
Number one.
Speaker 4 (30:31):
Number one, we have to be hustle.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
You have to hustle, work so hard all the time.
I don't know if that was right. At this big age,
I'm starting to think maybe I need a little more balance, right,
and maybe I have to work hard for all these
years to get the balance.
Speaker 8 (30:42):
Now.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
We're working hard is good? Working smart is good?
Speaker 6 (30:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
And then the other thing is, you know, you create
something you love and the money will come.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
I don't know if that's always right.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Sometimes it doesn't. But if you're smart, that's part of
the trip. You have to make that happen. Yeah, that's
part of the entrepreneurial trip.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:59):
You know you're balance saying like do I want to
enrich myself? Do I want to build my business? Like?
There's so many things that go into this ride that
you're on. You know, I was just listening to I
just was an audio book because my eyes are ship.
Speaker 4 (31:19):
Trying to go on the ball.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
Oh god, And I was listening to a book. There's
Lorne Michaels.
Speaker 4 (31:24):
He's the Saturday Night Live guy, of course.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
And uh, you know, it was taken with he's been
there forever and he's built this huge thing, and uh
he's a great entrepreneur and he had so many things,
you know, on his plate that he was and I
was really taken with the book. Really enjoyed that. Yeah,
I really enjoyed it. I met him once and but
(31:51):
it was a long time ago and he doesn't remember me. Sure,
but it's okay, who cares.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
You got something out of his book that there's people
watching this podcast that will never meet you, but we'll
get something out of this end.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
Yeah, that would be great.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
What makes a great entrepreneur?
Speaker 2 (32:05):
You know, there's just I feel like it's this big
boat ride you're on and you got to keep the
boat moving, and it's a battle that it's not always
so great, you know, the entrepreneur thing. You know, it's
very lonely too. You know it can be because you're
you're on this journey and and you're trying to survive
(32:26):
and flourish, and people are attacking you and and and
the swamps and and you just got to keep moving forward.
And so the great thing for me is that I
got a lot of help. You know, I got a
lot of people helping me. So even though my name
is on the shoe, you know, I got so many
(32:47):
great people that I work with.
Speaker 1 (32:49):
Yeah, it wasn't always like that.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Well, you start, you don't have any you know, you're
in the.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
Boat by yourself at some point, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
The boat by myself.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
And you're not just in the Steve, You're not just
in the boat by yourself. You're like in the boat
with like this history and trauma and addiction.
Speaker 5 (33:06):
Yeah, and you're still in this boat, in the boat.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
I mean that's I'm still in the boat.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
You're still in the still in the boat.
Speaker 4 (33:13):
It was a time when you were in the boat
by yourself.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
Still in the boat. But you know, the boat's bigger
now boat is bigger, but still and then you know,
there's different challenges as you go along, you know, you know, and.
Speaker 4 (33:24):
So what's been some of your biggest ones aside from
addiction obviously.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
So yeah, well yeah, you know, letting go and letting
smarter people do stuff and you know that and not
freaking out. You know, I'm the kind of guy that
if we had a big market, a big show and
I didn't like, you know, the cookies. I would freak out.
I'd call the person, what the fuck is this? This
(33:49):
tastes like medicine, you know. I was like that. I
was crazy like that. I needed to control everything, you know.
But then as you go along, you realize that you
can't control everything, you know, so you learn what you
can sort of control.
Speaker 4 (34:03):
And in the place and the cookies are bad, what
do you do?
Speaker 2 (34:07):
I don't say anything anymore.
Speaker 5 (34:09):
Well, maybe I will, but inside the cookies, fucking cookies.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
You can't make a You can't make a bad cookie
because it's such a waste of calories. Crazy when I
go to a mall, malls and the elevators don't work.
These guys charge so much money for these stores, they
are so successful, and they can't fix the escalator.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
How theare they?
Speaker 2 (34:32):
The escalator escalator and the escalator didn't work At Manison
Square Garden last night there was an escalator going down
to seventh Avenue and the escalator didn't work. He can't
afford to. He pays Brunson fifty million a year. He
can't fix the escalator.
Speaker 5 (34:47):
What is that?
Speaker 2 (34:48):
Because they don't give a shit about the public, because
they got a product you know that people love.
Speaker 4 (34:54):
But they're gonna walk up there. The people walk up there,
I don't care.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
But on the other hand, yeah, I used to stay
at the Wind Hotels in Las Vegas because the room
service coffee was so great. And I thought to myself,
this guy, this Steve Win, this nut. You know, he's
amazing hotel man. He took care of like he took
(35:20):
care of that detail. His coffee. I'm telling the coffee person.
His coffee was so fucking great. And I stayed there.
I was loyal to him.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
Mm hmm. You can stay anywhere in the world he want.
Speaker 2 (35:32):
He and his room service coffee was the greatest thing
because he cared about his So you got attention to detail.
Really I love that.
Speaker 4 (35:40):
I was gonna say, you're your passion.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
Shout out to Steve.
Speaker 4 (35:45):
I just played.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
I love when people do that.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
Shut out to Steve Win.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
White people don't do shut out to Steve Win. You know,
I'm serious, but it's really true, you know, But I
do like that because it's like, yes, I don't know
where he is. I see TikTok.
Speaker 4 (36:00):
You always wanted to give a shout.
Speaker 2 (36:01):
Out because she really cared this billionaire. Dude. I know
that I want my coffee to be great.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
He cares about the detail, Yes he did.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
That's when I was loyal to the win A hotel
because of it.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
They have a lovely golf course as.
Speaker 4 (36:17):
Well, by they do.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
I've played it.
Speaker 5 (36:19):
I'm a golfer, Yes you are.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
I didn't know that. Yes, I played.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
I just found the game about four years at Stree
and I'm a full This is what I'm an addict.
I'm an golf addict. Yeah, I will golf sport.
Speaker 4 (36:30):
I will golf every day.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
Yeah. And then you play in Miami I do. Anytime
you want to go to the gorse, let me know.
Speaker 6 (36:36):
I want to go, hit me up.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
Yeah, I'm gonna hit you up. And I want to
go with Steve Madden. And you should make a Steve
You should make a Steve.
Speaker 4 (36:42):
Madden golf shoe.
Speaker 5 (36:43):
Yes, I play.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
And you know what, I think we did make some
golf really yeah we did. It was fun, but it
you know, we just it was.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
I'm going to find this. I'm going to find one. Yeah, Yeah,
I'm gonna going up and I'm going to show up
a little gorse and by Steve Madden.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
Because people wear they don't wear. When I started to
play golf as a child. I really started when I
was fourteen, and golf shoes were really cool. They were
like tassels and two tones and amazing, mind blowing. Golf
shoes were mind blowing. If you look in the fifties,
you look at the sixties to old players wore beautiful
(37:18):
shoes and then it kind of like Nike sort of
took over the business, and it's sort of like sneakers now.
Speaker 6 (37:23):
I try to.
Speaker 4 (37:23):
Cuten it up.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
I do the little flaps on the top of my sneakers.
Speaker 6 (37:26):
I'm all about flat.
Speaker 4 (37:27):
Those are good.
Speaker 2 (37:28):
Yes, flaps, you're good. I'll put on a good golf yeah,
little golf.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
Golf shoe for yeah, yeah, yes, so you golf.
Speaker 2 (37:37):
I do. I do play golf, So that's.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
A good meditator. That's like meditation to me.
Speaker 5 (37:41):
It's like it's so frustrating everything.
Speaker 6 (37:45):
I lose my fucking mind on the golfers, but I
love it.
Speaker 1 (37:48):
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So we have a segment that we do on IRL
podcasts is the Edge. It's the voice note section. It's
presented by boosmobell thank you to Okay, we love and
(38:31):
it's usually a fan, a friend, or somebody has a question. Okay,
so she is our she's to our voice note today.
Speaker 2 (38:41):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
She's a former employee of Steve Madden. Right, Yes, she
worked in the Aventary store.
Speaker 2 (38:46):
Yes, wow, that was That's one of my favorite stories.
Speaker 8 (38:50):
In my last year of college, I have failed my
seniors and I hate it. I hated being in school.
It was like in a bad place. And Steve Man
was my first wee til Jo. I'm like, I'm just
gonna go work and see and it was one of
the best times that I've ever had. Whoever was my manager?
Speaker 6 (39:08):
Yeah yeah, really yeah uh.
Speaker 8 (39:12):
Me and you also had the best employee, Birks, because
it was fifty.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
Wow, that's a lot.
Speaker 5 (39:19):
That's a lot.
Speaker 8 (39:24):
During the busiest times.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
I worked through Christmas Black Friday. Yes, Shane, and.
Speaker 8 (39:29):
You visited and I was like, what the fuck is Steve?
Speaker 2 (39:33):
Yeah, I do that.
Speaker 8 (39:34):
And I was working cashier and you said something to me.
You were like, you got the best seat in the house.
Speaker 4 (39:40):
Yeah, I did see that.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
I got to upgrade my material. That was good, But
I did you. I love going to Aventura during the holidays.
I love chopping around and seeing the action.
Speaker 1 (39:51):
Yeah yeah, you like telling themself.
Speaker 8 (39:53):
One of the associates sell Isshoe, that you camber early
before the big right. Well, but that like inspired me
to like and then I started reading a fun story
and that inspired me to finish school. I went back.
Speaker 1 (40:06):
I finished.
Speaker 8 (40:07):
I just started for like four or five months, and
it was just like one of the best experiences in retail.
Speaker 1 (40:12):
That I ever had.
Speaker 8 (40:13):
Minus some of the people, because retail also teaches you
a lot about.
Speaker 6 (40:17):
Dealing some of the customers the public.
Speaker 2 (40:20):
They can be rude. Yeah, yeah, I know, but.
Speaker 8 (40:23):
But I always respected that, Hey you're giving us your part.
Speaker 2 (40:27):
Sure, yes, that.
Speaker 8 (40:30):
That never bothered me. But I really admire the.
Speaker 2 (40:36):
Thank you, thank you?
Speaker 1 (40:38):
Wow. So wasn't it really a question? There was no question?
Was there a question?
Speaker 4 (40:43):
There's no question?
Speaker 2 (40:43):
Okay, Well I used to enjoy. I loved going to
the aventer a mall and uh, so many different it's
just great customers, all different walks of life, very very
cross sectioning, and it was great.
Speaker 1 (40:58):
You're like you like to, uh, you probably study the
customer to some extent.
Speaker 2 (41:03):
Well, I do. I do. There's all types. And Aventura
is great because so many different We skill out of
South Americans Canadians, and we do. We test a lot
of shoes in Aventura.
Speaker 4 (41:19):
How do you test a shoe?
Speaker 2 (41:21):
So what you do is, you know, you make a
short run, little sample in a sample room and you so,
for instance, an example of that would be you would
make a sandal and you put it in Aventura because
it's freezing in New York and no one's buying a sandal.
So you go down there and you get a little
feedback on it. So if you know they start picking
(41:42):
up the sandal. You know that you might have this.
Speaker 6 (41:44):
Is a good one here, Yes, test and react.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
We still do it.
Speaker 4 (41:48):
I love that you love this still I do.
Speaker 2 (41:50):
That's my favorite part of the business. I love that
testing shoes and seeing what they mean. Love it all
these years later, love it. I still do. And it's
such a it's such a gas, you know, it's really.
Speaker 1 (42:03):
I'm sure people come to you for advice all the
time about starting business.
Speaker 2 (42:06):
Usually they come to me for money.
Speaker 1 (42:07):
Really, what is the number one thing people ask for
money for?
Speaker 4 (42:12):
I mean, you know, they go to a lot of
startups and things like that of stuff.
Speaker 2 (42:17):
Usually I get fifteen or twenty before one o'clock.
Speaker 4 (42:22):
But but what about people who are really starting?
Speaker 1 (42:24):
Do you have like advice that you get give?
Speaker 2 (42:27):
So you know what I'm Chad yelled at me last
time because I always say the same thing. It's okay, dad,
my colleague over there. I believe that you have to
learn the business. You know, a lot of people want
to go into business, and I think it's helpful to
know the business. For example, I think that if you were,
(42:53):
you know, wanted to learn the restaurant business, it would
be helpful to maybe working around restaurant, maybe be a
waitress or a waiter, you know, and if your goal,
like if you said, like I want to open my
own joint one day, or be a bartender, like I
think those are just things that come to mind.
Speaker 4 (43:12):
Ye, learn your business.
Speaker 2 (43:14):
I think learning the business and then going into business. Yes,
is now that for me? That happened sort of organically.
I was sweeping a basement when I was sixteen. By seventeen,
I was up on the floor selling shoes. I mean
I learned all these things. It wasn't a plan, you know,
it was just the way it went down. But by
(43:35):
the time, you know, I was ready to go on
my own, I knew a lot of stuff or any
had sort of good Yeah, had sort of good college.
It was sort of the school of shoes.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
Yeah. People never want to do that.
Speaker 4 (43:48):
They want to go right to this.
Speaker 2 (43:49):
Yes, they do. They seem to right now, this generation,
because you know, they see they see the you know
on social media, you see success, and you want to
do it right away. And I certainly don't blame them,
but I am telling you my advice, and that's my
ropes to learn the ropes man and whatever you know
(44:12):
or The other thing is to find a mentor. You know,
like if you got lucky to work in a company,
Let's say it was a bigger company and you had
somebody that you looked up to, that you worked for,
and you would be willing to do anything as an
assistant or whatever the title was. You know, that is
(44:34):
like just gold, gold, That is fucking gold. You get
a mentor and you and you learn and you you know,
and that's Those are the things that I would suggest.
There's and then the other stuff. Whether you have talent
or not, it's another story, my story for another day.
It is a story for another day.
Speaker 1 (44:55):
Anyway. I know we're wrapping up and I probably shouldn't ask.
This is more of like a beginner I should have
asked at the beginning. But is there some thing about
a shoe? Like what is the love of a Shoehe it.
Speaker 2 (45:04):
Is, It's a great question, it is. It's just what
I do.
Speaker 4 (45:08):
Where did that come from?
Speaker 2 (45:09):
You know? I worked in a shoe store as a teenager.
Speaker 4 (45:12):
I know, But how did you even wind up there?
Speaker 2 (45:14):
It was God, I don't know what. I walked into
a shoe store and got a job because you needed money,
I needed a job. I was a kid, and we
went to work. That's what you did in those days,
you know. He said he got a job.
Speaker 4 (45:33):
What was the shoe store like?
Speaker 6 (45:36):
It was a shoe store, regular my hometown, neighborhood, neighborhood,
shoe store called Toulouse. It was called Toulouse. And the
owner of the store was a sort of an ex hippie.
It was I was again another lucky break.
Speaker 2 (45:52):
This guy was this like great artist character and he
owned the store and he was like this like ex hippie,
you know, he look like a rock star and he
had the store, and I wanted to be like this guy.
And so that was it.
Speaker 4 (46:06):
So you just shoes shoes.
Speaker 2 (46:10):
And so that was it. That's the thing. You get
a mentor, you know. Yeah, So what a break that
is if you can find somebody.
Speaker 4 (46:17):
I'm sure you've done that for a lot of people.
Speaker 2 (46:19):
I don't know about all that, but no, it's true.
Speaker 4 (46:21):
Look at even Brittany, young Brittany, Young.
Speaker 1 (46:23):
Brittany was one. I'm sure there are many many, all right.
And then finally, what is the what does the future
look like? What is the next five ten years?
Speaker 2 (46:30):
So the future, what does the future look like?
Speaker 1 (46:34):
What are your goals now, like, what do you do.
Speaker 4 (46:36):
You have any more goals?
Speaker 1 (46:37):
Are you just trying to like get a good night dad,
get a good night sleep.
Speaker 6 (46:41):
Get a good night's sleep, Be good dad, Be good guy.
Speaker 2 (46:45):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (46:46):
I like you like your legacy, like work.
Speaker 4 (46:49):
Let's talk about your legacy.
Speaker 6 (46:51):
Come on, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (46:52):
Here's what I want to do. I want to make
great shoes. I still do. Really, I want to make
shures that you guys all by. That's what that's we
buy them all the time. So you did that, so no, no,
But the thing is that before this, you know, you
have your think, well, maybe I should like make a movie,
you know, or maybe I should make a you know,
like you go into music right because I like music, right,
(47:15):
But just because you like music doesn't mean you can
go to the fucking music basis. That's dopey. I did that.
So I think a lot of people that make a
lot of money do that stuff. And so you learn that,
you know, it's not about staying in your lane. I
don't give a shit about that. I mean, there are
(47:37):
many people that do a lot of different things. But
for me, you know, this is what I do. I
do what I do, and you know, I'm cool with it,
and I'm happy to like, you know, listen to music
and not own it.
Speaker 1 (47:51):
Right. I'm not going to go be a professional golfer
anything exactly.
Speaker 2 (47:54):
I wish I was better at golf.
Speaker 1 (47:56):
Yeah, but even then, I don't want to be a professional.
Speaker 2 (47:58):
No, it's no, but there's you'll see them down there.
Speaker 1 (48:01):
Yah.
Speaker 8 (48:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (48:01):
But then you find that thing, your shoe, your shoe,
then it becomes your thing.
Speaker 2 (48:06):
Yeah, it's it is my thing.
Speaker 1 (48:08):
It's about in real life though, as a human being,
like do you have anything that you're chasing for yourself?
Speaker 2 (48:13):
Lo, And it's getting late, honey, it's kind of late.
I'm getting up there. Uh yeah, I mean I'm getting
up there.
Speaker 6 (48:21):
You know.
Speaker 2 (48:22):
I'm still in good shape. I'm still you know, doing
my thing. And it's getting late. It's getting late, you know.
But I guess the big thing is, you know, being
trying to raise kids, be good dad. That's a good thing.
That's a really good thing. The thing is, though there
is no secret to that. You know, everybody could say whatever,
(48:45):
Like my father, you know the stuff that I get
from my dad. My dad died a long time ago,
and I learn it. I get it today, Like now
in my last twenty years. Oh that's what my dad
I was talking about. So as a kid, I was
an idiot. I didn't know that's probably healing and what
he's saying the fuck he's talking. But now I said,
(49:10):
oh shit, that's what my dad meant. Yes, So that's
the gift sometimes.
Speaker 1 (49:16):
What do you think your parents would think if they
saw what the world sees now those Steve Mann and
signs everywhere.
Speaker 2 (49:23):
I don't know. They'd be surprised maybe, but think so. Yeah,
you know, but the things you get don't often happen
at that moment, and no one listens to their parents
when they're seventeen or twenty two. You think you know
everything and you just want to have fun and get
high and whatever it is, you know.
Speaker 4 (49:42):
But they'd probably be proud.
Speaker 2 (49:44):
They would be proud. And I am so grateful for
my parents now the things that I now that I'm
able to use the stuff they gave me.
Speaker 1 (49:52):
Yeah. Yeah, you've done what you've done pretty well.
Speaker 2 (49:56):
I don't know about all that, but we did. We're trying.
Speaker 5 (49:58):
You did.
Speaker 1 (49:59):
Yeah you did ye And I'm sure you have a
lot of people have at testament to what they've learned
from you, and and I'm hoping hopefully today your story
is to be on the show. Thank you, thank you
for today. Is there any segment things that we need
to do before we go? Thank you so much for
your time today. You're a fucking rock star. Do you
have do you have favor?
Speaker 4 (50:22):
Do you have a new all time favor?
Speaker 1 (50:24):
I do?
Speaker 2 (50:24):
Well, I have a lot of shoes, Yes I do.
Speaker 1 (50:29):
They said, Joe, I like, why do you hate those?
Speaker 2 (50:34):
You know? But I like. I like a lot of
boots that I'm making. I'm really into. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (50:43):
Uh, you know when you show up for Workingston Steve
Maddison's your shoes and trash.
Speaker 4 (50:49):
You know what I like?
Speaker 2 (50:50):
I love the look. Let me tell you the look
I really love. I've been excited about it for a
while and just now it's bearing fruit. Is the look
that girls are wearing dresses with boots or skirts with
the with the tall shaft boot and the leg. You know,
so they were in a short skirt with the boot
or with a western boot, you know, cowboy boot with
(51:12):
a short shirt is so funky. I just love that look,
you know I do. It's such a great look.
Speaker 4 (51:17):
You don't have a favorite shoe of all time.
Speaker 2 (51:19):
Well, I mean, you know, I had so many shoes,
so many.
Speaker 1 (51:22):
Great that's like this annoying ask question.
Speaker 6 (51:24):
No, it's not annoying.
Speaker 1 (51:24):
People ask me all the time, what's your favorite interview
of all time? I'm like, it's impossible to say that.
It's probably the same thing when somebody says, what is
your favorily.
Speaker 2 (51:33):
You know, I've had a lot of favorite shoes. I've
had so many great shoes. I'm the First time I
made a sneaker was so exciting, a platform sneaker. First
time I made a slipper, I made this big slipper,
changed the slipper business, and everybody went on and made
these shoes and I never made another slipper again. I
was called it the Fuzzy and it was great. But
(51:53):
we made a lot of great boots, and now we're
making like these. You know, this look which is very
sort of very sort of collegy kind of short skirts
with the boots.
Speaker 4 (52:05):
That's what you're in right now.
Speaker 2 (52:06):
I love that look.
Speaker 4 (52:07):
Yeah, and it gets great.
Speaker 2 (52:09):
It's kind of like almost like they wear it in
the spring. Yeah, you know, most it's very sort of
festival I think, Yeah, I would call it.
Speaker 4 (52:17):
I love how much you love it?
Speaker 2 (52:18):
I do, I do. I've never been to What's the
Big Fast? My daughter goes, Yeah, I can't go.
Speaker 1 (52:25):
But the fact that you still love designing that much
is really it's too hot?
Speaker 2 (52:29):
Is too hot?
Speaker 1 (52:31):
You know?
Speaker 2 (52:32):
They really are to get some fucking hot. I went
to coach, I went to.
Speaker 1 (52:36):
Here's what we learned from Steve Madden today. He's a
fucking stickler for detail. He will find what the fuck
is wrong with something, but he will also find the
beauty of something.
Speaker 5 (52:45):
All right, Steve Madden everything.
Speaker 1 (52:47):
Yes, you're so fun.
Speaker 2 (52:50):
Yes, this is Steve Madden in real life.
Speaker 1 (52:55):
Hey guys, thanks for watching. Make sure you subscribe, like comments,
and check out all of the other episodes we have
on Age Martinez i RO Podcast
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