So many companies fail due to growing too fast and not being able to keep up or growing too slow and dying out.
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I’d say the biggest problem, or more so challenge really, was and continues to be, how to grow at the right speed. What was the biggest problem you encountered with your business and how did you overcome it? One of the Shark Tank producers really fell in love with our story, so we also got help on that end. That got us a lot of attention that we were able to leverage and really introduce ourselves to the world. The DJ Khaled collab we did also played a major factor. As far as Shark Tank, that really came to fruition through persistent pitching for about 3 years. I mean, her team had custom team hats, sweaters, water bottles, pants, and just about anything else you could imagine, except slides. And to be honest, I’m not sure exactly what led me to quite literally start the research and process, but I do recall being at one of my daughter’s soccer games and noticing the custom gear that went head to toe… well almost. The idea of creating a product, service, business model, and working with incredible minds had long been a dream of mine. Having spent 10 years at Reebok at that point, I knew I wanted to create a brand of my own. I was the Head of Basketball Product at Reebok when ISlide became an idea. Tell us how you started your company and then ended up on Shark Tank? From licensed and custom logos, to phrases, to family photos, and even inside jokes, people love the opportunity to create something that they feel connected to. And with that, we’ve seen an incredible amount of designs. Fast forward, 7 incredible years later, and we’re the only premium slide sandal company in the world that can make and send out a pair to anyone under two weeks. I saw there was no one filling the void of creating a high-quality version that is also customizable. Back in 2013, the trends in footwear showed as much as a 25% growth in the slide industry, specifically.
ISlide is all about self-expression, and the freedom to do so.
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HR: And, in the end, no one recommended the spiky Adidas ones.To read the full interview by Billion Success, click here What is ISlide all about? I thought I was going to get a thousand recommendations for those, but I ended up getting a lot of mentions for Arizonas instead. When I started to open up my definition of slides to include clogs or mules, I actually realized that one of my favorites is the Birkenstock Boston, which I’ve been wearing for more than a year. JB: I agree, though I’m still a Birkenstock loyalist. Some of the women we talked to recommended Birkenstocks, but I also think there’s a post-Birkenstock movement of wanting the comfort of a Birkenstock but with a little bit more style - something you could wear to dinner and look slightly dressed up in. HR: And shoes that can still look nice, too. But it’s like you said, people are really looking for the kind of footwear that you can wear in that one-mile radius and still be comfortable. They were like, “This isn’t a slide, really, but you do slide your foot in.” Which, fair. But a couple of the guys I spoke to also pushed clogs. When I think of slides, I think of those Adidas sandals with all the nubs in the sole or the Birkenstock Arizona. One thing that surprised me was how vast the definition of slides is to some people. A lot of the slides recommended by the stylish people we spoke to really fit that concept.
Something you mentioned when we first talked about this, and that a trend forecaster I spoke to for a story last year mentioned, is this idea of “one mile wear,” which is a Japanese concept for clothing and shoes that you’d wear within a mile of your house, but still look presentable. It’s like, I go downstairs to check the mail four times a day, and the last thing I want to do is lace up shoes. And I’m curious what made you think about slides. I found myself wondering about the best versions - and the most stylish, too. I think the most important function of a slide is whether or not they’re comfortable enough to wear inside but also rugged enough to take a stroll to the bodega or around the block. Jordan Bowman: Slides hold a special place in my heart and right now, everyone wants something you can wear just to go across the street. Why do you think they’re relevant for this moment? Hilary Reid: We both wanted to write about slides, so clearly slides are on the brain right now. But first, we had a few things to discuss. To figure out why, we reached out to a panel of stylish people to find out their favorites. That’s what happened with slides - shoes that you slip your foot in and out of, without having to lace or buckle anything - which felt particularly right for this especially local moment. Sometimes we notice them at the same time. As Strategist writers, we’re always noticing trends.
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