Tell us about how you got started.
How did you decide you wanted to make shoes?
It was the Fifties and I was just a kid; back then it was perfectly normal to walk around barefoot,
since lots of people couldn’t afford shoes. I was one of them.
One day I decided I would never go barefoot again, because I’d make the shoes myself.
And my wish came true.
What was the most difficult period in the history of your company,
and what do you remember most fondly?
The roughest and yet most exciting period was the very beginning, in 1965 and ’66.
The first year was really tough and full of challenges,
but I was 22 and my enthusiasm outweighed the sacrifices it took.
You must have a lot of stories to tell,
but is there any one episode that particularly sticks out in your mind?
In 48 years of business, there have been thousands of episodes that have stuck in my mind
and that I carry with me, etched in my memory, but the best will always be the ones
connected to the birth of my two children: Emanuele and Cinzia.
What are the upsides and downsides to this job?
There are a million upsides; above all, the fact of spending every day among my 350 employees,
calling them by name, working side by side with them and knowing they trust me.
I never think about the downsides.
What’s something you often tell your children?
To be humble, honest, and respect the people they work with.
And above all, to always give it their best, with an enthusiasm and dedication
that becomes infective. I think that’s how one gains the respect of others.
What dreams have you achieved and what are you still hoping to achieve?
Thanks be to God, I’ve achieved all my dreams. I’ve had a wife by my side who’s
wonderful in every way, a terrific worker, and two children who are following the path I blazed,
with enthusiasm and commitment.
What more could I want?
What would you tell a young entrepreneur just starting out in business today?
To be courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and to throw himself or herself into it heart and soul.
Nowadays young people have an education, they know other languages, the world is their oyster.
I didn’t have those advantages, but I made it just the same.
I’m convinced that the secret is still to really believe in what you’re doing.
What do you still believe in?
In God.
