This week’s sneak peek behind the Sunrise curtains: Tim Brown, founder of Allbirds.
It’s time for another glimpse behind the scenes of Sunrise speakers, and this week we've got a special guest who needs little introduction. We're talking to none other than Tim Brown – the creative vision behind Allbirds and a former soccer player for the New Zealand All Whites in the World Cup.
Tim credits his professional athlete experience with developing a mindset focused on long-term vision. This perspective was instrumental in turning his sneaker business into a billion-dollar empire, all while maintaining a commitment to sustainability.
Today, Allbirds boasts a team of 350 talented individuals worldwide and has become a cult classic embraced by fashion icons like Sarah Jessica Parker, Mila Kunis, and Jennifer Garner. And they’re not stopping there, having recently announced the world’s first net-zero carbon shoe, the M0.0NSHOT.
We were thrilled to sit down with Tim and chat about his incredible career, creativity, and unique experiences. Consider this a teaser of what's in store for you at Sunrise Aotearoa on September 20th. This isn’t one to miss!
Blackbird: If you were to summarise your career in a single sentence, what would you say?
Tim Brown: Extraordinarily privileged to work with talented people on problems that matter.
Blackbird: What are some ways you foster a culture of creativity and innovation within Allbirds?
Tim Brown: Curiosity is the foundation of creativity and innovation, but impactful curiosity involves discipline, constraints, rigour, and the courage to ask and answer simple questions. At our best, we bring this incisive form of curiosity to our daily work, understanding that innovative answers come from everywhere, not just the top.
Blackbird: What’s the biggest lesson you have learned as a founder?
Tim Brown: Focus, focus, focus. Over time, I have come to sharpen that lesson: focus :) You are defined as much by what you don't do as what you do. The best organisations are very clear on what they do and what they don’t, maintaining and tightening that focus over time.
Blackbird: How do you think your experience as a professional soccer player influenced your approach to design and running a business?
Tim Brown: In many ways. As my co-founder Joey points out, it had to because I haven't had any other job outside of football. Sport has taught me the power of trusting the process and maintaining a long-term view while showing up every day to get a little bit better. In sport, you often practice actions with few daily cues of improvement but trust that this work will manifest in personal improvement and success in competition. In business, I've found a tendency to overestimate short-term achievements and underestimate long-term potential. Sport teaches the opposite.
Blackbird: Thinking about the current NZ start-up community, what is one thing you’re excited to discuss or learn more about at Sunrise Aotearoa?
Tim Brown: Any chance to come home is always exciting. I once had dinner with business folks in Auckland, and the usual anecdotes came up about NZ businesses not thinking big enough early enough. Then Rowan Simpson, an early TradeMe employee and tech investor, said: "maybe the rest of the world has got it wrong and we're thinking about things just right." I loved that and was impressed by him. Sometimes, we as NZ'ers feel the need to change or conform, but I think the future lies in sharpening our strengths, values, and sense of self. This isn’t about being less ambitious; it’s the opposite! The world is coming to us in many ways, and I hope to highlight that potential.
Tim has so much more wisdom to share, and we’re excited to host him at Sunrise, Aotearoa ✨