Taryn Rose is a Vietnamese refugee who came to the United States with her family when she was only eight years old. She assumed that she would become a physician like her father. After getting her medical degree at USC she worked long hours in orthopedic training.
When it came time for her to apply for post-residential fellowships, Taryn found that her heart was not in it. She wanted to follow her dream. She realized that failure was not as bad as regret. If she didn’t pursue her dream she felt like a part of her would be dying.
She loved shoes, and after long grueling hours on her feet during residential training, she would reward herself by going to look at shoes. She would go to Neiman Marcus for her retail therapy. What if she wondered she could design a shoe that would stand up to a day’s work? Taryn wanted to come up with a stylish shoe, especially a high-heel that would not hurt your feet. The only thing that was stopping her was a “fear of failure.”
Once she overcame her fear of failure she realized that there was nothing stopping her. She found her medical education made it easier to learn. If she failed at her dream she knew she could go back to medicine.
She was a friend with one of the salesclerks who knew people in Italy in the shoe business. She headed to Milan to find out how to make shoes. She talked to women at Neiman Marcus about what they wanted in a shoe. She realized that the baby boomers were the largest segment of the population and they also have the most money to put out on their ailing feet. She was able to get a $200,000 loan from the Small Business Administration in 1998.
She was told that it takes $10 million to start a new brand. She didn’t have that kind of money but was willing to show her samples to many upscale shoe stores. Magazines picked up her story and the rest like they say is, “history.” Taryn Rose International was on its way.
She was frustrated many times but did not give up. As a result of her dedication to her dream her shoe line can be found in over 220 stores word-wide. There are four boutiques in the United States and one in Paris. The shoes are not inexpensive. They run from $200.00 to $400.00 but are selling like hot cakes. They are stylish, comfortable, and beautiful.
A former professor told her that she is helping hundreds of thousands of women where as a surgeon she would only be helping a few, and that she is still relieving pain. She now owns over 200 pairs of shoes now. In the future the prices will probably be more affordable.
Rose Taryn is the first to admit that she has had many lucky breaks, but that you still need to work hard and follow your dream. We can not all be like Rose but hers is a story of hope and inspiration. She and her family came to this family with nothing and with hard work, hope and a good work ethic, she has became another success story.
