Richard Jacobs: Hello. This is Richard Jacobs with Future Tech and Future Health Podcasts. And I have Billy Price he is the founder of Billy footwear.com. How are you doing today? 

Billy Price: I am doing fantastic. 

Richard Jacobs: Yeah I can tell listeners billy makes sneakers and above and beyond the designs they have this cool zipper where you can just open up the whole sleeker and step out of it instead of having to maneuver your foot into it and make sure it fits right and we’ll get into that shortly, but Billy why did you decide or how did you get the idea to create this footwear? Like what is your background. 

Billy Price: So the main objective of our shoes was that the whole deal of having a shove your foot into a shoe.

What we tried to do is change the game and by having a zipper that goes on the outside and around the toe, the whole upper is able to fold over. So essentially you’re disrupting your foot and an unobstructed bit of a drop-in solution and that type of solution just doesn’t exist on the market. They are having zippers on shoes it’s not an original concept, but certainly, the way our shoes open up that is original and it’s been received very well in the marketplace and we’re just really excited about it. 

The background behind how we came up with this is I’m in a wheelchair. So I broke my neck when I was 18 years old. I was a freshman in college and when I broke my leg a lot of things changed I was a fiercely independent person growing up and then became someone that was paralyzed from the chest down for spinal cord injury. And it wasn’t just the wheelchair part of it. It also affected my hands, so my pinching ability with the kind of dexterity in my fingers I just don’t have that anymore. So you know in the marketplace there are shoes out there that would allow you to overcome laces, but still that challenge of having a shove your foot into a shoe that challenge was so existed. So seeing nothing on the market that satisfied my needs, we just decided to lean into it and come up with their own solution.

Richard Jacobs: That’s great! You know it’s funny when I bet you a lot of people would tell you that’s obvious when they see it but yet it does exist. It’s weird. You wonder why it has been made. 

Billy Price:  Right. You know, you hit it right on the head. I mean people look at it because it’s not a complicated design and we’ve had that same type of reception many times. Like, oh my gosh, it’s so simple. Why didn’t I think of that? And I think a lot of people may have thought of that idea. It’s just that no one moved on it and that’s really where I am. You can come up with an idea and this goes with anything but actually putting your idea to work with others and get people excited about it, that’s a whole different type of ball game and that’s what we opted to set out and build a business around and it’s just been incredible to see the reception that we’ve been getting.

Richard Jacobs: Well I’ve hurt my knee a few times and do you realize it’s very easy to become debilitated by the simplest things? Like I’ve hurt my knee a few times and just lifting my leg to get into the car was really hard. So I could see that putting on a shoe could be impossible if you’re disabled in a certain way literally totally white. 

Billy Price: Yea totally and another wild thing about it is that it was really important to us when we entered the marketplace we didn’t set out to make an adaptive shoe what we wanted to do is make a mainstream shoe and the analogy that I give quite often I remember growing up on the playground at school and if you’re wearing something different, people were always reminding you that you’re wearing something different. So if it was a matter of entering into the marketplace with some sort of a widget whatever may be in our case shoes we had to make sure that it would be something that anybody would want to wear and not just someone that needed the functionality but someone that just loves convenience. So that’s kind of set out to do it’s interesting because we’ve had a number of people reach out with that same kind of concept being on the playground. Now that person is wearing a shoe that’s very functional for them. Instead of them wanting to wear shoes like other people. Now, these other people are seeing new shoes, like wait for a second, I want to wear that too so it’s a complete 180 of a kind that whole change in the game.

Richard Jacobs: So who uses the shoe and who doesn’t, who are your customers and are they thought they would be? I would think people like arthritis, but maybe not I don’t know, what are you? 

Billy Price: Right! So our customer target is really everybody which is a really broad stroke there. Those that need the functionality are definitely empowered, but the vast acquainted I mean the vast majority of our customers are wanting to just love the convenience. So on the convenience side one that’s been really excited when the demographics is the moms, the moms for their kids. So every morning kids trying to put their shoes on, or I should say moms are trying to get their kids to put their shoes on and it just turns into this daily battle. Well, now that the kids are not only put the shoes on by themselves, but they’re excited to do so. So the funny thing is the battle that was with the mom trying to get their kids to put their shoes on.

Now the new battle is trying to have the kids take their shoes off because they love our shoes so much, they don’t want to take them off. So that’s one example but then on the complete flip side of that, those that need the real functionality of the shoe are those such as myself, like being in a wheelchair, but also there’s an audience that I didn’t know existed and those are the ones that were foot braces. You know, they have some sort of brace on their foot and it makes it very challenging to really stuff that brace and what not into a shoe. So those that were SMO, AFO’s, just socially those orthotics they’ve been really excited about the brand because having that unobstructed entry makes it very easy for them to put the braces in the shoe! Okay.

Richard Jacobs: What about elderly people or people that go into the hospital? 

Billy Price: So another demographic that has responded really well and they kind of responded most recently just because we launched our adult line, but those that have arthritis or what not or just the same sort of deal with dexterity, but also the actual like bending over to actually reach your feet or being able to lift your foot up to be able to get arms wreath of your hands and just having a zipper and well let me back up a tad. The laces are functional. So what happens is as soon as somebody gets the fit right, they would just double knot the laces and then it’s kind of set in place.

And then they just use the zippers henceforth. So anyone that has challenges with dexterity, anyone that has challenges actually reaching their feet, anyone that has challenges with some sort of orthotic or something like that. But then also those that don’t necessarily have feeling in their feet kinda like myself and it’s important to really have a good understanding of how your foot is placed in the shoe. Well, with our design you can just unzip the top and take the physical like look at how your toes are oriented side the shoe make sure your socks are no flat and unwrinkled all of those functional characteristics that we can provide now with our shoes and has been really exciting for those who need it. 

Richard Jacobs: I’m imagining it might be hard to reach down in Zipper unzipper the shoe. I mean, I guess once you’ve flipped in it, the weight of your leg provides leverage that the shoe doesn’t move and you can zip different. But have you thought about trying anything to the zipper or having a device that again holds the shoe in plays and does the zippering for you somehow or you know, again an extension on the zipper so that you, you don’t have to lean down and zipper the shoe or in Zipper it for disabled people?

Billy Price: Right. Well great question so the way our shoes are set up the slider I guess which would be closing and opening that zipper. There’s a pull tab on it. It’s just there’s, it’s a large head, not with the little a cord pole that’s about an inch long depending on the size of the shoe and then toddler size a little bit smaller like adult sizes a little bit bigger. But that whole allows you the ability to like kind of grab onto it. But then someone like myself that needs like a more loop, something larger, what I would do is I would just untie that input on the bigger loop so we want to be able to create something that allowed the end-user to customize it to how they best need to fit their needs. So to your point where you’re talking about is as soon as somebody steps their foot into the shoe the weight of their foot is really holding the shoe in place, So it makes it very easy when you pull on that slider for the upper and the lower part of the shoe to come together.

Richard Jacobs:  You know what might be really helpful is if you encourage users to send in pictures or videos on how they use the shoe and how they put it on, cause they bet you will find a whole bunch of ways to put it on or a certain assists that you then can design in that you haven’t thought of. 

Billy Price: You know, that’s a fantastic idea. I mean, that’s a fantastic idea. We have been fortunate for people to just voluntarily share. There are success stories on Facebook and on Instagram but it’s been kind of a passive play on our end. I say we’re like our arms are totally open for them to I’m welcome there stories and whatnot but we haven’t really been pushing it. But to be able to create like some sort of a community platform where really people can share of how they use their shoes for one, but also how they put their shoes on and take them off. I think that’d be really powerful.

Richard Jacobs:  Yeah. Cause they could even group itself under different disabilities, like you know someone that’s elderly and maybe has arthritis in their hands, maybe very different from someone that’s younger and I dunno, they have some other kind of issue, they have a neuropathy but their hands are fine or something, but it’s just a problem. So it may help people use the product more efficiently than they normally would. Maybe it’s possible some people may get it and still be frustrated. So when I take that away by the community that can segment itself that way, you know? 

Billy Price: Oh, totally! Yeah totally. I mean I love it. I love that idea. 

Richard Jacobs:  So what was the design process likely? Was this a sudden idea, oh, I’ll put zippers in the shoes or what are some of the iterations in the design you went through and things that surprise you or like stumbling blocks?

Billy Price: Right! Well I know, I’m so happy you asked so the way our of our company came into existence,  I am one of two co-founders. My other co-founder is, his name is Darren Donaldson and Darren and me, we grew up together. We rode the bus together at elementary school, we lived about a quarter-mile from each other and you know, through the years we’re kind of lost contact with each other and in 2012 we have to invite each other over for Christmas party and when we’re catching up. He happened to mention that he was working on a shoe project of his own. Now how he got in the shoe business. I mean he just kinda had a wild hair going, like, you know what, I think I’m going to try to make a shoe and just challenged himself and he did. He started making these kinds of boots made out of sweatshirt material and it was spectacular. And while he was telling me what he’d been working on, that’s when the idea that was kind of deep inside of me, something that I had completely written off just because I didn’t have any contacts or networks whatsoever to actually create this idea. It bubbled to the surface and Jeremy was telling me his shoe project and I said, well, you know what, I got a shoe idea. And it was just as simple as saying, you know what, I, since being in a chair, I have not been able to put my shoes on by myself. And I bet if we put a zip on the shoe that goes out in the outside around the toe with the whole upper fold-over, well bet that I could be able to, you know, drop my foot in unobstructed and grabbed that zipper and then zip it right up. Bet that’ll work. So he said, sure let’s give it a shot because he already had the contacts in place to be able to develop a prototype and that’s what we did. We made a prototype and when I put that on, but that shoe on, that was the first time I was able to put my shoes on in literally half a lifetime. Because I broke my neck at 18 I put my shoes on again by myself when I was 36 and that one little successful moment in time all of a sudden turned into a much, much bigger project. And that was to pretty much try to tear the wall down between adaptive, non-adaptive, bring something into the marketplace that can work for me, but also have the mass market appeal more like a universal design that anybody and everybody could embrace.

Richard Jacobs: Well, I don’t want to belabor it, but what does that feel like emotionally? When you put the shoe on the first time? Were you like, just excited, the unbelief or what did you feel like,

Billy Price: Well, honestly, when I put that shoe off for the first time, I was like, and why on earth didn’t I do this years ago? It was just kind of like shock. I was just like, oh my gosh, like our idea and the prototype that we sent in, we just sent him the can rendering picture and the manufacturer nailed it. They utilize like an existing last and just the outsole and kind of, you know, looked at our picture and put it in the zipper. And then all of a sudden it was just strictly like, just mass elation. And just like I was completely elated to be able to just know that one, our idea now come to life. You could quit, like your hands around this widget is a creation that you made, but also to regain that independence, it was just a speechless moment, you know? And it was enough. I mean, I would say the passion and the emotion at that moment were so great to really kick us in the butt to do something much, much bigger. Because as I say, you know, zippers in the shoe aren’t really original. But the way we’re doing it is, and I’m sure a lot of people may have spit ball like this kind of idea, but nobody moved on it. And that’s really where the grind is and where you really need to have the passion and the tenacity and the germination to build a brand. So the emotion in that moment of being able to put my shoes on, get by myself was enough to take that into hot and high gear, you know, turn, create a company and build it up to what it is today. 

Richard Jacobs: I hope you guys filed a bunch of patents on this design, right? 

Billy Price: Yeah, we went through the patent process and as I say, you know, a lot of people kind of thought of ideas and whatnot. So there’s previous artwork out there and it’s nothing like what we’re doing. I mean having zippers an issue. So, but to your point, having patents and stuff, we’re in the patent approval process, we’re patent pending. 

Richard Jacobs: Oh, good. This next part, this may be caveat for my editor when we may want to edit it out. I’m going to give you an idea and that’s why, so because of the nature of the shoe, what appeals to me is you can now access ports of the foot and put like medicated patches and spots that would otherwise probably be impossible, like on the top of the foot, besides the bottom, whatever, you know, like your traditional shoe. Let’s say I put a patch or a band-aid or whatever on a part of my foot as it goes into the shoe, that’ll probably be ripped off or pulled off. But with your shoe, you could avoid that and you could have targeted medical therapy that can be integrated into the shoe because of the design. So, I don’t know if you thought about that, but maybe that’s an idea for you. 

Billy Price: Yeah. Well, but I love that idea. We haven’t explored that specific idea. However, we have been approached by various universities and think tanks because they want to be able to do evaluations of gait patterns of people, how people walk. In order to really do that, you know, there’s a bunch of different sensors that need to be placed, one outside of a shoe, like on the surfaces that they’re walking on. But on the other hand, it’s like actual sensors inside the shoe and it’s just really challenging to place those sensors in a shoe when you don’t have full access to the inside. So being able to open it up completely and see every surface on the inside on these think tanks and whatnot had been really excited to be able to utilize our shoes as the receptacles so they can move forward with our tests. But it’s very much in line, kind of what you’re talking about being able to kind of customize it. 

Richard Jacobs: If you divide up the foot into zones, top, bottom front sides, and then you did a slight modification. Like let’s say one zone, it’ll be the top of the foot, not including the toes and all that. You could modify the design of the top part, that overlays on there, maybe make a little pocket so that if someone does put a bandage there, it has a space to be put, you know, or a pad or whatever. You could do maybe a little carve-outs for each individual toe if you wanted. You could put an interior like liner in there that maybe keeps the tows separated by little risers, you know and you could divide up the foot again into zones and then you could market it that way. And then medical companies that want to do specific applications and target specific parts of the foot, your shoe would be ready for them to do that. And they would have the structure to allow them to do that and keep it separate and have be more effective. 

Billy Price: Yeah. Plus to be like completely customizable. Right?

Richard Jacobs: Right. Let’s say like, you know, also my foot for some reason I have like a problem with toe spacing. So your shoe could, you know, again, with a little risers between the toes and you know, this is just audio It’s hard to show visual, but you could have a shoe that keeps my toes of space a little bit differently than normal or better space. Or again, like maybe for some reason, the morphology of my foot like puts pressure on the top or some other part. I mean, you could again have certain custom presets of the shoe, you know, people that get swelling, anyway, this is one of the things you could do. I’m just referring. It’s just maintenance for you.

Billy Price: Right. Well, I love every word of that. I mean, I think about right now the way our shoes are, the inserts are removable. So we already have customers that take those inserts out for a number of reasons, but also some of them they put in an insert that has more like a lift to meet like arch and support needs. So like what you are talking about is amazing because you could essentially create those avenues on the other surfaces of the inside of the shoe that they could build out or removed to meet the need of the customers. I know we have a lot of customers to reach out and have them, on the functional side, challenges with the demo so their feet really swell and it may start as one size in the morning and then by the end of the day it’s a significantly larger size. And there’s a number of different ways to meet that challenge and you have some customizable, I feel on the inside is another way to do that. Yeah, good idea. Love it.

 Richard Jacobs: So yeah, there you go. I’m just imagining the stuff I’ve had, I’ve had very wisely. So I’ve had a flat foot too, so I have certain issues and other people have very high arches and that’s just normal people. But anyway, there’s stuff that goes. 

Billy Price: Yeah. One thing I love is, you know has feet, but everyone puts different. So you need to, you know, there’s obviously like kind of a standard template you can come out with, but then there’s a lot of like individual requirements to really truly get that perfect fit. 

Richard Jacobs: Well, very good. Well, where can people get shoes? I mean, I know there are on your website release at where, but are they on Amazon or wherever else? Can you get them shoe stores?

Billy Price: Yeah. Yeah. Great. I love that question. So we have our parent e-commerce site, which is billyfootwear.com. On that site, there’s a tab that says retail partners, which lists all of our retail partners. Which are some of the big ones. Zappos, Zappos is incredibly supportive. Also in Nordstrom or in kid’s put locker and Amazon actually owns Zappos. So we’re also on the Amazon platform as well, even though we’re not working directly with Amazon. So it’s kind of a double bonus working with Zappos. There’s a number of other independent stores all around the US that are on there and we’re expanding into more retail partners all the time.

Some other big major retail partners that we just signed on with, one is finished line Macy’s. Those would be available in those stores in the next probably month or two. And then also, shields, shields is a retailer, you know, kind of in the Midwest, as well as one hour. And then another one is journeys. So lots of different places to go and get it. I mean, unfortunately, like every single major retailer and whatnot, they don’t have our shoes in all of the stores, but we definitely have placed in a couple of the big ones. So as you continue to grow, we’ll let keep filling those shelves.

Richard Jacobs: Yeah. The cost frankly is like really low. A lot of them are like, I saw the website, and it looks like 50, $55. Like I would think these shoes would be, you know, 100 bucks and up, like a lot of the other sites out there, but your prices are like, in my opinion, low. So you can go wrong with these things. 

Billy Price: Yeah. Like, well, I really appreciate that. So there’s a method to that madness. One is, as I said, being competitive in the mainstream market, you got to be competitive with the big boys, which of you vans and converse and Nike. So the price point that we meet in the mainstream is akin to those guys. But to your point, talking about like the over a hundred dollars and whatnot, you start getting into the medical side of it. It really is incredible how the price point can go way up one because that’s that medical stamp. But also you’re not necessarily meeting the minimums when it comes to the manufacturing side. So because the minimums are lower, the price per unit goes up and then it’s more of a niche type deal. So everything kind of compounds and it makes it that much more challenging for the end-user to repurchase.

Richard Jacobs: Well. Very good. Well, Bill, it’s a great story, great product. I really think it’s cool and I appreciate you coming on the podcast. 

Billy Price: Yeah, my pleasure. I love the opportunity and thank you so much for reaching out.