Our First Real Test....

Diary of a Wannabe Shoe Dog

Journey Whispers from the Desk of the CEO

Our first real test as a footwear brand came in 2019 at HUNTEX.

Looking back now, I can’t help but smile.

There we were — a team of five enthusiastic people, convinced we were about to shoot the lights out.

We arrived armed with technical specifications that we had all spent days memorising, determined to sound like we knew exactly what we were talking about. We had our amazing brand, a breathtaking stand (that cost a small fortune for the space we occupied in the hall), a carefully planned schedule so everyone could take turns standing “around” the stand… and the wide-eyed fascination of complete newcomers to the footwear world.

And just like that, we were off to market our brand.

But then came the question that every product business eventually faces.

“How much stock are we taking with us?”

All eyes turned to me.

Suddenly the voices in my head went off like sirens. Which Excel spreadsheet formula should I use to make sure I didn’t let anyone down? Which magical equation would guarantee that we had the perfect size curve to be all things to all people at HUNTEX?

And so our first outdoor adventure began… carefully controlled by an Excel spreadsheet.

But here’s the thing Excel couldn’t account for.... 

Blisters! 

The kind you get from wearing brand new shoes while standing on a trade show floor for twelve hours a day, trying to deliver your carefully memorised script — and then having to put those same shoes on again the next morning.

Lesson learned: never wear brand new shoes on an adventure.

You’re supposed to break them in first.

It would have been very useful knowledge at the time.

Excel also couldn’t have predicted something else.

The number of friends we would make on that very first adventure.

Some of them started out as sceptical customers. But they trusted our story, took a chance on our brand, and today they remain loyal supporters and regular customers — some only replacing the very first pair they bought at HUNTEX in 2019 as recently as 2025.

To those early believers: welcome back, friends.

And thank you for walking this journey with us.

The journey continues… and the whispers get a little clearer.

— From the Desk of the CEO