The Big Read

Start Something That Matters Read-Alikes

Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie details the TOMS Shoes founder's journey from reality TV star to innovative businessman with advice for aspiring entrepreneurs based on lessons he himself learned along the way. Selected as this year's Big Read book for incoming students, Start Something That Matters covers themes such as creative thinking, social responsibility and facing your fears. 

If you enjoyed Start Something That Matters or are interested in further reading that covers similar themes, you may want to check out items like these at Kimbel Library:


Brand Aid: Shopping Well to Save the World by Lisa Ann Richey and Stefano Ponte

Before TOMS became popular, U2 lead singer Bono and activist Bobby Shriver created a new business model by allowing companies to use their Product Red brand to sell shoes, electronics, books and more as a way to raise awareness of the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa. Brand Aid: Shopping Well to Save the World analyzes how business models that incorporate giving into buying certain products work behind the scenes.

Creative People Must Be Stopped: Six Ways We Kill Innovation (Without Even Trying) by David A. Owens

In Start Something That Matters, Mycoskie details the innovative business model and creative thinking that helped make his business a success so that others can adopt similar ways of thinking and planning. David A. Owens addresses the barriers that sometimes stand in the way of innovation, including internal and external factors such as negative emotions and seeking to preserve the status quo. Owens recommends ways to overcome each of the different barriers in order to become more successful at applying "out of the box" thinking. 

Good Idea, Now What? By Charles T. Lee
A good idea like Mycoskie's "one for one" business model wouldn't have gotten very far if Mycoskie hadn't followed through and put it into action. Good Idea, Now What? explores the characteristics of a good idea and recommends strategies for pursuing your idea and getting it out into the world.