Aldo Bensadoun, known as Mr. B, founded the ALDO Group in Montreal in 1972. He grew it from a small shoe concession into an international footwear business while emphasizing customers, company values, and community contribution. — ALDO Founder Story.

Infographic for "Lessons from Also Bensadoun".

On Vision and Founding Principles

  1. A Vision of a Different Kind of Company: From the start, Bensadoun sought a company rooted in compassion, ethics, and care for customers. — BURO Interview.
  2. Creating a Brand That Cares: He described ALDO as a brand that cares about its impact on people and society. — BURO Interview.
  3. Building a Model for Society: He wanted his company to have a strong purpose: making the world a little gentler. — Dolce Interview.
  4. A Pledge of Compassion and Ethics: He tied the company's values to compassion, ethics, and understanding customers. — BURO Interview.
  5. The Goal is to Make People Feel Good: ALDO's stated vision was to make people feel good through its products and services. — BURO Interview.
  6. More Than Just Selling Shoes: His ambition for ALDO went beyond selling shoes to building a business with human values. — ALDO Company Story.
  7. The Power of Serendipity: He describes a serendipitous path into the shoe business, including a marketing assignment and a packaging problem. — Dolce Interview.
  8. Inherited Passion: Though his father sold shoes and his grandfather was a cobbler, he chose his own path into the industry. — ALDO Founder Story.
  9. Starting Small: He founded ALDO in Montreal in 1972, beginning with a modest footwear concession. — ALDO Founder Story.

On Business Philosophy and Strategy

  1. Focus on Your Customer: He argues that a brand cannot serve everyone and must focus on a defined customer. — BURO Interview.
  2. Know Your Niche: ALDO focused on style-seeking customers who valued how they looked. — BURO Interview.
  3. The Importance of Timing: He says timing matters when offering fashion trends where and when customers want them. — BURO Interview.
  4. Vertical Integration is Key: He chose to bypass wholesalers and work directly with factories as part of an integrated retail model. — Big Shot Podcast.
  5. Evolve with the People: A brand should evolve with people while remaining faithful to its customers. — BURO Interview.
  6. Constant Reinvention: He says ALDO continually adjusts its shoe styles and retail concepts to changing demand. — BURO Interview.
  7. Global Competence: He says global retail requires value and awareness of what customers want in different cities. — BURO Interview.
  8. Build on Founding Traditions: He argues that companies should build on founding traditions while looking ahead. — McGill Biography.
  9. Principled Decision Making: He rejected a financially attractive offer after a promised equity arrangement was withdrawn. — Big Shot Podcast.
  10. Treat Retail as an Interdisciplinary Field: He views retail as an interdisciplinary field drawing on data, computer science, neurology, and sociology. — McGill Master Class.
  11. Expect Consumer Behaviour to Converge Globally: He observes that consumer behaviour across regions is more similar than many assume, while acknowledging differences. — Gulf News Interview.
  12. Use Physical Stores to Create Human Exchange: He believes stores still matter because they create atmosphere, warmth, and human exchange. — Gulf News Interview.

On Corporate Culture and Values

  1. Three Core Values: He identifies love, respect, and integrity as ALDO's core values. — BURO Interview.
  2. People are the Biggest Asset: He credits ALDO's people as a major reason for its success. — BURO Interview.
  3. A People-First Approach: McGill describes his people-first approach as seeking opportunity for each person to reach their potential. — McGill Biography.
  4. Human Development as a Priority: McGill reports that ALDO invested in employee recognition and incentive programs. — McGill Biography.
  5. A Universal Language of Values: He takes pride in employees across countries treating coworkers with love, respect, and integrity. — Big Shot Podcast.
  6. Leading with Passion and Creativity: He says his creative drive led him to hire capable people whose strengths complemented his own. — Esquire Interview.
  7. Be a Capitalist and a Fair Person: He sought to combine entrepreneurial ambition with fair treatment of people. — Big Shot Podcast.
  8. Creating Opportunity to Change How Companies Work: He founded his own company after the values of a former employer failed to align with his own. — McGill Master Class.
  9. Success is Tied to Values: He says company values should be lived, not merely taught as a business technique. — Esquire Interview.
  10. Listen for the Other Person's Point of View: He says leaders should listen to a person's point of view, not only the immediate request. — Gulf News Interview.

On Entrepreneurship and Leadership

  1. An Entrepreneur's Daily Motto: His entrepreneurial motto is to enjoy the work and stay true to the craft. — BURO Interview.
  2. On Hiring the Right People: He advises hiring for intelligence, hard work, creativity, good values, and a desire to succeed. — Economic Times Interview.
  3. Inspiration is Everywhere: He draws inspiration from history, politics, economic events, street style, movies, and poetry. — BURO Interview.
  4. Great Entrepreneurs Recover from Mistakes: He acknowledges making mistakes and trying to correct them; the broader aphorism in the old lesson was spoken by an interviewer, not Bensadoun. — Big Shot Podcast.
  5. The Role of Luck and Chutzpah: He says luck mattered in his career and that important decisions required courage. — Big Shot Podcast.
  6. Learn from Family: He credits his parents with teaching him hard work, discipline, resilience, sharing, and philanthropy. — Dolce Interview.
  7. Stay Actively Involved: In his 2023 interview, he said he was still very involved in the business. — Big Shot Podcast.
  8. The First Freestanding Store: ALDO opened its first freestanding store in Montreal in 1978. — ALDO Company Story.
  9. No Regrets: He says he does not dwell on regret, although he has made mistakes and tries to correct them. — Big Shot Podcast.
  10. Never Assume You Have Made It: Despite the company's growth, he said he had never felt he had fully made it. — Big Shot Podcast.
  11. Stand on the Shoulders of Your Family: He believes people grow by standing on the foundation of their family and past. — Big Shot Podcast.
  12. Translate a Large Cost Into the Customer's Scale: While selling encyclopedias door to door, he presented a $350 purchase as approximately one dollar a day. — Big Shot Podcast.

On Philanthropy and Giving Back

  1. Giving Back is Second Nature: McGill describes his long record of giving to education, social welfare, medicine, and the arts. — McGill Biography.
  2. Corporate Social Responsibility as a Core Element: McGill reports that he made corporate citizenship part of the business before the term was fashionable. — McGill Biography.
  3. A Forerunner in Charitable Causes: ALDO joined the fight against AIDS in 1985, early among companies that publicly supported the cause. — McGill Biography.
  4. Enriching Communities: He placed importance on enriching the communities where the company works. — McGill Biography.
  5. The Purpose is to Make the World Better: He connects the way colleagues treat one another across the world with making the world better. — Big Shot Podcast.
  6. Investing in Future Generations: The Bensadoun Family Foundation announced a $25 million gift to establish McGill's school of retail management. — McGill Gift Announcement.
  7. Training a New Generation of Leaders: He hoped the school would develop leaders able to combine innovation with care for communities. — McGill Profile.
  8. A Proud Canadian: McGill says he is grateful for opportunities Canada made possible for him as an immigrant. — McGill Biography.
  9. A Legacy of Kindness: He advises entrepreneurs to be kind, listen continually, and recognize that success depends on the team they form. — McGill Fireside Chat.

Sources  

  1. Dolce Magazine: Aldo Bensadoun — Gentle Sole
  2. ALDO: Our Founder Story
  3. Big Shot: Building a Billion-Dollar Shoe Brand From Scratch
  4. Esquire: How ALDO Became a Global Footwear Retailer
  5. McGill University: Aldo Bensadoun Biography
  6. BURO: Seven Questions with Aldo Bensadoun
  7. McGill Desautels: Aldo Bensadoun Master Class
  8. Gulf News: Aldo Bensadoun on Customers and Retail
  9. McGill University: Bensadoun School Gift Announcement
  10. McGill University: Celebrating Aldo Bensadoun's Impact
  11. ALDO: Company Story and Milestones
  12. The Economic Times: Interview with Aldo Bensadoun
  13. Gulf Business: Aldo Bensadoun on the Brand's Purpose
  14. McGill: Aldo Bensadoun and Harley Finkelstein Fireside Chat