"Surround yourself with other entrepreneurs" with Laina Gossman
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Laina Gossman is a young, female inventor and entrepreneur. She is the Founder and CEO of Soul Insole. Soul Insole designs unique, high quality, affordable solutions for foot health. Foot pain can be debilitating & can impede our ability to work & to do the things that we love. The feet support the entire body & Soul Insole helps to provide the most innovative, effective solutions to support the feet and help people get back their quality of life.
Can you tell our readers about your background?
I’ve worked for over 14 years in orthotic design, studied kinesiology & biomechanics. I got my start in a small comfort shoe store in Carmel Valley, apprenticing in orthotic design under a brilliant biomechanist named Michael Kendall. Through my time there and after, people always came to me with their serious foot ailments, oftentimes after exhausting every other resource including doctors, $500 custom orthotics, and surgeries. My designs really worked to get people back on their feet without pain.
What inspired you to start your business?
I wanted to help more people than I could by individually hand-carving orthotics. Getting my designs manufactured would allow me to help people all over the world to tackle their foot problems and improve their quality of life.
Where is your business based?
Soul Insole is based in San Diego, California
How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?
After getting a few designs patented, Soul Insole was born. I successfully launched on Kickstarter and Soul Insole now sells tens of thousands of shoe inserts each year. They are available in local Shoe Stores and doctors’ offices as well as amazon and shipped worldwide on our website.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?
Word of mouth and positive reviews have been a huge part of raising awareness about the difference our insoles can make in people’s lives.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
There have definitely been bumps along the road and it has been a great learning experience. I like to consider my entrepreneurial journey to be my hands-on master’s degree. One of the biggest challenges for me is the difficulty of letting people go. I pride myself in loyalty and once I’ve invested so much into someone, when they are letting their work slide well beyond what should be acceptable, sometimes I’ve still hung onto them. I have had to learn the hard way that timeliness, efficiency, and good communication are key to completing big tasks, and everyone I work with needs to be on the same page.
I initially began the manufacturing process with a man who was described as the best mechanical and chemical engineer in the footwear world. Unfortunately, my small project did not rank high on his to-do list and he would take weeks and months to respond to simple emails and design improvements. Finally, I decided to stop working with this manufacturer. I searched across the world, I made a list of over 60 manufacturers and narrowed it down to the one I have chosen to work with since my launch. They have impeccable quality standards, they were willing to take the time to develop my product materials to perfection and I have happily built a very good relationship with them over the years.
How do you stay focused?
The key to staying focussed for me is making lists. For some odd reason, I like to physically write down my to-do list. I make bullet points and cross them off once they’re done. Once the full list of bullet points on the paper is finished, I crumble the list and throw it away. That feels good!
How do you differentiate your business from the competition?
We offer a 100% Satisfaction or Money Back Guarantee and would never leave anyone stuck with a product that’s not right for them. Our main product is the Shoe Bubble orthotic. It is very unique in that it only rests in the midfoot. So, it doesn’t crowd the shoes or change the fit. Unlike other insoles, we work with sandals and they are also washable and reusable.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
Kickstarter was a great way to get started. We’ve also had success working with affiliate marketers.
What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
1. Surround yourself with other entrepreneurs! They can be in almost any other field yet you will be able to relate and be able to learn valuable information relating to your own focus.
2. Appreciate each job you’ve ever had no matter how big or small. I feel that each place I’ve worked in my life taught me a lesson or a skill that I’ve used in my business.
3. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Starting a business is a continuous learning process.
What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?
Favorite App: Spotify - gotta have my tunes!
Blog - Soul Insole’s Blog of course!
Book - One of my many favorite books is The Inner Game of Tennis
What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?
WordPress has been an awesome platform for our business website. It is an open source platform that opens the doors to create a website exactly for your needs.
Who is your business role model? Why?
Tim Ferris - he is so full of knowledge, knows how to explain big concepts in simple ways, and knows how to team up with the right people.
How do you balance work and life?
Work, Family, Friends, and Fun all need to be priorities for a balanced life.
What’s your favorite way to decompress?
I enjoy doing yoga and meditation to relax and clear my mind
What do you have planned for the next six months?
I’m planning on a busy Q4. Then, I’ll have some time to focus on the research and development for new upcoming footcare products!
How can our readers connect with you?
Please feel free to reach out to me through our website contact page here: https://soulinsole.com/contact/
Address the letter to me and I will see it and get back to you.