Sir Joseph Foster is one of the world's foremost entrepreneurs and built Reebok from scratch to a $4 billion company. During the aerobics and running craze, Reebok was the #1 sportswear and shoe brand in the US and the world. In this episode, we cover how Reebok grew from almost zero to $1 billion in just five years, what made them successful and the constant barriers and hurdles Joe had to overcome over several decades. This is an incredible story of the grit and dedication to build a truly world-leading brand. Please subscribe if you enjoyed this episode - it helps the channel get more great guests!  Instagrams Sequel stories: https://bit.ly/42eR4eu Gustaf: http://instagram.com/gltore Joe: http://instagram.com/reebokthefounder About the American Express Platinum Card: http://bit.ly/3FsJVh1 Nom.ränta 17,99%. Eff.ränta 28,30% vid utnyttjad kredit om 140 000 kr / 12 mån. Tot: 172 870 kr. Medlemsavgift 650 kr/mån. (April 2023) Topics: 00:00 Intro 02:37 An 87 year old's traveling schedule 04:59 Growing up during WW2 07:11 Joe's grandfather's shoemaking legacy 10:22 The world's first influencers (in 1920) 13:06 Supplying Premier League clubs and Olympians with shoes 17:04 The birth of Reebok 22:20 Joe's father's sad moment 25:50 The story behind the name Reebok 32:50 The struggle 35:26 Threats from Adidas 37:01 American Express Platinum 38:05 Sidejobs and sacrifices 41:50 Competing with Adidas and finding a new business model 44:40 11 years and 6 failures of entering America 49:15 Competing with Nike and Phil Knight 58:53 Dealing with rejection over several decades 01:04:20 Aerobics taking Reebok to $1 billion in less than 5 years 01:07:37 Keeping up operationally with $1 billion in demand 01:09:19 Joe's personal life during the years of crazy growth 01:11:18 Taking a step back from your life's work 01:15:49 Seeing the false story about how Reebok began 01:17:51 Reebok’s future and going from $5 to $10 billion in retail 01:21:17 Have the sacrifices been worth it? 01:23:38 Joe's confessions 01:25:10 Advice to others with long-time struggling 01:27:25 Starting without any money Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices