The life story of the genius businessman and social reformer Tomáš Baťa is fascinating, inspiring, sometimes unbelievable and timeless. He is compared to world celebrities and visionaries like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk. Personally, however, I see him in a completely different context – rather in the category of greats such as Socrates or Plato. In his days, he was not famous for his footwear nor products, but for his customer service and approach to co-workers. His ambition was not to build a company, but a man, and therefore more than an entrepreneur, I perceive him as a psychologist who, with his philosophy and personal example, significantly influenced the progress of society and the lives of many people. He could win their hearts.

When I first visited the city of Zlín and went for an interview with the Baťa company, I wanted to find out what locals thought of Tomáš Baťa. I addressed the first old man passing by. I shall never forget that look. He looked me straight in the eye, took a deep breath, and summed up in one sentence: “I wish he was still alive.” With that sentence, he covered everything …

Tomáš Baťa’s valuable message is timeless and perhaps even more relevant now than ever before. It’s not a fairy tale. It is a true story of a real man from our Czechoslovak environment with a strong legacy for the present. Dear readers, the novel you are holding in your hands describes the true personality of Tomáš Baťa in an extremely inspiring way. His literary portrayal by the experienced author Jozef Banáš contains all the elements of authentic emotion that can be experienced when reading the book. The story unfolds before your eyes, you feel like a direct participant in the story, you experience joy, sadness, pride and love, but most of all you feel inspired. The novel won’t let you sleep. In my opinion, Tomáš Baťa was exactly that: he was able to inspire and lead to action. This book will give you the energy and courage to live your life to the fullest. As Tomáš Baťa claimed: “If you doubt your ability to do something, go ahead!”