Our Ideas

It’s tough to break into the fashion business. But Kenny was a go-getter.

He started by going straight to Europe for production, loading up on credit from manufacturers over there, because he couldn’t get it from the banks over here. But he still couldn’t afford the fees for a booth at the annual show.

So he went to the Mayor’s office: “What would it take for me to park a 40′ trailer in downtown Manhattan?”

“You’d need to be shooting a motion picture, and pay for the permit,” said Mayor Koch.

Kenny was not to be deterred: On a hope and a prayer, he quickly filed a name-change for his company, ending it in ‘Productions, Inc.’ He hired two models and a ‘Director’ to film near the trailer, which he parked across the street from the Hilton Hotel—the show venue. Mr. Koch assigned two of New York’s Finest to stand guard.

By the end of the first day, Kenneth Cole had sold all 40,000 pairs of his first order of shoes, and he was off and running in business.

Audacity inspires.

For four years, I’ve woven the inspiring stories of the great names in business into what I hope have been engaging lessons from the dreams and deeds of others. Certainly, Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc.—as his company is still called—brings a smile to our faces, and reminds us that the spoils go to those who show up.

But last week, it was my turn to have my socks knocked off by the amazing words and accomplishment of a tall, slim man from Chicago.

A great many people were inspired: More than 121 million ballots were cast, and 69.5 million Americans voted for Senators Barack Obama and Joseph Biden. That’s more votes than for any US Presidential candidate in history, in large part due to the phenomenal campaign to bring out the vote undertaken by the Democratic National Committee and the Obama campaign.

Inspiration reached around the world: In the weeks leading up to election day, The Economist magazine polled readers around the globe, asking if they could vote in the US election, for whom would they cast their ballot. Obama won 4:1.

And inspiration reached hearts everywhere: By its very design, the tale of 106-year-old Ann Nixon Cooper spoke to every generation alive. In talking about her life, Obama evoked those powerful historical moments that resonated for each generation since the turn to the 20th century: Montgomery. Birmingham. A man on the moon. A wall in Berlin.

Imagine the audacity of a young African-American, a first-term Senator from Illinois. To run was enough. Or was it? To earn the nomination would suffice. Or would it? To aspire to the highest office in the land; to run an uncompromisingly positive campaign; to stand on the highest of soap boxes, and encourage the world to say “to those who tell us that we can’t…. Yes We Can.”

It’s a cool fall evening as I write this. The leaves are fallen from the trees, and the sky is heavy. The markets remain stormy. And there are cold days ahead. Yet someone had the courage—the inspiration—to stand up and embody the “Audacity of Hope.”

The future belongs to those who take it.

What are you waiting for?