Obviously, there is also a bit of luck as well but as a team we also do a great job of finding creative and alternative solutions. One of my favorite sayings is “life is too short to make the same mistake twice”. Our group of investors have an incredible amount of experience and success in a variety of different parts of the business so as long as I continue to be communicative, I have the luxury of learning from them and avoiding most mistakes. I think a lot of that can be attributed to having great investors who also act as advisors. Gratefully I haven’t had any major mistakes. What were the top mistakes you made starting your business and what did you learn from it? We have investment rounds every 12-24 months to maintain funds and really capture some big opportunities that our team is ready for. Cash flow is also a big part of our strategy. So many companies fail due to growing too fast and not being able to keep up or growing too slow and dying out. I’d say the biggest problem, or more so challenge really, was and continues to be, how to grow at the right speed. What was the biggest problem you encountered with your business and how did you overcome it? One of the Shark Tank producers really fell in love with our story, so we also got help on that end. That got us a lot of attention that we were able to leverage and really introduce ourselves to the world. The DJ Khaled collab we did also played a major factor. As far as Shark Tank, that really came to fruition through persistent pitching for about 3 years. I mean, her team had custom team hats, sweaters, water bottles, pants, and just about anything else you could imagine, except slides. And to be honest, I’m not sure exactly what led me to quite literally start the research and process, but I do recall being at one of my daughter’s soccer games and noticing the custom gear that went head to toe… well almost. The idea of creating a product, service, business model, and working with incredible minds had long been a dream of mine. Having spent 10 years at Reebok at that point, I knew I wanted to create a brand of my own. I was the Head of Basketball Product at Reebok when ISlide became an idea. Tell us how you started your company and then ended up on Shark Tank? From licensed and custom logos, to phrases, to family photos, and even inside jokes, people love the opportunity to create something that they feel connected to. And with that, we’ve seen an incredible amount of designs. Fast forward, 7 incredible years later, and we’re the only premium slide sandal company in the world that can make and send out a pair to anyone under two weeks. ![]() I saw there was no one filling the void of creating a high-quality version that is also customizable. Back in 2013, the trends in footwear showed as much as a 25% growth in the slide industry, specifically. ISlide is all about self-expression, and the freedom to do so. ISlide appeared on the season eight premiere of ABC’s hit show Shark Tank. Though offered a deal by Robert Herjavec, Kittredge declined. ISlide recently inked retail deals with online powerhouses Neiman Marcus, LIDS, Fanatics and Urban Outfitters.To read the full interview by Billion Success, click here What is ISlide all about? ISlide was founded in 2013 by Justin Kittredge, a 13-year footwear industry veteran and former head of Reebok Basketball, and has emerged from footwear start-up to innovative leader in the slide sandal space. ISlide is the ONLY maker of customizable high-end slides in the marketplace. ISlides are the sought-after athletic sandal sweeping the world on the feet of such athletes and celebrities as Dwayne Wade, Justin Bieber, Ellen Degeneres, Lebron James, Diddy, and more. Maker of DJ Khaled's famous "Bless Up" and "Another One" slide sandals, ISlide fuses fashion with athletics and has partnered with the NBA, the WWE, Def Jam Records, and a number of other teams, brands, and organizations for custom designs. ![]() Licensing deals and design partnerships are nothing new for the Massachusetts based footwear designer and Shark Tank alum. Since inception, ISlide has launched collaborations with the NBA, Nickelodeon, DJ Khaled, Madonna, Antonio Brown, and a number of other notable teams, brands and organizations.įor more information or to design your own custom ISlides, visit # ![]() Launching September 15th, the new college collections will feature custom slide designs that will help fans and alumni rock their school spirit from the locker room, to the dorm room and all around town. The college collections are available on for $49.99 and included designs for the following schools: (BOSTON, MA) – ISlide, the brand behind the design-them-yourself, fully customizable slide sandals that athletes, celebrities and brands are flocking to, has secured collegiate licensing deals with leading schools throughout the country just in time for the start of the school year.
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