When I was in University, I had the good fortune to get a part time job at a high end men’s wear store. I started out as the store lackey – painting, folding sweaters, fetching customers drinks and over the next couple years gained credibility to the point where they made me the first part-time sales employee. During that year I sold $75,000 worth of men’s wear part-time (Without selling a single $1500 suit) – not bad considering the full time guys were selling $300-400K annually.

One experienced salesman there (Who was a great guy, very classy and a strong father figure type – he was also an amazing gardener) gave me the following advice:

Always keep your shoes polished and be careful in your choice. You can tell allot about a man by his shoes.

Through the years, I have realized that as a rule of thumb – this is sage advice. It is interesting, when I first meet someone – I do glance at their shoes, as I try to figure out who they are ….