Relax, Missy! Spotlight on Sotiria Krikelis, Founder of One Life, Live-It
Picture this: you’re sauntering around in your sky-high stilettos, smiling and looking confident. No one can tell that, underneath the grin, you’re enduring terrible foot pain. But bunions, blisters and sore muscles abound - you’re about to collapse if you don’t take a rest off those too-high heels. Sound familiar? It was to Sotiria Krikelis, the founder of One Life, Live-It, inc., a company dedicated to solving Chicks’ worst “fashion frustrations,”(including all too common high heel foot pain). Relax Missy, the debut product from One Life, Live-It, aims to solve that exact problem. Relax Missy is a pair of foldable ballet flats that come with their own pouch. Now, when you’re in too much discomfort to get off the ground (much less get back to shaking your booty on the dance floor!) you can just take off your offending heels, unfold a pair of comfy, fashionable flats, and return to your day. The idea dawned on Sotiria, a 28-year old self-dubbed “entreprenette” (who originally studied nuclear medicine) when she was out with friends and changed into clunky flip flops (at a club, no less). Her story of changing careers post-college and finding success following her dreams is so motivational. ChickSpeak got a chance to sit down with this inspiring young woman and discuss the launch of Relax Missy: ChickSpeak: Explain the concept behind the line. What do the shoes aim to do? Sotiria Krikelis: I conceived the concept of a “foldable shoe” in 2005 when I was in Las Vegas with my girlfriends. I had the most uncomfortable but gorgeous pair of shoes on my feet and knew I would only be able to last about fifteen minutes in them. I grabbed rubber flip flops and put them in my huge handbag. I knew there had to be a better way for footwear relief. When I started sketching my design, I knew I wanted the shoes to be unique and different. They had to be durable for everyday use, but thin enough to fold. I didn’t want them to resemble a slipper or a flip flop. Relax Missy had to be a trendy, chic and comfortable alternative that was well made, comfy and something I would personally wear. I added my signature hardware on the shoe to give it some pizzazz and extra padding. I pry on things that are well made; this was important to me because I grew up with a mom who always said “Choose quality”. The shoes aim to solve every fashionable woman’s most common 911 emergency - that burning ball of foot sensation, scrunched toes and painful heels. (I feel the pain as I’m talking about it!) CS: How do they compare to other “foldable slipper” type shoes? SK: They provide a more glamorous, trendy solution and they aren’t slippers. They can be worn all day, everyday and they truly fold in half. They are designed as a real shoe with supportive insoles, cushioning, and a non penetrating sole along with a mechanism for that perfect fold. CS: How did your background influence the idea? SK: My mom was a fashion designer in Greece and by the time she was 15, she was sewing wedding dresses by hand. When she came to New York, her dream was to be a designer, but she didn’t pursue it because of marriage and kids. Seeing my mom not follow her dream affected me as I got older. She was inspiration. Additionally, I went to Stony Brook University for college and majored in Health Science with a concentration in Nuclear Medicine (I didn’t take any business classes at all!) To complete my degree I had to do a clinical rotation through hospitals and private clinics. My last hospital was the most miserable experience I ever had working with others. I was treated very badly by a supervisor who was rude to the whole department. Watching this as a student was absurd. I knew that I needed to work for myself as an entrepreneur. I could never treat anyone like that nor could I stand to be treated in such a way. I needed to have control of my own destiny. Even though it was such a horrible experience, I wouldn’t have it any other way - it was a life lesson. CS: After deciding to go along with the idea, how did you get your plan off of the ground? SK: This didn’t come naturally for me. I was clueless about entrepreneurship - I started from scratch. I started writing my own business plan after getting a template online and thought out all the questions being asked. A business plan is a must, it helps you clearly think out your strategy, your market, sales plan, PR plan, and funding. I saved every shiny penny I could. Today, I’m glad to say that I am completely self funded. I made my own prototypes after cutting up my own shoes, but in order to get a finished product, I needed to find a professional factory. I literally spent eight hours a day researching. I joined forums like the Mommy Millionaire forum (even though I’m not a mom) and began networking and asking questions. I hired a graphic designer to design my logo and packaging and a web designer to help with my website. I called PR firms and met with them for free consultations on press kit writing and the basics of getting PR. I even went to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York after sketching my design and met with a student who helped put it on a professional computer program. To me, all these things were simple because they were all a phone call away where we spoke the same language and could easily communicate. Finding a supplier to produce my product was another story. After a year of zero luck, I finally got lucky and learned the ins and outs of manufacturing through trial and error. The most important thing is research, homework and more research, and when you think you have done enough - do more homework! CS: What obstacles did you face along the way? How did you get over them? SK: There were tons, but my biggest obstacle was finding a manufacturer. I thought finding one in the US would be easy and simple, but it wasn’t. I went to a few websites and got phone numbers, but those led me nowhere. Each time I called or emailed, I had no luck. It wasn’t until one apparel factory told me to look into China that I started researching overseas production. I found web portals, but I never used them because I was unsure of them and unsure on how I would communicate with a language barrier After many trials and tribulations, I ended up using the websites I found first and was initially worried about to find manufacturers. If I knew that communicating with a factory was as simple as emailing them and introducing yourself, I would have done it a long time ago. It was a learning process and now I know for the future. CS: How long did it take to see your dream become a reality? SK: It took me a solid two years from concept to reality. There is so much involved in creating a product and business, from packaging, website, intellectual property, branding, manufacturing, shipping, etc. and I wanted to be on point with all of them. Even though my brain was swirling with the idea in 2005, I didn’t start working on it until late 2007. I incorporated my business in November 2007 and then I began research. CS: Did anything interesting inspire you along the way? SK: Yes! I get inspired all the time by everyone I meet who has their own business or just something to learn from. I love meeting new women in the business field, no matter what business type they have, and chatting about their struggles and how they created their own entrepreneurial reality. Recently, I got a phone call from someone I used to work with who started her own business selling cosmetics. She told me I inspired her to call her own shots, make her own timeline and never again worry about money because she was the one in charge of making that happen. That was a really sweet thing of her to say. CS: Where do you see yourself and your company in five years down the road? SK: I see myself expanding my company from shoes to hosiery to jewelry and, of course, bags. I have so many ideas and new concepts that I want to develop and launch. CS: Where are Relax, Missys available for purchase? SK: You can pre-order them from my website. You can also follow me on Twitter @soloprenette and the line @relaxmissy and like our Facebook page for updated information. I will always respond to your posts, Tweets, and DMs! Maxine Frendel is a writer from New Jersey who thinks Sotiria’s story is so interesting and inspiring. She had a great time speaking with her! or more of Maxine, follow her on Twitter.
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