Our Corner Space was great

If you haven’t seen or heard of the FN Platform Show, then surely you’ve heard of MAGIC.  No, well then you aren’t alive, please check your pulse.  These two industry trade shows along with 3 or 4 others in the same city at the same time, make up the largest Apparel and Footwear Shows in the world.  It’s referred to as MAGIC, and takes up All of the Las Vegas Convention Center and all of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in just 3 days.

Sockwa was ready to try this critical show and share what we’ve accomplished with the footwear world.  It was an eye opening experience in many ways, and we are still sorting through the details of what happened last week at the show.  We met the movers and shakers of Footwear and Apparel.  TV celebrities and the companies behind them.  All the old and new brands in footwear were all gathered together in the South Hall row after row, all with the same white walls and similar presentation.  An even playing field for all the brands to showcase their stuff.

We were not in the front of the show, but Rome wasn’t built in a day either.  Our location was fitting for our first show.  We found new potential customers from all over the world;  Japan, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Colombia, and Canada to name a few.  The question begs:  Are the trade shows worth it?  Is a four legged table that much better than a 3 legged table?  They are essential for keeping a pulse on industry.

You can’t just rent a booth and show up.  You have to know what you are selling.  What the unique selling proposition is.  What are the features that make your product so much better, and what are the benefits to the customer.  In this case, the customer is not the end customer, it’s the store owner, or buyer of a category within a large chain of stores.  It’s what you look like, how you act, what you say, the vibe you give off, and what you know, and how real you are being.

Sockwa wants customers for life.  This philosophy is a long range one that must be founded on a solid foundation that helps people in every step of the supply chain.  A triple win.  We will gain your trust slowly, and constantly deliver better and better product more efficiently with more fun and zest and passion.  Where we’ve come from, along with where we are right now, and where we will be going, are just illusions of reality anyway.  Come with us on a journey for life.

David Zasloff

Founder

www.sockwa.com

Things have changed from 1978 to 2012 quite a bit, and I am super grateful for the life changing work that hundreds and thousands of people all around the world have done.  It’s actually quite amazing to think that we have grown this far in this short a time.  Silicone Valley seems to be the epicenter for innovation in online space.

Things haven’t been all roses and peachy on this youthful generation of computer users. We hear stories of people stepping on other people’s feet to get software or the latest inside information into what a company is doing.  We hear about copying code or trade secrets.  We also hear about he destructive partners that brought down corporations with out of control greed.  I’m not talking about any of that either.

What I am talking about is slight improvement in how the Web space is handling the cloud, synching, and other stuff, that I am definitely not qualified to talk about at this time.  Things that we can all do better, perhaps only if someone brings it to our attention.  People who know me, know that I actually do want to continually improve or become more efficient, and welcome criticism.  I usually respond more favorably if perhaps you tell me what I am doing well first, and then tell me something I could improve upon.

Anyway enough chitter, her is my list ( in no particular order ):

1.  Google – Keep dominating, but work with the Zappos Style of Customer Service

2.  Yahoo – You we’re almost there.  Customers were dying to help, but no, you can do it better.  How’s that working?

3.  Facebook – Iconic.  Don’t change a freaking thing, but perhaps get to know all 800 million of us better.

4.  MySpace – Had a chance.  Ownership, vision, purpose and value do matter, go figure.

5.  Shopify – You are the one.  Now, listen to your customer’s and respond.  Stick with OrderCup, and limit the number of people who use your platform, or at least have super high standards, or else they won’t either.

6.  Chase – You’ve really taken a firm grasp on transparency with regards to financial accounting of money, and I applaud that.  Please continue across all of your platforms like Chase Paymentech

7.  BaseCamp/HighRise/BackPack/37 Signals – These guys rock, and have products that help customers and they make it easy across platforms.  Now, just try and keep up with Evernote

8.  Evernote – A game changer, Seriously folks, this cloud based external brain makes organizing life easier.  Too bad we couldn’t organize the past moving backward too.  Emulate the philosophy that 37 Signals has with it’s customers.

9.  PayPal – Hhhhmmmm.  You guys helped us, and we are glad that you’ve been able to money launder for the first 10 years of your life.  Glad you guys are changing it up recently with good reporting.  Do more and listen to us.

10.  DropBox – You guys rock.  Just when I had given up that computers weren’t going to get easier, along you come and show the people how to provide something new and good.  Stay innovative and keep fighting for the name.

11.   Twitter – Thanks for inventing Free Public Advertising.  How do you continue to provide both the reader and the advertiser engaged.  Don’t stop trying.

There are dozens of other companies that I work with and whose tools I’m aware of.  The opinions expressed here are only mine, and wasn’t intended to bash anyone.  I’m grateful for everyone and everything in my life.  I look forward to the next years to come, hopefully.

Sincerely,

David Zasloff

Founder and CEO

Sockwa

There is no short cut in life. David Heinemeier Hansson who wrote Ruby on Rails and is part of 37 Signals, tells us to treat our customers nicely, while still asking money for the product.

Sockwa is doing it better than the other guys. Let us show you.

Entropy is law of Physics that states that disorder in the Universe is constantly increasing. Meaning, no matter how much we try to organize our day, weeks, months or years, it will continue to become more disorganized.

You might be wondering why we try to organize anything, if it can’t be done. I’m not saying that organization is a complete waste of time or that we shouldn’t try to plan our time. I am saying that you must be aware of this constant struggle that we all face each and every moment. As humans, we are top dog on this planet. We can outsmart all other animals and have a sense of self that most animals never realize. This doesn’t mean that we can control everything.

I turned 40 years old a few years ago, and spent the first half of my life planning the second half of my existence. Then a funny thing happened, I realized that the more I tried to control everything, the more out of control it got. So, I needed another approach that was literally the opposite of my first approach. I’m not talking about going through life with blindfolds or that we should not plan anything, and simply be carried through life without trying to control the outcome.

What I have began to realize, is that my new approach was liberating. No more worrying about the outcome and playing through all the possible pitfalls and obsessing over any of them. Instead, this new approach allows me to view each moment as the plan for the moment. Each moment presents a new situation that we haven’t been in before.

For example, I just arrived into Hong Kong. It’s not my first trip here, nor is the first time I’ve waited in the HungHom train station. It was however the first time I was there in this new moment. It looked the same, smelled the same, but with a new perspective I realized it was not the same. I looked for something new to observe, learn, and found myself living precisely in the moment I was in.

I don’t know exactly what lies ahead of today, this week, this year or this business, Sockwa. I do have grand plans and enormous expectations, but those will serve as a guidelines for the future, and I am at peace with the idea that it will most likely be nothing like I thought. That’s why life is worth living. To see what comes next and use that experience to enhance all the moments that will follow.

CERN | Matter and Antimatter

I’m sure no one would label me as overly Patriotic.  Socialist, I’ve heard with some of my crazy ideas.  I do have a small USA flag up in front of our house, but by small, I mean FREE from the local realtor with a business card, which she drops off every July 4th.  I do like the celebration of Independence Day with BBQ, fireworks, summer, and oh yeah, the FREEDOM we have.

That is why America rocks.  Our freedom is insane.  In fact, the dumbest or smartest 20% of us, abuse our freedom, and totally take advantage of the other 80% of us.  And by fact, I mean completely fabricated, but are the numbers really 99% and 1%?   Being free feels like everything I’ve ever felt, and frankly I’m supposed to put myself in other peoples shoes and try to understand persecution, slavery, holocausts.  If I dream about it and think about it obsessively, I’m sure I would then understand, but I’m not focusing on that.

My Father’s father, Julius, was born in Russia in 1898 and emigrated to America in the early 1900′s.  He spent everything on getting here, for the promise of freedom.  So, now try to imagine being 13 years old, with a girl friend of 11 years old, stuck in Russia.  Now, get the money, knowledge, and balls to sail half way around the world for the idea of being FREE.  The very idea of that is scary, and I feel even luckier that I am so fortunate to be healthy, free, with family, friends, business, sports, music, etc.

Julius found a place on the lower east side of NYC, in 1920′s and began to work and earn money hanging wallpaper for people.  Julius and Anna settled in NYC and started a family.  Their son Al, my father, was born in 1929 and didn’t exactly follow his dad’s path, as he was often found in the local pool hall hustling older players in eight ball and nine ball for cash.  That’s how my father first starting his living.  He was FREE to do what he wanted.  He soon began working with his father and created a virtual empire in the hardware industry in the late 50′s, early 60′s.

If freedom exists in many other countries, why is America singled out?  Have you been here?  It’s freaking amazing to visit state to state, city to city, and town to town, how different they all are, and how unique each one is.  The people, the thoughts, the actions, the hatred, the laughter, and the truth.  One key element is the freedom that Americans have with regards to their actions.  There are rules, and many people break them but we have penalties.  There is consequent for your action if you choose to dis-obey the government.

It’s our society.  We build it with our voices, songs, actions, photos, news, gossip.  If we look in the mirror, we will see the truth.  We build life, every day, and we control everything*.  Remember Newton’s Third Law:  To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.  Careful what you do with this power.

ZAZ

*By control everything, I mean we can’t actually control anything, but actually each action does contribute to controlling the chaos that naturally exists in our Universe.  That is, with the exception of the relationship of matter to anti-matter.  Enough.

To start, I booked this trip exactly one week ago.  Best rates, and plenty of time to decide when & where I’ll be going, not to mention what I plan on accomplishing.  I only booked my roundritp from Los Angeles to Hong Kong.  From there, I’m on my own and virtually free to move about the country as my trip unfolds.  Leaving me as King of the Castle, or Captain of my Ship.

I have become used to the midnight departure that arrives 2 days later in Hong Kong at 5:30 am.  This is a flight for the Type A personality, as once landed, you still have an entire day to work, travel, and innovate.  Don’t stop until you drop.   Once in Hong Kong, I take the A43 bus from the airport to Sheung Shui Station.  There I catch a 13 minute train to Lo Wu, the gateway to China.  So in and out of Hong Kong in about 2.5 hours.  The train stop in Lo Wu is the last stop in Hong Kong, and once there, you go through immigration and then literally walk over a bridge that connects Hong Kong to China.  So, I walked to China, and the city of Shenzhen.

This trip’s first stop is Dongguan to visit one of our vendors who helps us put the entire Sockwa package together.  So, I purchase another train ticket from the Shenzhen station to the Dongguan station.  Once there, I wait in McDonalds for David and Jack to pick me up and take me by car to the factory.  We begin with tea, and then get straight to business.  After a few hours of timing, pricing, strategy and a tour of the sister factory, we end the day with dinner.

Situated by a stagnent pond, or lake as they say, this restaurants specialty is fish.  Then, the first dish comes out and it’s duck in a hot pot with bones, skin, and presumably anything else they could find at the moment.  Come to think of it, I didn’t see any ducks on this pond.  Hmmmm.  Chewy is a slight understatement.  Thank goodness they have cold beer and plenty of it.  What follows is Beef on the bone, an entire Fish with bones and skin, and Pig with lots of fat.  To say the meal was good, was a huge stretch.  I was actually trying to enjoy it, but not one bite was tender nor delicious.  It was more like time to eat, and it didnt’ seem to matter if we are supposed to enjoy it or savor every moment.

The company was nice and that in the end is what it is all about.

After an evening on the 25th floor of a hotel, where the temperature was nearly 80 degrees in the middle of the night, I woke at 6 am, showered and got a few hours of work done.  I wonder what the next 8 days hold for me?

David Zasloff

Sockwa

Founder

Nearly 5 years after using the iPhone, I’m still amazed at what it does.  It was a game changer for business.  Every email, every text message, every song, every weather update, every game, every moment on the iPhone feels like a treat of the highest degree.  Lost, well not anymore with Google Maps.  Need to check in for your flight, no problem.  Take a screen shot of the web page or snap a quick picture of the instructions, sign, or anything else you might need to refernce at a moments notice.

The iPhone wasn’t even his greatest accomplishment.

Although I never met Steve Jobs, he has touched my life in incredible ways.  From the Apple II computer in the late 70′s or early 80′s which ran on cassette tape, to the Macintosh that had a mouse, built in screen, and a 3.5″ disk drive.  Space Invaders was cool.  Not complicated, but addictive and amazing on my father’s 6 foot projection TV.  Modems, I didn’t get it.  Why did my dad want to type a message to his geeky friend in the next town, when he could just call him and ask him the question?  I didn’t get it, but Steve Jobs did.  I now we all get it, on our phone, tablet, and laptop.

Steve was passionate about his work, and was an example for many to follow.  An innovator who pushed himself and technology to uncover tremendous power in silicon.

When Steve was ousted from Apple in the late 80′s he spent his own money creating the next best computer and operating system.  Once he ran out of his own money, Ross Perot stepped in and funded Steve’s company to the tune of 7 Million Dollars.  Although the computers were expensive, the company gained some traction and was able to sell it to Apple Computer for more than 50 times what Ross Perot put into it.  This purchase brought Steve back to Apple.

This comeback has to be one of the best ever.  Steve introduced the iMac and turned perceptions of what computers look like, feel like, and act like.  Apple was once the computer for people who didn’t like IBM and for graphic designers.  However, it slowly gained more and more traction in the business community.

Steve also got involved in Pixar films as a principal investor and helped kids everywhere discover Toys and Nemo.  He was a a true legend and will be missed by many.  Your soul and unbelievable attitude that anything is possible will live on within me and millions of others.

Thanks for your genius.

David Zasloff – SOCKWA Founder

Patience is a virtue.

Patience is a life long lesson.  Mastered by few, and forgotten by many.  According to Wikipedia, Patience is the level of endurance one’s character can take before negativity.

We’ve all heard the “Patience is a Virtue”, but haven’t taken the time to really understand what that means.  A virtue is a trait or quality subjectively deemed to be morally excellent.  We all may think we want to be morally excellent, but frankly holding the door open for someone leaving Starbucks is a great start, especially on Monday morning.

“Patience Grasshopper”, a line from The Karate Kid is also coming to mind, as well as “Wax on, Wax off”, but we’ll save that one for another blog post.  Patience is hard to maintain on a moment by moment basis, but seems easier while on vacation, and harder when we are under duress.

In evolutionary psychology and in cognitive neuroscience, patience is studied as a decision-making problem, involving the choice of either a small reward in the short term, or a more valuable reward in the long term. When given a choice, all animals, humans included, are inclined to favour short term rewards over long term rewards. This is despite the often greater benefits associated with long term rewards.*

*Wikipedia Reference.

A recent game of backgammon has brought my attention to patience and has been on my mind nearly every day for a week.  I was ahead in the beginning of the game, then behind for the second half.  It was obvious that I needed doubles if there was going to be a chance of a win.  What wasn’t obvious, was when exactly, I needed the doubles.  Mentally, I decided that I wanted them towards the end.  My opponent mocked me for not wanting them sooner.  There I was, 4 pieces remaining, to my opponents inevitable 1 piece away from win, and I very casually thought this is when I need doubles.  Didn’t panic, didn’t fret, didn’t think negatively, didn’t undermine the moment, and I was rewarded with double sixes.  I won the game, at the very last moment.

Yes it was only a game, and yes we were playing at work, and yes, we keep track of every game in terms of who wins and who loses, but so what.  To me, this game was major.  It was my turning point as a human being, because I was presented with the answer to a question that I didn’t really even know I was asking.  This game presented me with the keys to the kingdom.  Patience is my new key, and I’m going to try it in every lock I come across.

A bucket can do wondrous things in water

As summer comes to an end and the school season begins, we all must realize that the most simple moments in life can be some of the most enlightening.    Recently my family decided to spend the afternoon lounging around our oasis of a backyard and soak in the hot tub.

Some of the summers collection of goodies ended up in a five gallon Home Depot Bucket.  And that bucket wound up in the hot tup with us.  As it turns out, at times its not very easy to lift a bucket out of the water.  It’s also not very easy to submerge the bucket.

I’m not saying that it can’t be done, but as a mechanical engineer who studies every action, motion, or idea until it stops being fun or I find the answer which leads me elsewhere.  As it turns out, if you take an empty five gallon bucket and flip it upside down with the bottom facing up.  Then try to submerge it the water without tilting it.  Compressing 5 gallons of air even just 3-4 feet is hard and takes a lot of work.

I also noticed, as I was dumbfounded by a freaking bucket, that my kids were enthralled.  They couldn’t believe that my actions were real.  It looks like why can’t this adult handle a bucket, but physics is amazing, and the laws of physics don’t seem to break down most of the time.

So instead of buying the latest greatest pool toy, look in your garage for something that will add to you and your kids learning experience.  Be open to learn and you will be schooled.  Be closed and negative, and oh look what happens, more problems, flat tires, and miserable thoughts.

Focus on the positive, reach deeper than you’ve ever reached.  Be more humble than every before, and simply be ok with not knowing, and never really knowing.

DZ -

Taxes, Water, Roads, Trucks, etc. - Is there a better way?

Lately I’ve been obsessed about the conditions of the roads in California.  Not that California highways and roads are in some special category.  New York had it’s fair share, and everyone in between has hit that pothole that shakes the very frame of the vehicle you’re in.

I also don’t want to take away from the very effort of tens of thousands of individuals that sweat and work with blisters through all kinds of weather conditions.  Recently the road in front of our campus was re-paved.  Gone are the ridges that sounded like ghosts from my past, like the way a Strawberry Fields sound played backwards.

My obsession is this:

The roads around us need heavy maintenance because of the few times a year that the local produce tractors come off the fields with tires full of mud and rocks.  That layer sits there and acts as sand paper with the newly paved surface.  This eats away as each car passes and gets progressively worse, until it rains.   Then it’s clear for another 2 hours until another tractor.

So, you see my point.

Is the solution to not allow the tractors? or is it regular, frequent, thorough cleaning?  Or some sort of tax scheme, where depending on how much mud is on your flaps, it dictates your tax.  I can see the billboards now:

More Sud, Less Mud

Thanks for listening.

ZAZ

Money can't by happiness or love.

Life is short. We hear it all the time. Kids tend to disagree because 15 minutes can seem like an eternity when you are young.

Focusing on the bigger picture is usually helpful when analyzing one’s life or one’s business. The Goal of business is to make money, but it doesn’t mean that it’s the only important issue to focus on. It means that you can’t lose sight of the essentials and the bigger picture.

Recently, Sockwa flew to the other side of the United States to attend the World’s Largest Beach Soccer Tournament.

“You came all the way from California?” says a few customers. “Aren’t there closer tournaments to your company?” says another. Yes was my answer to both questions. I further explained that I really enjoyed this particular tournament, the kids, the families, and the tournament directors. Life is short, as I said before, and this is a prime example of doing something because you like it, and not just because you want to make money.

Sure, we sold hundreds of pairs of Playa Hi-Tops, and promoted the Sockwa brand 3,000 miles away from our design studio. That was the gravy, not the meat and potatoes. We gathered a crew of Sockwa sales-people who were able to interact with kids of all ages, parents, grandparents and mere passer-byes.

I took pride in speaking with every kid on the beach. We invited each person into our Sockwa tent and treated them like gold. We used towels to remove sand from the kid’s feet, and helped them get properly fitted for the Sockwa of their choice. To see the smile on the kids faces was magical. To know that each person was touched by Sockwa, warmed my heart. The money exchanged felt like a token of the interaction. The gold was the conversation!

David Zasloff
Sockwa
Founder and CEO

I’m on route from Beijing to San Francisco on United / Continental Airlines after a week visiting vendors, learning about Plastic and Rubber, and working on Top Secret Sole Technology. After spending time and money developing one mold, we have tool trill after tool trial, until the parts come out right. It’s the perfect blend of art and science, mixed with timing, temperature, patience, and a bit of luck.

Sockwa will be first to market with it, and we will have to work our tails off to keep this edge. This enormous opportunity for me is the culmination of my B.S.M.E degree, my retail experience in Hardware, Paint, and Toys, mixed with more than 10 years of manufacturing experience. It’s my life’s work, and is absolutely exhilarating. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing.

In order to finish in first, you need focus, patience, and the belief that you can remain in the lead. It means not looking back at the people chasing you, and it also means that one wrong mistake mixed with bad timing can take you out of the game. Stressful at times, painful moments followed by the highest highs imaginable. On the verge of greatness, but reality presents a completely different side.

Don’t stop! Try harder than the most and sleep when you’re dead. Risk more and more each day. Double down on any slight advantage. Set yourself up for success, believe that you deserve this, and pounce when the magic moment appears.

Technology advances a light-speed, and so must we. Come join Sockwa as we revolutionize traditional footwear design and manufacturing processes. Our dream is to eliminate toxic glue from all footwear manufacturing, but of course to achieve this, we need to use it. Glue now, over-mold later. Trade offs are a constant in business and life. Sockwa is leading not following. What are you doing?

Sockwa is the essence of footwear.

Drop me a line or a tweet.

David Zasloff
Founder
@Sockwa

Along comes Sockwa in 2008, minding our own business, simply trying to make a shoe from a sock. Easy enough according to friends and family. What about arch support, heels, cushion, and overkill? Ask Dr. Daniel Lieberman, a Harvard Professor who announced to the world in January 2010 that Barefoot Locomotion is healthier than all the bells and whistles on traditional footwear. Shocker, right, all we need is our own bare feet to navigate this planet. Well not so sanitary in restaurants, and disgusting in bathrooms. What then is the solution? Barefoot or Shoes?

I’ve been wearing shoes just like you since I was a toddler first learning to walk. I never experienced problems, and I certainly never gave it a second thought that they might be hurting my posture, gait, and knees. But things happen for a reason in this world, and ideas that aren’t acted upon usually get forgotten and opportunities come and go, and once gone, they’re gone. Sure, new opportunities are all around us, and one closed door leads to another open one.

Sockwa started in 2008 with a better beach sock than Vincere’s Sand Sock. Customers lined up at beach soccer events handing over $20 bills like we were going to run out of them. Pockets full of cash, no time for lunch, and sold out product seems like a business worth focusing on. We thought so too, and established relationships with beach soccer tournaments everywhere and then set our sights on Beach Volleyball and the AVP. Long story, short, it didn’t work out so well. Not that pockets full of cash is a bad thing, but it might perhaps be a bit short sighted.

At Sockwa, we listen intently to our customers. Not just the big ones, and not everyone, but a carefully filtered menagerie of them. What we heard shortly after we launched our beach sock, is that our customers wanted a sole on the sock so that they could navigate on land without burning a hole in the stitching after 2 days of wearing on concrete. We just as easily could have said “it’s a beach sock, and it was designed for the sand, so just wear shoes when you leave the beach.”. That would have been the easy way, for sure. Yes, we would have lost customers, but think of all the $20′s we could have collected.

As you guessed, we didn’t take the easy road, and instead spent every waking hour exploring sole options. Vulcanized Rubber, Silicone, Injected Rubber, PU fabric, and also TPU. There are pros and cons to every sole and design, but we made a decision way back then to stop focusing on the $20 bills and instead focus on how to design the lightest, thinnest, most durable sole on the market, and combine it with our successful beach sock of yesterday. What resulted is the New G2, available now.

This innovation didn’t come without sacrifice. We made a conscious decision back then to use plastic technology and cutting edge manufacturing techniques to introduce a thin, crushable, durable sole that performs better than most rubber and is faster to make than traditional rubber soles. Of course, we had to put aside the collecting of $20 bills until we developed a product worthy of charging three times that much. Family and friends didn’t understand this, and frankly thought we were a bit crazy to go underground for a year during development, but we had higher hopes and a broader perspective on what’s now known as the Barefoot Trend or Minimalist trend.

Sockwa is a company for the people. It’s focus is technological innovation and simplicity of design, form, and function. I’m currently in Asia, working on 2012′s new innovation in footwear. Again, this doesn’t come without sacrifice. I miss my boy Eli, and his big sister, Ava so much it hurts. My wife has also been very supportive through this entire endeavor, and I thank her again. Check out our NEW G2, with a larger toe box and our unique TPU sole, that offers you protection from everyday life, while still allowing you to feel the Earth as G-d intended. I wear mine everywhere, and look forward to future innovation, customer feedback, and to sharing our newest technology soon.

Thanks,

David Zasloff
CEO & Founder

The Moon's perspective of the Earth.

What is the other side? In this case, the other side is simply the other side of the Planet. Yes, Dave is in China again. Why do I go so much? That seems to be the most popular question I get when advised of my plans. The answer is quite simple. I can’t begin to imagine how I could have anything made in China without going and creating, maintaining and developing new relationships. Sure, I could give up a few percentage points on the bottom line by simply going through a Hong Kong agent. It might be easier on my relationship with my wife and kids in the beginning, but after I pay for a container of product, pay for the duty and tariff, I would like find the container full of poorly made product, or it might just be a container of junk that I would have to pay more money to dispose of. Then what’s going to happen to my relationship to my family?

This journey started on Tuesday morning from LAX on a United flight to Beijing using my mileage in my account. What’s in Beijing? Nothing I need on this trip. Simply a direct flight from San Francisco with availability on 2 days notice. I arrived in Beijing at 2:20 in the afternoon on Wednesday. Another second experience occurred when I bought a flight to Guangzhou right at the airport. Hey, it works and beats the penalties for changing or canceling. What’s in Guangzhou? Well, a Plastics and Rubber show that caters to the worlds need to make products we wear, use to eat, shave with, and throw our garbage in. OK, so now that I’m in Guangzhou, I set off to find my way to the Pazhou stop that houses the Expo, thinking there have to be a surplus of hotels nearby. Wrong! Only a Shangri-La hotel at $528 a night, and oh yeah, they’ve got no rooms. So, I went back to the metro station and went 3 stops to Chigang, a recommendation from a Shangri-la girl.

By this time it’s 9:30 at night, and I keep hearing Darryl’s voice saying, “it’s about the ride, not the destination.” so, I’m walking around the streets and spot a building that reads Pazhou Hotel. Simple enough, off the main boulevard, and a Chinese hotel, so I’m not expecting much. Ni Hao (Hello in Chinese), I’d like to have a room for the night. “Do you have a reservation?” Uh, no, why? By this time you’ve guessed it, no rooms. We are fully booked as there is an event at the Expo. I thought this was a small little show that nobody goes to. Boy was I wrong. The hotel manager said he’d make a few calls to other local hotels, and gave me a bottle of water while I waited. Nice people are everywhere. Nice or not, there’s still no rooms anywhere in the area. Now what?

A deep breath, and a quick charge on my iPhone, allows me to lookup hotels in the area via my Kayak app. Have you heard of the Nanyang Hotel? No he says, but makes a call there, and low and behold, there’s one more room. Are you kidding? I’m about to get the last available room in all of Guangzhou, life is good. A quick taxi ride there, 25 RMB ($5), and there I am at the front desk. “Hello sir, do you have a reservation?”. Oh man, “No, but the gentleman at The Pazhou Hotel just called and said you have one last room available, so I came right over.” oh yes, she says, here it is, the last room. It’s not clean so would I mind waiting another 30 minutes for them to clean it. By this time, it’s 11:30 at night and I haven’t been horizontal in 2 days, so I grab a beer at the bar and wait, enjoying the ride, not focusing on the destination.

David Zasloff
Sockwa
Founder

Want it? Visualize it. Make it happen!

Why are some people successful while others wallow in mire? Success is defined differently by everyone. Money, fame, love, sex, and success all begin upstairs in your brain.

I’m not saying that just thinking about having lots of money will bring the cash, or that thinking about love will bring a spouse. I’m saying that you get what you want and you get what you deserve.

Humans have the innate ability to self actualize. If your view of yourself is one of being ugly or poor or unlucky then you exude that energy to everyone you meet and everything you do. If you believe you are smart, study hard and work hard to prove that to yourself, then it becomes true.

Want a Ferrari? A hot wife? Amazing kids? Then you must believe that you are worthy of that. If not, then get used to driving your K car around with a hideous wife sitting next to you while your kids scream and cry kids in the back seat. The choice is yours to make, so keep your brain focused on what you want and what you believe you deserve. If you are mean to people around you, bossy to employees, and short on patience with your children, then it comes back to you in multiples.

I’m sitting on a high speed train en route from Ruian to Fuzhou after 2 days of work that most people just can’t do. I’m not smarter than most, or more patient than most. At the heart of my success lies the self knowledge that I can do whatever I set my mind to. Sure, I could lie, steal or cheat, but I don’t want people to do that to me, so I don’t do it to others. Instead, I choose patience, hard work and treat each person with the respect that I want. I actually call it being selfish. Most don’t agree, but that seems to be a constant in my life. I like to be nice to people because it makes me feel good. That’s selfish.

We visited a new vendor who at this point in our product evolution is a key part of the success of the quality of the finished goods we produce. Two days of back and forth communication between us and them. Their way versus our way. Most people just say, do it our way, or we are leaving. That’s not our approach, as we’ve learned that if we are open enough to find middle ground, the result is better than each party could have done on their own.

After 24 hours of progress and understanding, they handed me a sample that was pure crap. I felt like screaming, but didn’t. I felt like walking out, but didn’t. I felt like giving up, but didn’t. Sure, I looked upset, I even raised my voice and became animated and was indeed very frustrated especially after 4 years of work. In the end, I calmed down, explained the issue, expressed my frustration and walked away. Ten minutes later, after my blood pressure lowered, I returned to find that the vendor actually listened, learned, and responded. They presented a solution that met us halfway, and the result was a success. We got what we wanted, but in the end, they felt like they got what they wanted.

I dream it all and constantly envision success. I genuinely believe that I deserve it. I’m willing to worker harder than anyone else to get what I want. Fly to the other side of the planet, sure. Get 3 hours of sleep and then board a train to inner China, and work all day without eating, sure. Settle on product made wrong or with poor quality, not a chance. An overnight success after years of painstaking work, you bet.

the ZAZ

you make it happen

I’m traveling through China with my VP of Ops, Darryl.  We are visiting vendors, potential new vendors, and siezing every opportunity to promote Sockwa and spread the love.  I’m proud to say that I’m wearing Cobalt Amphibian 1.5 on my feet at the moment and I love them.  So glad that our team has pushed and pushed for almost 4 years now, to make this happen.

Today’s agenda is simple.  Make it happen.  We have all the parts and pieces lined up, and ready for production.  Supervise, Advise, and watch the magic happen.

Nothing is easy, or at least nothing worth doing is easy.   Two days on the ground so far, and we’ve been to 3 different cities in Asia, and we’ve got another 4 to go.  Off to the train.  See you with the NEW Amphibian soon.

the ZAZ

Believe you can do it. Train hard and then DO IT.

I was lucky enough to play tennis on Saturday at 11 am in beautiful Camarillo, CA at the Spanish Hills Country Club.  My USTA team had a match that day.  Here’s the captain’s account of the day, with regards to me:

David Zasloff, on the other hand, went into the “meatgrinder” with a guy that is rated 3.5 (really!) and had to eke out a very solid and hard-fought three set win 6-7, 6-3, 6-3. Three of us were on hand to watch most of the second and third sets, and we were exhausted just imagining what David was going through. His opponent had a very big serve and all the strokes from all locations on the court. David, as is his style, simply hung with Greg throughout the match and eventually wore him down enough to sneak through some very good shots.

To read the entire account, please

Team,

I would like to claim some credit for our sweep today over Spanish Hills, but we might have done as well without my last minute tweaking of the lineups for the match. In fact, David Zasloff might not have had to work so hard (a three hour match) to get the sweep. I swapped David from the #2 Singles court to the #1 Singles court (displacing Hieu Le whom I put with Matt Hurley at the #1 doubles slot displacing Cary Winston). I moved Cary Winston from the #1 doubles slot to the #2 singles position. It sounds more complicated than it was. At any rate, Cary Winston came through in fine style on the #2 singles court winning in straight sets 6-1, 6-3. David Zasloff, on the other hand, went into the “meatgrinder” with a guy that is rated 3.5 (really!) and had to eke out a very solid and hard-fought three set win 6-7, 6-3, 6-3. Three of us were on hand to watch most of the second and third sets, and we were exhausted just imagining what David was going through. His opponent had a very big serve and all the strokes from all locations on the court. David, as is his style, simply hung with Greg throughout the match and eventually wore him down enough to sneak through some very good shots. I asked his opponent how he happened to be ranked 3.5, and he said he had started USTA after a 25 year absence from the sport (high school player). He has clearly elevated his game well above the 3.5 level, and David had to play his best tennis to record the final win of the day for the Raiders.

On the other courts things pretty much went as planned. We knew going in that Spanish Hills was not a formidable opponent, and our results on all the Doubles courts pretty much confirmed that. Hieu Le and Matt Hurley came through on the #1 court 6-3, 6-2. Rob Toone and Bernie Whang also came through in flying colors on the #2 Doubles court 6-1, 6-1. Last, and today pretty much least, yours truly and Steve Steele managed to overcome each other to win 6-1, 7-6 against a pair of guys also rated 3.5. As a captain I always worry about teams that have a lot of 3.5 players, and in this league Spanish Hills is one of those teams with 6 guys on the roster rated at 3.5. Because they are all playing on a 4.0 team there is nothing wrong with them being rated 3.5 because even if they were to be bumped to 4.0 there would be no consequences in the league standings.

Thank you all for being on time for the match and for playing so well. Our next match will be a lot more competitive as we will be taking on the Pacific Ravens, the team that is leading our flight. They have lost only one match out of fifteen so far, and they will certainly put us to the test. Please consult the schedule for the roster for the match and note that we had to move it back from 10 AM to 11 AM starting time due to a conflict on getting courts at Arroyo Vista. It is a home match for us, so we also need to provide refreshments for after the match.

Regards,

Dick

Nike’s earnings come out today on wall street. I’m also hearing about lots of consolidation that’s about to happen in footwear. It started about six months ago when rumors of New Balance buying Vibram Five Fingers or vice versa started surfacing. Today, I’ve heard from the big boss that this week is huge for footwear.

I feel like a gladiator amongst the fiercest lions in the world about to go into battle for my beliefs, ideas, and my survival. Exciting times indeed. I remember starting this project nearly four years ago with ideas of our direction and vision, but honestly had no idea how small the world really is.

Akin to swimming around in shark infested waters without a life vest and without any land in near distance. The smell of blood is in the air. It’s called barefoot and it’s taking the footwear industry by storm. Sockwa is barefoot. We connect you to the Earth like no other footwear. The thinnest sole in the world. Engineered TPU that provides traction like rubber and abrasion resistance to concrete. Oh yes, also the lightest shoe on the market. It’s crushable, durable and feels like your second skin.

Don’t forget that we are introducing the Amphibian v 1.5 in a week which combines all of our technology into one powerhouse of a product. 8 colors will be available. More colors and sizes will continually rain down to Earth providing the world with the most comfortable shoe on the Planet.

David Zasloff
Founder and Lead Designer
Sockwa

Time still mystifies even the greatest physicists and engineers. I of course, like most things, have my opinion on it. Just ask my wife, and shell tell you I have an opinion on everything, which is basically true. Don’t ask me a question unless you want the honest answer. Reminds of the Abe Lincoln commercial where his wife asks if the dress makes her look fat. No easy answer there Mr. President.

I’m currently 30 thousand feet above northern California, bound for Portland, Oregon’s greatest footwear and apparel mart. Divide and conquer is the game we are playing now. Call, Speak, Ask, Listen, Learn, Brief and de-brief. Ready, Fire, Aim. Adjust and Fire again. Relentless “decisions & risk” occupy my every thought. Calculate the opportunity cost and compare it to the other decision’s opportunity cost. Choose your path, commit the cash and resources, make the next move. Fast, before they catch you. Wait, change again.

Three years of work and devotion is looking like the smartest decision I’ve made as each part is aligning in what appears to be the greatest calculated risk I’ve taken in my life. I wanted my chance at bat. I want my turn at hitting the grand slam that brings all my men in from base, and wins the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. Three years of building relationships and promoting the brand vision of tread earth lightly, are about to shatter a new paradigm of footwear destined to be a Revolutionary change occurring at evolutionary speed.

Just back from Asia 10 days ago, already off to Portland, only to go back to Asia in another week to complete the circle, and oversee production of Amphibian v1.5. Making it happen. I’m the guy, they keep saying to me. I like it. Being the guy provides me with the comfort that my own risks will determine my own fate. I see the path, the vision, the innovation, the opportunity and the opening that’s big enough for me to show the wothin a thing or two. No doubt I’ll be schooled along the way.

Delayed flight, no worries. No Visa, no problem. No signed contact, soon enough. Split second timing is what determines our success or failure. Winning the right points and staying focused on the mission at hand. Life comes at you fast, so instead of taking the easy road, fear nothing and blaze forward like you were destined to do.

David Zasloff
Founder

This First Class lounge is more like a hospital ER waiting area, without heat of course. No cold soda, no beautiful attendants, and yes, lots of Chinese slurping their soup. certainly better than a punch in the eye, so I’m happy that my trip home has officially begun.

Today was my last day at the factory, so it was busy from the get go. Lots of loose ends to tie, contracts to finalize, and busy making sure that the communication lines stay open, even after I leave. I was mostly on my own today, as my R&D contact was off to southern china to manage an audit. Fine by me.

The big boss, Mr. Wolf, a German from Hong Kong was visiting the Fuzhou factory today, and brought a few German private equity guys to tour the factory and show off their expertise. I’ve met Andreas many times over the past 2 plus years and he’s always so friendly to me. In fact, he just stopped bye to say hello in the lounge, as he is en route back to Hong Kong with his investors. I’ll be seeing him again in 2 weeks up in Portland for the best Footwear & Apparel show in the USA.

I’m lucky, so lucky, to be following my dreams, to have a supportive and loving family, and to work with such a talented, all hands on deck team. Count your blessings twice, don’t look back, and find the positive in everything you do, and all the people you meet.

One of the managing partners of Heidelberg Capital (Private Equity Guys I mentioned above), Florian, were able to exchange some information about Sockwa and our mission. I mentioned the barefoot trend that’s picking up speed, and shared the NEW Amphibian v1.5, as well as showing off the over molded sole we are designing. You just never know who you’re going to meet, so be yourself and listen to others, because a former employee could one day be your boss, or a guy you play tennis with could end up being your VP of Operations.

Opportunity is abundant and all around everyone of us. You have to be open enough to see it, or else it passes you bye. You don’t want to be one of those people who say “Nothing goes my way” or “I’m so unlucky” because what you say and what you think matter. In fact, you can summon great things with enough positive energy, hard work, and the mindset that you are lucky, and you do deserve the finer things in life.

Go follow your passion, and never let anyone take your dreams away. Anything is possible and opportunity is just waiting to meet you and make your wishes come true.

David Zasloff
President
Sockwa