Inquisitive and brave
A recently published book tells the story of a unique entrepreneur
It is a matter of culture, as well as an ability for concrete visualisation (which may sound like a contradiction in terms but it actually is not) – these are the two conditions that distinguish the stories of many (all) real entrepreneurs. A vision encompassing both present and future, a desire to take a chance on oneself, a talent for choosing and engaging the right people, a moderate taste for risk, and a touch of inanity – these, and many others, are the traits that, in different proportions, characterise those entrepreneurs who succeed in bringing a project to life. Learning about their vicissitudes, exploring the various steps undertaken and understanding their mistakes and triumphs can be useful to everyone (not only entrepreneurs). This is why Le avventure di un innovatore (Adventures of an innovator) is worth reading, a book written in collaboration by Federico Marchetti (also the story’s protagonist) and Daniela Hamaui (long-standing journalist and passionate about stories). Its subtitle reveals most of its content: Il sogno americano, tutto italiano, del fondatore di YOOX (The all-Italian American dream of the founder of YOOX).
It all started in the year 2000, when internet was accessible to only a few – kind of our current times’ stone age, when buying online was the exception rather than the rule. Yet, in Italy, someone was able to foresee the future – Federico Marchetti, a small-town boy who went to study in the United States, developed a passion for the web and came back to Italy to found his own company: YOOX. A simple yet brilliant intuition: purchasing major brand clothing that remained unsold at the end of the season and giving them a second chance. An idea that, in other words, shows a knack for conceiving a market that did not exist while providing such market with the means to purchase those unique products on a website. YOOX started as a warehouse in the outskirts of Bologna, and it turned into the first e-commerce fashion warehouse in the world. It was a success, and Marchetti tells the story (with Hamaui’s help) in his book.
Thus, in about 300 pages, readers learn about all the steps undertaken by Marchetti up to today, how his company became the first Italian unicorn company without neglecting principles such as respect for the environment and people, through its commitment in a number of social causes. Pages full of a life rife with unexpected events and chances, as well as encounters with some leading players in the fashion industry and tech giants, and even King Charles III, and without overlooking extreme challenges such as the global project for “sustainable” fashion that, by uniting technology, humanism and artificial intelligence, might be able to take on one of the greatest issues of our times: the climate change crisis.
Marchetti and Hamaui’s book deserves to be read to the end, applying some pragmatism and with no need to agree with all its content, yet drawing a lesson from what is, perhaps, a unique story that can teach a few things to most of us. A conclusive quote stands out, amongst many excellent ones: “Open up, don’t be afraid (…). Be inquisitive and brave. To do business, one must be bold, challenge expectations and explore the unknown, get inspired by what strikes the imagination.”
Le avventure di un innovatore. Il sogno americano, tutto italiano, del fondatore di YOOX (Adventures of an innovator. The all-Italian American dream of the founder of YOOX)
Federico Marchetti (with Daniela Hamaui)
Longanesi, 2023
A recently published book tells the story of a unique entrepreneur
It is a matter of culture, as well as an ability for concrete visualisation (which may sound like a contradiction in terms but it actually is not) – these are the two conditions that distinguish the stories of many (all) real entrepreneurs. A vision encompassing both present and future, a desire to take a chance on oneself, a talent for choosing and engaging the right people, a moderate taste for risk, and a touch of inanity – these, and many others, are the traits that, in different proportions, characterise those entrepreneurs who succeed in bringing a project to life. Learning about their vicissitudes, exploring the various steps undertaken and understanding their mistakes and triumphs can be useful to everyone (not only entrepreneurs). This is why Le avventure di un innovatore (Adventures of an innovator) is worth reading, a book written in collaboration by Federico Marchetti (also the story’s protagonist) and Daniela Hamaui (long-standing journalist and passionate about stories). Its subtitle reveals most of its content: Il sogno americano, tutto italiano, del fondatore di YOOX (The all-Italian American dream of the founder of YOOX).
It all started in the year 2000, when internet was accessible to only a few – kind of our current times’ stone age, when buying online was the exception rather than the rule. Yet, in Italy, someone was able to foresee the future – Federico Marchetti, a small-town boy who went to study in the United States, developed a passion for the web and came back to Italy to found his own company: YOOX. A simple yet brilliant intuition: purchasing major brand clothing that remained unsold at the end of the season and giving them a second chance. An idea that, in other words, shows a knack for conceiving a market that did not exist while providing such market with the means to purchase those unique products on a website. YOOX started as a warehouse in the outskirts of Bologna, and it turned into the first e-commerce fashion warehouse in the world. It was a success, and Marchetti tells the story (with Hamaui’s help) in his book.
Thus, in about 300 pages, readers learn about all the steps undertaken by Marchetti up to today, how his company became the first Italian unicorn company without neglecting principles such as respect for the environment and people, through its commitment in a number of social causes. Pages full of a life rife with unexpected events and chances, as well as encounters with some leading players in the fashion industry and tech giants, and even King Charles III, and without overlooking extreme challenges such as the global project for “sustainable” fashion that, by uniting technology, humanism and artificial intelligence, might be able to take on one of the greatest issues of our times: the climate change crisis.
Marchetti and Hamaui’s book deserves to be read to the end, applying some pragmatism and with no need to agree with all its content, yet drawing a lesson from what is, perhaps, a unique story that can teach a few things to most of us. A conclusive quote stands out, amongst many excellent ones: “Open up, don’t be afraid (…). Be inquisitive and brave. To do business, one must be bold, challenge expectations and explore the unknown, get inspired by what strikes the imagination.”
Le avventure di un innovatore. Il sogno americano, tutto italiano, del fondatore di YOOX (Adventures of an innovator. The all-Italian American dream of the founder of YOOX)
Federico Marchetti (with Daniela Hamaui)
Longanesi, 2023