In the old days, whoever wanted a new pair of boots would sit down in front of the cobbler and wait for him to make them. You walked in barefoot and walked out shod. Problem solved, need satisfied, happy client, self-sufficient craftsman. That was how it was in the beginning of the market! Everyone lived happily in a reasonable balance between supply and demand, some seeking only what necessity dictated and others offering the immediate and tangible response to the demand of those who had feet and the means to buy a protective layer of leather. Location wasn’t even a problem. Whoever considered themselves capable of handling the uppers set up shop on Rua dos Sapateiros, and whoever wanted to shoe their extremities headed to the same street. How happy the marketeers of that era were…
But, as we know, things later became complicated. Debunking an old social belief according to which all cobblers do the same thing—shoes, of course—the cobbler João do Ferro, who before taking to soles had been a foundry apprentice and a lad devoted to the manual arts, decided to surprise a client with a metal toe cap, very useful for spurring the horse and breaking the legs of the impertinent.
The use of this remarkable innovation did a lot for the owner of the boots, but it did even more for their creator. Many and varied reasons led dozens of valiant youths to seek out João do Ferro for a solution to the frailty of footwear, leaving Rua dos Sapateiros with metal toe caps gleaming all over Lisbon, spreading news and fame of this miraculous leather-turner located on Rua dos Sapateiros.
In a short time, the people who truly mattered in the capital of the kingdom recognized one another by the Ferro boots on their feet. Ferro’s boots—or Botas Ferro, as they affectionately came to be known—became a status differentiator and, to that extent, an absolute necessity. Owning a pair of Botas Ferro became an indicator of social standing and a requirement for entry into certain pilgrimages.
While these transformations in the realm of sociology were making history, in the field of economics some dramatic turns were already lurking for the destinies of João do Ferro, now better known as João das Botas, in a clear and definitive assumption of his productive dominance in the field of evolutionary shoemaking.
His success was so surprising to Rua dos Sapateiros that it awoke the hatred of enemies, the envy of friends, the suspicion of authorities, the vanity of his wife, and the impatience of clients. João had seen plenty of iron cast and knew a few basic truths about life, so he responded to the storm the best he could, continuing to make good money off the toe caps.
Yet the greatest challenge of his life occurred on that October morning when, walking down Rua dos Sapateiros on his way to the workshop, he discovered more than a dozen fellow craftsmen selling “his” Botas Ferro for ten cents less. He nearly suffered an apoplexy and it almost cost him his soul to realize that, after all, his gleaming toe caps were now a common thing, crafted by other hands and paid for by many feet.
Sunk in despair, he shut himself at home to brood. His wife thought he was raving, but after three days without eating or drinking, João do Ferro—pardon me, João das Botas—gathered his family in the parlor and whispered to them that he had had a vision, as exciting as it was terrifying.
Amidst the silence of his consort and the expectation of his heirs, he declared:
— “My children, this family has initiated a great social revolution. Our toe caps will lead humanity to great conquests, and the future of cobblers will be gloriously recognized in centuries to come. We discovered the secret of evolutionary shoemaking; we are the unsatisfied chromosome that pushes life forward and perfects it. All of this was revealed to me in the last three days of stupor and reflection. But there is something I must tell you now, so that you may prepare yourselves and not fear…”
At this point in the speech, the youthful countenances of his children and the swarthy complexion of his wife were swept by a veil of dread, but the great João continued:
— “Truly I tell you: I know we shall never have peace, never sleep secure in tomorrow, never take the lead of the street without looking over our shoulders to watch for danger. My loved ones: we invented competition and were glorified throughout the city, but now we shall be victims of our own invention, because the secret is out on the street and the street is against us. Only one thing remains for us…”
The terrified gazes pleaded for paternal mercy. But João das Botas de Ferro did not stop:
— “Only one thing remains: our name. We have a known name in Lisbon and its surroundings, we are the inventors of the best metal toe caps, and we will not let ourselves be liquidated by cheaper imitators.
Lads: straight to the workshop. Work faster and spend less leather.
Wife: launch the cry through the streets. Assure the people that Botas Ferro are made of steel, others promise but I deliver. We will sell our victory cheaper. History has only just begun, and the competition of those asses only gives me more drive to crush them. With toe caps or without toe caps, however the customer wants.”
The rest of the story everyone already knows.
Paulo Fidalgo
CEO of Marketividade
