Jan 19, 2018
Strap on a pair. No. Get your mind out of the gutter. This is a story about strapping on a pair of high heels and how doing so ended in a multi-million dollar empire that empowers women by making it more comfortable to wear the heels they love.
You either love high heels or you hate them. There seems to be no middle ground here. Women's shoes are a multi-billion dollar industry with cult followings around brands. Many women will buy and wear shoes even though the pain is so great after just moments that they can barely stand. In earlier times men even wore them.
What is it about high heels that makes women, and some men, feel stronger, more confidant and powerful? Is it just a height thing? That is a conversation for another episode! Today I talk with Abby Walker. Founder of Vivian Lou Insolia insoles and the author of Strap On a Pair.
She shares how she founded a multi-million dollar company with a blog, high heels and a determination to succeed that lead her to HSN, Oprah, The View and so much more. Abby shares questions she asked, questions you can ask yourself and discovers what her theme song is. Yup, this is a full service radio show!
Her honesty and candor is not to be missed. Neither is her infectious joy over what she does and who she does it for. She knows her why in her business and she shares it with us and how you can find yours as well.
Oh, and if her theme songs gets stuck in your head, feel free to blame me and tweet me about it!
Abby Lou Walker is the CEO of Vivian Lou Inc., a single-product company with multi-million dollar annual sales dedicated to helping women look and feel better in high heels. She started her company as a “hobby” business (while being a full-time working mom) after picking up the phone and asking one simple question.
This “hobby” made her feel alive again. She had finally found something that quieted her burning desire for something more; and a short two years later, she strapped on a pair of her favorite high heels and walked away from Corporate America.
Her mission as the CEO of Vivian Lou is to empower women to wear heels 4x longer without pain so they can focus more on their dreams and less on their feet.
She’s written Strap On a Pair to inspire fellow middle-aged, middle-management, middle-class moms to take the first step—or the next step—toward finding their something more.
Prior to starting her own company, Abby served as Chief Marketing Officer for a natural supplements company; Vice President of Account Management and Communications for a financial services company; and Senior Director, Internal Communications at a large financial planning company. She received her Master’s degree in Business Communication from DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois, and her Bachelor’s degree in English-Journalism from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
Abby currently resides in Denver, Colorado, with her amazing husband, and is Mom to two incredible elementary-school aged kiddos, a couple of cats and a lovable old dog.