OrtoDucks

I launched my career by creating OrthoDucks, an innovative orthopedic shoe brand, to challenge the idea that orthopedic shoes must be expensive or unattractive.

Through market and consumer research, I identified a need for orthopedic shoes that provide comfort and support while also being stylish. Traditional options were either costly or unattractive, often making wearers feel self-conscious.

OrthoDucks bridges this gap by offering functional, stylish, and affordable orthopedic shoes. By combining market research, design innovation, and a deep understanding of consumer needs, OrthoDucks not only met but exceeded expectations, breaking the social stigma and empowering wearers to feel confident and fashionable.

Key Contributions

Market Research:

• Conducted in-depth market research to uncover unmet needs in the orthopedic shoe industry and identify a potential niche
• Gathered valuable insights through product discovery interviews with patients and expert consultations with doctors and industry professionals
• Used the insights gained from the market research to inform the product positioning and key value propositions

Positioning and Branding:

• Developed a strong and unique brand identity for OrthoDucks, including naming, logo, packaging and messaging
• Fine-tuned the branding based on feedback from target market testing, ensuring maximum relevance and appeal to the target audience

Product Development:

• Created product requirements, designed and developed a range of stylish and comfortable orthopedic shoes, meeting medical standards and technical requirements
• Managed the product development process, overseeing the leather quality assurance, shoe modeling, and comfortability testing
• Conducted multiple rounds of testing to validate the idea, the comfort, appeal, and durability of the shoes

Distribution and Sales:

• Created pricing strategies to effectively reach target customers, considering terms and volumes
• Managed the sales process, including lead generation and setting up meetings with key decision makers in the orthopedic market.

From Failure to Lessons Learned: The OrthoDucks Story

My first entrepreneurial venture, OrthoDucks, was to bring style to the orthopedic shoe market. Initially, I managed to get a position in a regional chain of orthopedic shoe stores. However, the business ultimately failed due to insufficient funding.

A key lesson learned was the critical importance of timing and seasonality. Delays resulted in an off-season product launch, which severely impacted sales and my ability to secure financing, leading to bankruptcy.

This experience highlighted the need for careful planning, execution and forecasting. It is critical to budget properly, secure adequate funding, and have contingency plans in place to support the project during times of financial stress. These valuable lessons played an important role in my subsequent ventures.