{"product_id":"book-hfkd","title":"Authentic","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn the tradition of best sellers such as \u003ci\u003eShoedog\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAuthentic \u003c\/i\u003eis a surprisingly candid, compelling memoir by a high school dropout who went on to establish one of the world's most iconic brands\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePaul Van Doren is the founder of Vans - the shoe company beloved by skateboarders, creatives, and fans everywhere for its laid-back, colorful SoCal vibe, and famous for its people-oriented company culture. How did Van Doren, who started as a 16-year-old \"service boy\" at a local rubber factory, establish a family shoe business that evolved into a globally recognized brand with annual revenue of more than four billion dollars?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA blue-collar kid with no higher education and zero retail experience, Van Doren leveraged a knack for numbers, a genius for efficiency, and the know-how to make a great canvas tennis shoe into an all-American success story. In 1966, when the first House of Vans store opened, there were no stand-alone retail stores just for sneakers. Paul's bold experiments in product design, distribution, and marketing (Why not sell custom shoes? Single shoes?), aided by legions of fans - skateboarders, surfers, even Sean Penn wearing Vans' famous checkerboard slip on shoe in the film \u003ci\u003eFast Times at Ridgemont High\u003c\/i\u003e - made Vans a household name. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut there was also back-breaking work, a shocking bankruptcy, family turmoil, and a profound shift in how customers think about athletic shoes. \u003ci\u003eAuthentic\u003c\/i\u003e details Van Doren's personal life, but also hard-won business lessons learned over six turbulent decades in the shoe trade: the importance of deep-rooted values, of improvisation, of vision (and revision), and above all, of valuing people over profits. Refreshingly forthright and totally entertaining, \u003ci\u003eAuthentic \u003c\/i\u003eis a business memoir by an American original.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Audible","offers":[{"title":"Audio CD","offer_id":67915135779120,"sku":"ZEhfkd","price":39.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio CD [10]","offer_id":49354217324848,"sku":"10hfkd","price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/hfkd-Square-cover.webp?v=1790854259","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-hfkd","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}