Lesson #5: Go After What You Want

“I think fantasies are for the birds,” Klein once said. “Anything I wanted to do, I did. If there’s something I want, nothing stops me.”

Klein’s career has been one based on determination, hard work and plenty of sweat and tears. A self-described “fighter to the end”, Klein set his sights on becoming one of the fashion industry’s greatest designers and would accept nothing less of himself. Almost 40 years and two divorces later, Klein’s priority in life was to make a name for himself and his designs and he was willing to sacrifice almost anything else that got in his way.

Klein was never one to chase after the wealth that would come along with success. “The money is not that important to me, whether it’s $800,000,000, a billion or two billion.” For Klein, more crucial than wealth was his passion for designing the clothes that he wanted.

Initially, breaking into the business with his own company proved more difficult to Klein than he had imagined. In the early days, when he was still working for other designers, Klein actually considered quitting the fashion industry altogether and going into the supermarket business. His friend Barry Schwartz had just taken over his father’s grocery store in Harlem and had turned it into a successful venture in his first six months. Klein was becoming increasingly frustrated with his jobs and when Schwartz offered him full partnership in his supermarket, it was hard to decline. Klein had worked at his own father’s supermarket for numerous years so knew what he would be getting into.

But, a conversation over dinner one night with his father would change Klein’s life forever. He had gone to his parents to ask for advice, expecting them to agree with his decision to go into the supermarket business with Schwartz. Instead, Klein says, his father shocked him. “‘I think you would be making a tremendous mistake,’ he said. ‘I don’t understand what you’ve been studying all these years, but whatever it is, I don’t think you’ve given it enough of a chance.” Klein’s father warned him that if he didn’t continue what he was doing, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

From that point on, Klein knew what he had to do. “He convinced me and was responsible for my making one of the most important decisions in my life – making the commitment to stick with fashion,” recalls Klein. Subsequently, Klein got a loan from Schwartz, brought him on as partner, and created Calvin Klein Ltd. It only took a few wise words from his father to reaffirm Klein’s passion for fashion. But, after that, there was no stopping him as he set out on his path to success.

“I don't think about my fame very much and I don't dwell on success,” says Klein. “Maybe that's one reason I'm successful.” Instead, Klein thought about just one thing: following his passion and designing clothes for the every American. Indeed, he did just that.



Lesson #5: Go After What You Want

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