Barefoot Running Sandals idea → $1.5 Million/Month

🏖️ Creative Entrepreneur fun one-liner:

Why did the entrepreneur always carry a binoculars? To see future opportunities more clearly!

Onto Today’s story….

Steven Sashen was making sandals in his garage and facing skepticism from even his wife Lena about whether he could turn his hobby into a business.

Yet, he grew Xero Shoes to more than $1Million+/Month business.

Here is how he did it.

In 2007, Sashen was 45 years old and decided to do something he loved in his younger days.

An avid sprinter in his youth, he decided to return to the track.

But soon injuries began piling up.

On the advice of a friend,

Sashen tried running barefoot and immediately noticed improvements, in his form and reduction in injuries.

So, based on some 10,000 year old designs, and the huarache sandals that the Tarahumaras in Mexico,made with used tires and leather straps,

he designed his own “barefoot sandals.”

With some samples built,

Sashen received interest from other runners, who wanted him to make them custom sandals.

Sensing an opportunity, a running coach urged Sashen to build a website to sell his creations.

Sashen proposed the idea to Lena, his wife.

She shot it down completely, calling it “a horrible idea and won’t make any money, and is a waste of your time."

But Sashen couldn’t stop.

That night after Lena went to bed, he built a website anyway.

Sashen initially started selling do-it-yourself kits for people to make sandals at home.

He cut rubber sheets into smaller sizes, packaged cords and laces from Home Depot, wrote instructions, and shipped orders from his house.

Leveraging his past experience building websites, Sashen quickly dominated search results around keywords,

like “barefoot running sandals" , “running sandals”, and “Tarahumara huaraches."

He joined online forums related to barefoot running, and provided helpful videos and content while linking back to his site.

Within months, DIY kits were flying off the virtual shelves.

By this time his wife Lena got convinced about the idea and started supporting him.

Sashen was soon shipping 10-20 orders daily from his garage.

Realizing they struck an entrepreneurial gold mine, he and Lena plunged headfirst into the business.

As demand grew,

Sashen formed connections with industry veterans who helped take Xero Shoes to the next level.

This included Dennis Driscoll, a footwear designer whose past work sold millions globally.

Driscoll joined Xero in 2013 and developed an upgraded, ready-to-wear version of their original sandals.

He then expanded the product line to over a dozen high-performance shoe and sandal options.

The partnership with Driscoll helped Xero Shoes transition, from selling only DIY kits to becoming a leading barefoot footwear brand.

In the early years, Xero Shoes was self-funded by Sashen through initial sales and some credit cards.

Growth quickly outpaced these funding channels.

He then got a SBA loan and that was not enough.

Then Sashen had his biggest funding breakthrough in 2013, getting onto ABC's hit show Shark Tank.

The exposure let Xero Shoes gain awareness and sales received a jolt, equivalent to almost 3 months of revenue generated within a week.

With this money they got a bigger warehouse.

Despite testing countless marketing tactics, Sashen attributes Xero Shoes' growth to a relentless focus on customer experience.

His goal is that trying on a pair of Xero Shoes leaves people saying "Oh wow!"

He identified niche communities interested in natural movement, from barefoot runners to yoga lovers to martial artists.

Sashen himself joined relevant Facebook groups and Reddit threads, aiming to provide authentic value rather than a sales pitch.

He also did Facebook ads, Adwords and YouTube ads.

He also started selling on Amazon.

Sales started to increase.

Behind the scenes, Sashen monitored key metrics, like customer lifetime value, and ROI on Ads, to guide marketing decisions.

Xero Shoes continued to grow rapidly

Sashen also stresses the need for a great partner, he credits Lena's operational prowess as the yin to his marketing yang.

In reflecting on his entrepreneurial journey, Sashen says "We go to work every day thinking,

what do I need to learn today to make this business work?"

From his humble start selling sandal kits from his garage,

Sashen now makes $1.5M/Month

Xero Shoes has left imprints across the world - and many happy customers.

9 reasons why they succeeded

1. Started a business with his personal obsession

• Steven loved sprinting as a youth. When injuries piled up, when he tried years later,he rediscovered his passion by running barefoot.

• He designed minimalist "barefoot sandals" for himself and then made them for other interested runners.

• He turned this into a business out of personal obsession, not just to make money.

2. Saw Personal benefit

• He noticed major improvements in his running

• He also saw reduction in injuries when he switched to barefoot shoes.

• He realized other runners may face similar issues like him and started a business.

3. Leveraged his existing skills

• He utilized his past experience building websites to quickly create an online store for his sandals.

• He optimized for keywords that runners would search and provided helpful content to position himself as an expert.

• This allowed him to dominate search results and drive site traffic to his website

4. Low-cost promotion

• Steven shared advice in forums related to barefoot running and natural movement.

• Rather than a sales pitch, he provided authentic value by answering questions and helped people.

• People naturally found out what he was selling and bought them.

5. Started low-cost products first

• Steven first sold do-it-yourself kits for sandals due to low initial money requirements.

• Once he got enough money, he switched to producing shoes and selling them.

6. Got good help when ready to expand

• As demand grew beyond Steven's initial capabilities, he brought on Dennis Driscoll, an expert designer.

• Dennis introduced over a dozen high-performance shoes and sandals.

• Sales zoomed.

7. Went where his customers hung out

• Steven identified specific communities who would be interested like barefoot running, yoga, martial arts communities.

• He directly interacted in their forums and groups, offering advice tailored to their interests.

• This allowed him to organically reach and sell to audiences already inclined to buy his products if positioned properly.

8. Closely monitored Metrics

• Rather than guesswork, Steven stressed the importance of metrics like customer LTV and ROI on ads to guide growth.

• By continuously monitoring performance data, he was able to focus on high-traction channels and eliminate ineffective areas.

9. Had a beginner mindset even after success.

• Even after massive success, Steven maintains a learning mindset of asking "what do I need to learn today?"

• He focuses on constant incremental improvement across all areas rather than resting on his laurels

• This dedication to daily learning, even after achieving success, drives his ongoing success and growth.

Hope you liked the story and the tactics which made them successful.

Keep Rocking!

Yours "Build your Biz with almost no risk" Vijay Peduru