Sometimes knowing nothing can be like a naive superpower, says Nick Dreyer, the co-founder of Veldskoen shoes. From an idea sparked between two buddies with no experience in the footwear industry, Veldskoen has grown into a global brand selling in 32 countries and worn by South Africa’s best at the 2020 Olympics. Nick was generous enough to share with podcast host Mike Abel his amazing story of how friendship, determination and intuition catapulted this truly South African brand to international success.
The Willing & Abel podcast is the home of hopeful conversations that challenge perspectives. If you’re interested in how to get involved as an active citizen, and how to grow as a person while you build something meaningful in this uncertain world, click the subscribe button on our podcast profile to make sure you don't miss more episodes!
Season 1 of Willing & Abel is brought to you by , a proudly South African award-winning creative company founded on the principle of Brutal Simplicity of Thought.
This podcast is produced by 2Stories. Written by Linda Scarborough, produced by Carol Williams, with audio editing, engineering and sound design by Kozi Mzimela, with production assistance from M&C Saatchi Group South Africa’s team, Maciek Dubla and Nadia Siegel. Special thanks to Sonic Nursery and Edible Audio for the recording of these episodes.
Important links:
Mike Abel LinkedIn: bit.ly/3wwwWt5
Mike Abel X: https://bit.ly/3IhWDjA
Willing & Abel website: https://bit.ly/3SNDNFS
Nick Dreyer’s website: https://nickdreyer.co.za/
Veldskoen: https://www.veldskoen.com/
CNN Business tells how this South African brand reshaped a classic shoe for the masses: https://edition.cnn.com/videos/business/2023/07/28/marketplace-africa-veldskoen-shoes-south-africa.cnn
Veldskoen made the Olympics – a classic underdog story: https://nickdreyer.co.za/2022/10/13/we-made-the-olympics-a-classic-underdog-story/
South Africa – a start-up nation in the making:
https://nickdreyer.co.za/2022/10/05/south-africa-a-start-up-nation-in-the-making/ Willing & Abel Website · Mike Abel Linked In · Mike Abel X · Transcript: If the shoe fits with Veldskoen CEO Nick Dreyer.pdf — PDF (148.6 KB)
