Sabah Shoes Founder Mickey Ashmore
Building an enduring brand with an emphasis on craftsmanship, community and culture
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Mickey Ashmore is the founder of the footwear and lifestyle brand Sabah, a company founded in 2013 that has grown to have a large digital presence and stores in New York, London, Austin and more. Mickey has been featured by the New York Times, Conde Nast traveler, Esquire and many other publications. Mickey considers Sabah a hospitality company that sells shoes.
I came across Sabah years ago while living in Dallas and became a customer. What I think makes Sabah great is their emphasis on craftsmanship, culture and community. The brand does an excellent job maintaining quality and authenticity in everything they do.
In this episode we discussed the origin of Sabah and how the company has created culture and community around the brand. See the top takeaways below.
Episode Preview (~1 Minute, Full Episode Linked Above)
Top Takeaways
Mickey lived in Turkey after college, working for Microsoft in a finance and strategy role. He made the first Sabahs as a modern remake of a pair of traditional Turkish slippers he was given as a gift from a friend when leaving Turkey. He sold the first several thousand pairs out of his New York City apartment which served as their first store before eventually selling online and going into traditional brick and mortar.
Sabah places a tremendous emphasis on hospitality. Mickey shook the hands of the first 10,000 customers personally and considers the business to be a hospitality company that sells shoes. They aim to create an experience of a caravanserai, which was a place along the old ancient Silk Road where traders could find refuge and trade, mix and mingle, connect.
Mickey believes that creating culture and community should never be the goal but rather a byproduct of the work. One thing the company has tried to do things is focus on the things that are authentically excited about. The excitement emanates outward and community, culture gets created as a byproduct of that excitement.
Mickey’s personal definition of success includes balancing personal freedom, energy, health and relationships.
Resources
Full Lists of Topics Covered
The origin of Sabah
The company’s emphasis on hospitality
Creating shared ownership with customers
Shaking the hands of the first 10,000 customers
The earthquake in Turkey that impacted their factory
Bringing the middle eastern market culture to the customer experience
Building company culture
How Mickey has changed over 10+ years building the company
Mickey’s personal definition of success
The future of Sabah
Hope you enjoy the conversation, feel free to share and let me know if anything resonates with you in the comments.
-Adam