Self-motivated and driven, Michael Strauss is the Vice President at MIA Shoes. My job primarily revolves around sales, design, and marketing, but being that he is an owner, and has eyes on everything. He shares that the best part of his daily routine has to be coming into the office and going over new product designs that the management is looking to sell in the months to come.
Below are highlights of the interview conducted between World’s Leaders and Michael Strauss:
Describe who you are as a person, inside and outside of the workplace.
I would describe myself as a very passionate and driven person. I am very competitive both in and out of the workplace, dating back to my days of playing college football.
Describe your background and what did you do before you started/joined the company?
I was born and raised in Key Biscayne, Florida, and I absolutely love it here. I enjoy spending time in Miami, usually boating, and I’ll probably be here forever. I spent my days on the football field, as it was a sport, I played my whole life. I played college football at the University of Virginia and also at the University of Richmond. While football was a big passion of mine, I also grew up around the shoe business, and always knew that it was something I wanted to be a part of.
Tell us about the inception of the company. How did it all start?
I always had the idea of creating a men’s line, as I had already built a good business relationship with the buyer at Nordstrom Rack for our women’s line. Unfortunately, during the pandemic, there were lots of changes, with people being fired, laid off, and so on. Because of that, I was able to get in my orders to jump start the brand, but they were all canceled two weeks later. At that point in time, I thought I was done. I needed a partner to launch the brand with, or else I would have had to invest a lot more money into the brand, marketing wise. Once things finally started opening up again, I received a call from the buyer at Nordstrom Rack letting me know that he had been promoted to head buyer at Nordstrom full-price stores. This changed the trajectory of the brand. What was originally going to launch as a more “off price” channel distribution with more synthetic materials, ended up becoming a 25-store launch with Nordstrom using genuine materials.
What has made you successful? What do you value?
There are a few traits you need to be successful. Communication is always key, and the most important trait of them all. Being a good communicator comes from my football history. Being a quarterback requires a lot of play calling and letting your teammates know what has to be done, so it was kind of a natural transition for me. Success also comes from being tenacious and relentless. You have to be able to stay motivated and push through, even when things don’t look great.
We strongly value the comfort of our shoes and believe that it is what has led to our success. We took the component of our women’s shoes that makes them so comfortable and put it into our men’s shoes, and it has proven to be successful. Something else we truly value is the price point of our shoes. Keeping our prices under $100 and not passing on a lot of the costs we endure to our customers makes our shoes so special.
What are the major services of the company and how do the company to get ahead in the competition? What value-added services does the company provide?
We have a full team overseas that helps us get ahead on sampling as well as product development. We sell both wholesale and retail on our website, and are always curating products for 6–8 months down the line.
What are the most important aspects of a company’s culture? What principles do you believe in and how do you build this culture?
We strongly believe in offering the best value in the market. We give men and women products that not only look good, but feel even better. Our goal is that once a customer buys their first pair of shoes, the item will then sell itself the next time around. That’s how we build our culture and customer base.
What is the significance of innovative ideas in the company?
Innovative ideas play a huge role in our company, and it is a big part of what we do. We are constantly thinking of innovative ideas to make our shoes more wearable and comfortable for everyday life activities.
Give us your opinion on whether organizations rely heavily on individual heroics or team processes.
It is all team-based. This is a team “game” we play, all the way from the sales team to the warehouse staff and everyone in between. Relationships that individuals have may drive sales or business, but one weak link in the team can ruin everything you have worked so hard for.
What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?
Not everything is going to be perfect. Learn from your mistakes and listen to your people. Always keep open ears and eyes to what your team is communicating to you so that you can make the best possible decisions on behalf of the company.
