No biz like shoe biz

“MAD DMAN” — the documentary about shoe designer Steve Madden (inset) — is a rags-to-riches story that could be a primer on how to grow a small business.

Madden, who grew up in the Five Towns area of Long Island, started with a $1,100 investment in 1990 and the help of the doorman at his Manhattan apartment building.

“Ask for help,” Madden advises in the film, available on Amazon and iTunes. “Get people to help you with your dream, because at some point, you can’t do it all.”

Madden was also helped by his older brother, John, who was the head of Madden’s international division until his death in 2015. John once said of Steve’s success, “He’s driven, dedicated and works 24 hours a day. When he meets people, he actually looks at their shoes first!” Madden, who started off selling shoes out of his car, was quick to design platform shoes when other companies were caught flatfooted. He has a factory where a prototype can be created in hours. But they aren’t all hits. The most intense scene in the film shows Madden in a meeting discussing one shoe that didn’t sell. “These colors are horrible,” Madden says. Some employees have been with him from the beginning. His ex, Wendy Ballew, was once his director of operations. They remain on good terms.

Not so amicable is his relationship with Jordan

Belfort, “The Wolf of Wall Street” swindler who took Madden’s company public and then ratted him out to the feds. Madden also didn’t like the way he was portrayed by Jake Hoff

man in “The Wolf of Wall Street.” “Too nerdy,” Madden said.