A few weeks ago, Swarthmore College CIL had the honor of hosting an evening with Stuart Weitzman, American shoe designer and founder of the shoe company, Stuart Weitzman. Now in retirement, Weitzman spends his time traveling to different colleges and universities talking to students and young entrepreneurs about his journey on the “road less traveled,” in addition to spending more time with his family. As a graduate of the Wharton school, he is particularly fond of visiting schools in the Philadelphia area, and visiting the Weitzman School of Design at UPenn, named on his behalf.

The Career Services team was fortunate enough to be able to sit down with Weitzmanahead of his presentation. We wanted to highlight some of his key words of wisdom to be able to share with you all, especially those unable to make it to his talk. Our conversation covered a few different themes that we will introduce to you as well as summarize Weitzman’s thoughts and advice to the next generation.

Weitzman’s passion for design has been a lifelong pursuit, and one he talks fondly of. We talked to him specifically about the idea of turning your passions into a business. When asked what advice he would give to students who wanted to turn their passions into careers, but might be hesitant for whatever reason, Weitzman stressed “You have to have confidence.” He went on to say that if students are hesitant or torn between ideas, working somewhere else could be a great way to get experience and figure out what you would like to do. Taking a job somewhere that the company or service is doing what you want to do! Wetizman stressed that on-the-ground learning is the best education you can get. That first job is your “graduate school.”

Throughout his career Weitzman has hired, worked with, and collaborated with many people. He even claimed that some of the best people he hired “were people he met who were hired from firms that were doing work for him”. We asked him to talk to us a little bit about some of the most successful candidates he’s hired or collaborators he worked with. What makes those people stand out? The answer to Weitzman was simple: “have strong beliefs in your ideas.” He shared that over the course of his career, he’s turned down many ideas people have thrown at him, but those that fought hard for them, whether they convinced him or not, were the ones that stuck out. If they believed strongly in their ideas, proposals, approaches, and could defend it, they definitely had his ear, regardless of whether or not he was on board. “I think determination, perseverance…it beats talent in the end,” he recounted. 

The next topic we wanted to explore with Weitzman was failure. Now I know it sounds morose, but some of the best teachable moments in life come from times in which we don’t succeed. In our work, we often hear from students and alumni this idea that failure is something to fear. There can be an overwhelming feeling of pressure to be successful – a word that in and of itself can look different to different people. This is something we wanted to dive a bit deeper into when speaking to Weitzman. Needless to say, the concept of having a “fear of failure” surprised him. He stressed that there is no reason to feel that way, and that it is important to focus on the positives. The positive qualities that everyone can bring to the table, as well as the positive of an experience. As cliche as it sounds, every failure is a learning experience. 

When talking about starting your own business, and the fear of failing in starting a new venture, Stuart shared some statistics. Those who start a business right out of school, almost annually the numbers show that 90% of those fail. He went on to claim that those people who move on from that experience, take a job somewhere else, make some more money, and then maybe try again 5+ years later see much more success. The majority of those who try again, succeed the second time around. Don’t underestimate the power that some additional experience can provide. That is not failure!

In addition to his illustrious career as a designer, Weitzman is also a philanthropist, and approached charitable endeavors with the same commitment and determination he does business. Whether it is his commitment to keeping function as an integral part of fashion, or his ongoing support for a wide range of hospitals, medical research centers, youth organizations, and cultural institutions, Weitzman has undoubtedly left his mark on the world. This idea that we want to make a difference, do work that matters, and leave our own mark, has increasingly become more of a priority for younger generations entering the workplace. In our conversation, Weitzman emphasized that the word “success” covers a lot. He claims that at the end of the day “if the people who are supposed to love you, do…strive for that…Be a good person….” At the end of the day, if you’ve achieved that, that’s the greatest bit of success you could ask for.

As a young man starting out on his venture, we wanted to know if there was any advice he had received, or anything that helped him along the way. In addition to some helpful habits he claims he picked up along the way, he recounted a particular fondness for a poem by Robert Frost that ends, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference.”  Weitzman said, “I kind of started to do that…And I found it to be wonderful! It’s so much more fun.”

LIKED THIS FEATURED BLOG WITH STUART WEITZMAN? CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT OTHER INTERVIEWS HAVE BEEN FEATURED ON CASUAL FRIDAYS!