#342. Reebok Founder Taking on Adidas & Nike - Joe Foster

Eventful Lives

Dodge Woodall

Events, Entrepreneurship, Risk, True Crime, Military, Eventful, Life Story, Entrepreneur, Business, Festivals, Roger Woodall, Start Ups, Interviews, Crime, Society & Culture, Sports

5 • 857 Ratings

🗓️ 30 December 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Joe Foster is the founder of Reebok, a British sportswear brand that went from a small UK running business to a global giant.

He talks about designing a “five-star” shoe that got picked up in America - the breakthrough that took Reebok from zero to a billion. He breaks down why people underestimate how competitive it was even back then, with Nike, Adidas and others already fighting for the market. Joe also explains how he and his brother left the family business in 1958 when it was “going nowhere,” then spent 10 years building in the UK before making the bold decision to target America. He shares the practical reality of doing it in the 60s - getting a government-backed stand at the NSGA show in Chicago - and why the US felt like the biggest opportunity, even if it looked like “jumping into the lion’s den.”

This is the eventful life of Mr Joe Foster.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Who is Joe Foster and what's been your biggest achievement in business so far? Joe Foster is the founder of Reebok. I think most people have heard of Reebok, even if they haven't bought a person. That took us zero to a billion very quickly. I guess there wasn't much competition back then, was there? Plenty. There was. Oh yeah, plenty. We had Nike. So we go to Europe. I did some puma with her. So I jump into the Lions Den.
0:24.1	Why don't we go to Europe. I did us and Puma were there. So why jump into the lines then?
0:23.6	Why don't we go to America? When I suggested that, the family looked to me and said, he was he crazy.
0:28.6	And we overtook, Adidas. We overtook Nike. We became globally the number one sports brand.
0:35.6	So what's to regret? What's to change?
0:38.0	We went from $9 million as a small company
0:40.9	to $900 million in four years.
0:45.1	My God.
0:46.6	Hey guys, my producer has literally just popped into the studio
0:49.4	and told me that 50% of you have subscribed,
0:52.7	which is amazing.
0:53.5	That leaves another 50% who haven't. This is
0:55.6	absolutely free. Just press that button. You'll be notified every single week when a new episode
0:59.8	comes out. It's a no-brainer. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy the next episode. Take care, guys.
1:04.8	Cheers. Joe, welcome to the show. Thank you for the invitation. Yeah, very much looking forward to
1:09.8	this. This, who is Joe Foster and what's been your biggest achievement in business so far?
1:17.0	Simple about Joe Foster is the founder of Reebok.
1:20.4	I think most people have heard of Reebok, even if they haven't bought her.
1:24.5	And the biggest achievement so far, it's a difficult to say because, you know, you get
1:29.4	a lot of luck in life and you wonder which, what was it luck or was it?
1:34.0	Okay, so I designed a five-star shoe, five stars with a shoe that's picked up in America
1:39.2	as five stars.
	...

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