In 2007, Kenton Lee traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, after graduating college. He lived and worked at a small orphanage with some incredible kids. One day, he was walking down a dusty road with all the kids when he noticed a little girl in a white dress walking next to him.
As he looked down at her feet, he was shocked to see how small her shoes were. They were so small that she had to cut open the front of her shoes to let her toes stick out.
That was the day that Kenton thought:
What if there was a shoe that could adjust and expand its size? What if there was a shoe that could grow?
And the idea for The Shoe That Grows™ was born.
Six Years to Make the Shoes That Grow
It took Kenton and a group of friends back in their hometown in Idaho more than six years to take this idea and turn it into a reality. But they finally did it; they made The Shoe That Grows—a shoe that grows five sizes and lasts for years.
They started the nonprofit organization Because International™ to serve as the structure to get The Shoe That Grows to as many kids as possible who desperately need footwear to protect their feet.
This shoe project was always a little hobby for Kenton and his friends. It was something they were passionate about, but they never dreamed it would be the worldwide cause and movement today.
Three hundred fifty thousand pairs of shoes later, the concept of expandable shoes has gone from an idea to serving 350 000 children in impoverished regions of the world.
Two Big Marketing Lessons
The first big lesson is about persistence. Kenton and his gang didn’t give up on this idea as they persistently kept pushing this idea to make it work. The endurance of an entrepreneur is probably as important as any other aspect in building a nonprofit or for-profit brand. You will face hurdles but need to keep pushing onward. Every bump in the road requires a creative detour or some extra hard “elbow grease” to get things moving forward.
Playing the long game is a crucial trait in most successful entrepreneurs. They don’t just try, hit a roadblock, and quit.
The second lesson is that a non-profit can be centered on a product. It can become a source of donations and a different type of business model. The ability for them to sell these shoes to consumers and use the profits to fund donations can help make this an even more sustainable venture. Like Humantix and other non-profits – there are more ways to raise donations than putting out a hand.
If the shoe fits, keep wearing it.
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Watch a short video about working with me.
Photos courtesy of The Shoe That Grows. HT to Marc Randolph’s That Will Never Work
