--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is what I wanted the business to be…" description: "\"This is what I wanted the business to be when I started it: a lot of black, a lot of luxurious materials, and modern styling.\" — Kenneth Cole" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/684/kenneth-cole-3800_black_this-is-what-i-wanted-the-business-to-be_428387.jpg" --- # This is what I wanted the business to be when I started… ![“This is what I wanted the business to be when I started it: a lot of black, a lot of luxurious materials, and modern styling.” quote by Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/684/kenneth-cole-3800_black_this-is-what-i-wanted-the-business-to-be_428387.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/684/kenneth-cole-3800_black_this-is-what-i-wanted-the-business-to-be_428387.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/684/kenneth-cole-3800_black_this-is-what-i-wanted-the-business-to-be_428387.jpg) > “This is what I wanted the business to be when I started it: a lot of black, a lot of luxurious materials, and modern styling.” [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The brand aims for bold, luxurious, modern design using dark colors and premium materials. **In simple terms:** A stylish, high‑end, contemporary aesthetic. Key Takeaway Embrace bold, luxurious, modern design. Themes branding design luxury modernity Mood confident ambitious Type marketing design When to use this quote - high‑end retail - interior design - automotive interiors Key Concepts fashion industry product development marketing strategy Questions to Reflect On - How can luxury design stay inclusive? - What trade‑offs exist between boldness and practicality? A Different Perspective Luxury focus can limit accessibility and broader market appeal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ## Related quotes > [I've had 79 to 80 years of show business. I started when I was 5 with a man called Tom Mix. I didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sidney/i-ve-had-79-to-80-years-of-show-business-i-started-when-i-was-5-with/) George Sidney > [That business we started with 10 people has now grown into a great American success story. Some of the companies we helped start are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/that-business-we-started-with-10-people-has-now-grown-into-a-great-3/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [I ended up getting kicked out of my house when I was 16, and I went off to college. When they actually saw that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dania-ramirez/i-ended-up-getting-kicked-out-of-my-house-when-i-was-16-and-i-went/) [Dania Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dania-ramirez/) > [We, as wrestlers, need to remember that this is a business. We started because we love the business, and we stay in it because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-del-rio/we-as-wrestlers-need-to-remember-that-this-is-a-business-we-started/) [Alberto Del Rio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-del-rio/) > [“If there is a necessary talks, do not turn into businesses because pocket where business started.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deh-gel/if-there-is-a-necessary-talks-do-not-turn-into-businesses-because/) Deh Gel > [That business we started with 10 people has now grown into a great American success story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/that-business-we-started-with-10-people-has-now-grown-into-a-great-2/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [If I had to do it all over again, rather than build an old style type of business, I would have started building a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/if-i-had-to-do-it-all-over-again-rather-than-build-an-old-style-type/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [That business we started with 10 people has now grown into a great American success story. Some of the companies we helped start are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/that-business-we-started-with-10-people-has-now-grown-into-a-great/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [I spent 26 years watching my dad, and I didn't know anything about the business until I started myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-spent-26-years-watching-my-dad-and-i-didn-t-know-anything-about-the/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [In every business I had ever started, even ones that had totally failed, I had kept good relations with the investors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/in-every-business-i-had-ever-started-even-ones-that-had-totally/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [I started my blog back in 2009 because every Internet business and marketing seminar I watched at the time told me I had to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/i-started-my-blog-back-in-2009-because-every-internet-business-and/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [I didn't really start performing until high school. My whole family is actually in the business, and started in the business in Chicago, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-mueller/i-didn-t-really-start-performing-until-high-school-my-whole-family-is/) [Jessie Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-mueller/) > [A business can be started with very little money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/a-business-can-be-started-with-very-little-money/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I'm sensitive to the resources needed by a small business to get started and keep going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-messam/i-m-sensitive-to-the-resources-needed-by-a-small-business-to-get/) [Wayne Messam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-messam/) > [“Professional men run the business started by the courageous men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/professional-men-run-the-business-started-by-the-courageous-men/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) ## More by Kenneth Cole > [People have a whole lot more choices than they've had in the past, and I have only earned the right to be considered -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/people-have-a-whole-lot-more-choices-than-they-ve-had-in-the-past-and/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) > [Twitter is a very powerful platform for adversarial feedback.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/twitter-is-a-very-powerful-platform-for-adversarial-feedback/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) > [I've come to realize nobody needs what we sell. There's hardly a woman who needs another pair of black shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/i-ve-come-to-realize-nobody-needs-what-we-sell-there-s-hardly-a-woman/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) > [I never really had long range plans. I take one season at a time, every day at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/i-never-really-had-long-range-plans-i-take-one-season-at-a-time-every/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) > [After working with my father for two years, we started Candie's, a line of imported shoes from Italy. Then in 1982 I set out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/after-working-with-my-father-for-two-years-we-started-candie-s-a-line/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) > [It's not about me, it's about you, the customer. And if I am effective in making what I do about you, and I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/it-s-not-about-me-it-s-about-you-the-customer-and-if-i-am-effective/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) > [Often people ask me about getting involved in service and philanthropy, and my first advice is: Make sure it's real and it's transparent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/often-people-ask-me-about-getting-involved-in-service-and/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) > [I've struggled with that over the years: Is fashion relevant? Is it frivolous? Is it trivial? Because I give so much of my essence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/i-ve-struggled-with-that-over-the-years-is-fashion-relevant-is-it/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) > [When I first fell in love with Maria, it was because she really cares about things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/when-i-first-fell-in-love-with-maria-it-was-because-she-really-cares/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) > [My first AIDS campaign was in 1985. There was this dark cloud, everybody was socially inspired - we hadn't seen social consciousness like that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/my-first-aids-campaign-was-in-1985-there-was-this-dark-cloud/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) > [I'm also on the Board at Sundance, so I've seen witnessed first hand the power of independent storytelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/i-m-also-on-the-board-at-sundance-so-i-ve-seen-witnessed-first-hand/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) > [I've realized that people come to the brand not just for the products we make, but because of what we stand for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/i-ve-realized-that-people-come-to-the-brand-not-just-for-the-products/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) > [The best solution is very much the least expensive and most creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/the-best-solution-is-very-much-the-least-expensive-and-most-creative/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) > [Over the years, I have found a way to use this business and this platform to talk with people about important issues. To the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/over-the-years-i-have-found-a-way-to-use-this-business-and-this/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) > [Shoes are by far the most complicated thing to bring to market. It's not just design. You need engineering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/shoes-are-by-far-the-most-complicated-thing-to-bring-to-market-it-s/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) [Explore all 122 Kenneth Cole quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. 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We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) Frank B. Wilderson III > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. 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