{"product_id":"9781641120241-secondhand-authentic-a-memoir-by-the-founder-of-vans","title":"Authentic: A Memoir by the Founder of Vans","description":"In the tradition of bestsellers such as   Shoe Dog ,   Authentic   is a surprisingly candid, compelling memoir by a high school dropout who went on to establish one of the world's most iconic brands. You may not know their creator, but you certainly know the shoes: for more than a generation, Vans shoes have been synonymous with cool. Now in this refreshingly candid memoir, meet Paul Van Doren, the charismatic founder of Vans-the shoe company beloved by skateboarders, creatives, and fans everywhere for its laid-back, colourful SoCal vibe, and famous for its people-oriented company culture. In  Authentic , he shares his unlikely journey from high-school dropout to sneaker-industry legend. A blue-collar kid with no higher education and zero retail experience, Van Doren started out as a 16-year-old \"service boy\" at a local rubber factory. Over the next few decades, he 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. What began as a family shoe business has today evolved into a globally recognised brand with billions of dollars of annual revenue. Authentic  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.","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49281380024539,"sku":"9781641120241-SECONDHAND","price":15.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/7f215ac7-2379-4660-9c43-5465ebf412a5.jpg?v=1789125197","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/9781641120241-secondhand-authentic-a-memoir-by-the-founder-of-vans","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}