Joe Foster Tells The Untold Reebok Story With ‘Shoemaker’

Misinformation was perhaps among the first reasons that prompted Joseph William Foster, also known as Joe Foster, the co-founder of Reebok, to author the bestseller ‘Shoemaker’. 

Foster stepped back from Reebok in late 1989. “We did not have computers and smartphones then, and I decided to take time off on a nice sunny island and enjoy life,” he said in his headline session at the Mumbai Chapter of the fourth edition of the Indian Business Literature Festival (IBLF) on January 21, 2023.

But then came the computer and information age. “There was Google and Wikipedia, and they were telling me how Reebok started. But that was not how it started. There was even a photograph of a Joe Foster as Reebok’s founder, but it was not me. This prompted the idea that it was about time I wrote the story and get it straight,” Foster added.

The Shoemaker’s Confession

In the first chapter of the book, Foster wrote that he neither liked running nor shoemaking. “For the most successful running shoe company, that was probably the opposite of what you expect,” Foster said. He pointed out that writers have to begin the book in a certain way, which was to ask a few questions. “If you get people hooked on the first page, you may get them to read it to the last. But to be honest, I did not like running or shoemaking,” said Foster. 

Instead, it was Joe Foster’s brother and co-founder, Jeff Foster who “absolutely loved the factory and shoemaking”. Joe Foster explained, “We agreed at the time that he would look at the factory and I would do everything else but making shoes.” 

Foster came from a family of shoemakers. His grandfather was a pioneer of spiked, running shoes. The Foster family had been hand-making running shoes since the late 19th century, supplying the likes of Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, later immortalised in the film ‘Chariots of Fire’, as well as providing boots to most football league clubs. The shoes were also worn by winning Olympics athletes.

“My grandfather knew something then that we today know as influencers. He gave his shoes to the right people and they won Gold medals and broke world records,” Foster recalled.

Leaving a Legacy

During Joe Foster’s years of Reebok, it was all to do with the company. It was not to do with the person. People did not know Joe Foster but they knew Reebok. Foster emphasised the company’s brand-first culture. Now, as the book has come into play, he is approaching things differently. “The idea now is that I have to got to sell Joe Foster and ‘Shoemaker’ and get people to read it,” he said.

The book is not only about Joe Foster’s legacy but also about Reebok creating the winning culture and the belief. 

In the book, Foster also touched on personal subjects such as dealing with grief wherein he has written about losing his family members. 

“Both my brother and daughter died at a very young age. When you are faced with grief, you have to get on with living and dedicate something to them. My brother died just when we just broke into America. He never saw Reebok become number one. That was my first grief. My daughter died when we had become number one. But there is nothing you can do. As much as you would like to change something like this, you cannot,” Foster said.

At the IBLF, Foster shared Reebok’s journey in breaking into the US market and reaching the top spot in a conversation with Dr Annurag Batra, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of BW Businessworld, a story that he has covered in his book as well. He also spoke about how after a family feud, Joe and Jeff Foster broke away from the Foster family and Reebok’s official journey began.