In the latest episode of my podcast, Billy Price, founder of Billy Footwear , shares his personal story of becoming a wheelchair user after a three-story fall in college. He struggled to adapt to his new life but was able to focus on what he still had and survive. Being unable to find shoes that were easy to put on led him to create Billy Footwear. The goal of his shoes is to combine fashion and function to promote inclusion and equality. He also discusses the brand's commitment to inclusive design and disability-owned businesses. He recommends the Be Free pants, which feature a zipper that goes all the way up on the sides, making them easy to put on and take off.
Listen on your favorite platform here- https://www.flowcode.com/page/wheelwithit
Podcast timestamps:
-
00:00:00 In this section, Billy Price, the founder of Billy Footwear, shares his personal story of becoming a wheelchair user after breaking his neck in a three-story fall while in college. He talks about the difficult transition from being able-bodied to having a disability, and how he initially struggled to change his mindset and let go of what he had lost. However, with the support of those around him, he was able to start focusing on what he still had and the fact that he had survived the fall, which helped him to change his outlook. He spent five and a half months as an inpatient in the hospital and had to adapt to his new life with a spinal cord injury.
-
00:05:00 In this section, the founder of Billy Footwear, Billy Price, talks about his life after being discharged from the hospital. He talks about the challenges of navigating outside of the hospital environment, realizing that the world was not flat and that there were hills everywhere. Fortunately, his parents' house had an unfinished basement with no stairs, which made it easier for Price to transition to life at home. Later, he joined a fraternity with no stairs and a room that they were able to turn into an accessible space for him to live in. After college, Price struggled to find a job in the market but eventually landed a job with the Federal Aviation Administration. He encourages others to apply to it for a stable and fulfilling career path.
-
00:10:00 In this section, Billy Price, co-founder of Billy Footwear, shares how his personal experience of being in a wheelchair inspired him to create shoes that are easy to put on. He discusses how the idea for the shoes had been with him for a long time, but he didn't know how to make a shoe. The idea came to fruition when he communicated the zipper idea to his co-founder Darren, who was already working on a shoe project. The process of designing and deciding the colors of the shoes was an evolving process, which started with a small run to test the market. The launch was funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign, and they distributed the shoes through their retail partners. Billy admits to being blown away by the phenomenal response to the brand and finds the entire experience surreal.
-
00:15:00 In this section, Billy Price, founder of Billy Footwear, shared a story about how a Facebook post about their shoes went viral, resulting in 280,000 shares in three days and over 500,000 shares to date. As a result, their shoes sold out overnight, which presented the challenge of meeting the demand. Billy Footwear specializes in inclusive design and creating shoes that are easy on, easy off, and accessible for people with disabilities. Although they previously sold apparel, they have currently sold out, and there are no plans to expand into pant lines, as they would rather promote other adaptive brands. Billy also shared his personal experience of wearing pants from Rolly Moden, a German entity, for over 25 years.
-
00:20:00 In this section, Billy Price, the founder of Billy Footwear, talks about how his brand aims to combine fashion and function in the spirit of inclusion and equality. He mentions how in the past, kids wearing something different on the playground would be ridiculed, which is why the brand aims to create functional solutions that anyone would want to wear. Price also mentions that his brand is committed to inclusive design and disability-owned businesses. Furthermore, in a conversation about easy-to-wear clothes, Price recommends the Be Free pants, which feature a zipper that goes all the way up on the sides, making them super easy to put on and take off.
Related Posts
Unleashing the Power of Exceptional Leadership: A Conversation with Dwayne Allen
Title: Unleashing the Power of Exceptional Leadership: A Conversation with Dwayne Allen --- In the world of business and professional d...
The Principal Who Inspired Ellen: Unleashing Greatness | Devon Wieters and Sherrie Gahn
In the latest episode of Wheel with It, I am thrilled to welcome Sherrie Gahn, the inspiring principal who captured hearts on Ellen...