Diary of a Wannabe Shoe Dog Journey Whispers from the Desk of the CEO

What is a Shoe Dog?

Seven years ago, I thought it meant someone who simply loved shoes. Someone obsessed with design, leather, soles and silhouettes.

Then I read Phil Knight’s story, and I realised it meant something far deeper. A Shoe Dog is someone consumed by the pursuit — someone willing to bet on a vision, stumble through uncertainty, and build something that may or may not work.

So here I am.

Not quite a Shoe Dog.
But a wannabe.

Recently, someone told me that my passion for shoes shows in the way I speak — in the way I present, in the way I tell our story. I smiled when they said that, because the truth is… it wasn’t always this way.

I still remember the first cold call I made to secure an appointment with a potential stockist. We were trying to get shelf space for the brand we now proudly call home. My palms were sweaty. My voice felt unfamiliar. I remember thinking, “What am I doing in this chair?”

Sales was never “my thing.” Ironically, throughout my career I was often asked to join sales teams — and I always declined. And yet there I was, dialling a number that felt far bigger than me.

Here’s the secret though.

I am not passionate about shoes.

I am passionate about feet — and the adventures they carry us through. The journeys they take us on. The mountains climbed, the boardrooms entered, the risks taken, the long days endured.

Feet navigate life.

And when you begin to respect the journey, you begin to respect what carries it.

That is where my passion was born.

And so, this diary begins — not as someone who has “made it,” but as someone still learning what it means to build, to sell, to lead, and to believe.

Join me over the next few weeks as I recount the small moments, the hard lessons, the quiet wins and the very real doubts of becoming a “wannabe Shoe Dog.”

The journey whispers.
And I’m finally learning to listen.

— From the Desk of the CEO