the DIFFERENCE

How I Created A $12.5K/Month Patented Heelless Running Shoe

February 9th, 2021
Olguy Songolo
Founder, the DIFFERENCE
$12.5K
revenue/mo
2
Founders
6
Employees
the DIFFERENCE
from Leominster, MA, USA
started June 2016
$12,500
revenue/mo
2
Founders
6
Employees
market size
$56.1B
avg revenue (monthly)
$7.5K
starting costs
$13.7K
gross margin
35%
time to build
210 days
average product price
$117
growth channels
Word of mouth
business model
content-library
best tools
Instagram
time investment
Full time
pros & cons
35 Pros & Cons
tips
1 Tips
Discover what tools recommends to grow your business!
social media
Discover what books Olguy recommends to grow your business!
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Hello! Who are you and what business did you start?

Hello everyone! My name is Olguy Songolo. I am the co-founder and CEO of the DIFFERENCE, the very first heelless running shoe brand. Why heelless? Extensive research by the original designer, Etienne Penka, has determined that heel strikes are one of the leading causes of injury for runners, causing a host of negative health consequences in the heels, back, knees, and other impact absorption points. We discovered a simple and elegant solution: remove the heel.

At this time we have one product line, the Heelless Technology Runners. These unisex shoes are designed with the modern runner in mind, with 5 different color schemes and all adult sizes for men and women. You won’t be surprised to hear that our target audience consists primarily of runners, especially runners with an interest in avoiding heelstrikes through barefoot running techniques.

As a Black-owned business, we’ve also seen a great deal of interest from the Black community. Another large segment of customers includes medical professionals such as nurses, who have found that wearing our shoes prevents the pain they are accustomed to the feeling after spending all day on their feet. Over...

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