Vibram vice president of product design Peter Von Conta met resistance during every step of the process while launching the FiveFingers running shoe, a product that nearly everyone in the shoe business thought was destined for failure. As the critiques got louder, Vibram dug in its heels and launched one of the most successful products ever created in its 75-year history.
“The worst piece of advice that I’ve ever had is someone telling me I couldn’t do something,” says Von Conta. The FiveFingers were so successful that they caught the eye of NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal, who asked for a custom pair to put on his size 23 feet. Once again, Von Conta was presented with a seemingly impossible task.
