How Louis Vuitton Built a Luxury Company
He was willing to go the extra mile…literally. He walked hundreds of miles towards Paris. His mantra was “pick one thing and become the best at it.”
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Louis Vuitton was born on 4 August 1821, in Anchay, France. He loses his parents at the tender age of 10 and started walking towards Paris at 13 due to a difficult relationship with his stepmom.
Two years and 450km (or 270 miles) after, he arrives in Paris where he starts an apprenticeship under Monsieur Marechal, a renowned box-maker and packer.
Fun fact: The Arc de Triomphe was 1 year old.
He becomes the personal trunk maker of Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III during the French Revolution. This led to the opening of his first shop where he introduced the revolutionary rectangular canvas trunks.
Over the years, he has focused on refining his designs and setting them apart from competitors who continued to imitate.
He even made bed that could convert into a bed for the French explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Braza.
He introduced the famous damier canvas the same year as the Eiffel Tower was completed.
Three years later, he died of brain cancer.
One Lesson from Louis Vuitton
Make one thing incredibly well.
Many people suffer from the shiny objects syndrome. This is when you always focus on the new thing. Always chasing the new trend.
Louis Vuitton knew this and he dedicates his life to improving his craft.
He was a luggage maker and packer. That’s what he focused on. Nothing else.
But this is more difficult today.
Information travels at faster speeds that one can think. Social media constantly floods us with the newest strategy, the newest toys, and the newest trend. Everyday, something new comes out.
To combat this, we must be careful of what we are influenced by.
Every day, stand guard at the door of your mind, and you alone decide what thoughts and beliefs you let into your life. For they will shape whether you feel rich or poor, cursed or blessed. — Jim Rohn