We were lucky to catch up with Laina Gossman recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Laina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the story behind how you got your first job in field that you currently practice in.
It was the summer between high school and college and I started looking for a job. There was an opening for a Shoe Sales Representative at a local shoe boutique and they were paying $14/hour which sounded amazing at that time so I jumped on sending in the application. I landed an interview and borrowed a pair of shoes from my sister to try to pass off some fashion sense. Somehow, with no experience in shoes, the owner decided to give me a chance. My job was to sell shoe and accessories. I learned that my boss was a biomechanist and he was hand making orthotics and performing nothing short of miracles as through his orthotics and the correct comfort shoes, he would bring people from limping in pain to walking again. I was amazed. Custom orthotic orders were piling up in the back and so I offered to help my boss prepare the orthotics to save him some time. I told him “I know I’m a girl, but I don’t mind sanding, gluing and working on the shoes if it could help you catch up”. I ended up loving this work and apprenticing under him for 7 years. He taught me everything he could from his 40+ years of experience in orthotics. I also changed my major in school to study biomechanics and kinesiology. In my mind, in school I was planning to design bionic limbs, but it turned out that my path lead me to create my own brand of orthotics. Over time, I got patents on some of my designs and now I’m able to help tens of thousands of people each year instead of the 50 or so people that I could help per year when I was still handmaking the orthotics. I love what I do and I can’t imagine another line of work being more gratifying or a better fit for me.
Laina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I got my start in a small San Diego shoe boutique that specialized in custom orthotics and fashionable comfort shoes. After exhausting every other resource including doctors, expensive casted orthotics, and surgeries, people began coming to me with their serious foot ailments to get something custom made that actually worked. With a background in kinesiology & biomechanics, I decided I wanted to help more people than I could by individually hand-carving orthotics. I filed a patent for my micro-size orthotic design, and began taking the steps towards manufacturing and building the brand, Soul Insole. At Soul Insole we design unique, high quality, affordable solutions for foot health. Our designs are washable and micro-sized so that they do not change the fit of your shoes. We use specific geometries in our designs to offload pressure, add substantial support and provide comfort that lasts all day. We are proud to have the opportunity to make a positive difference in so many people’s lives. Foot pain can be debilitating and by providing a solution to get people back on their feet, we can get them back to doing the activities they love.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I initially began the manufacturing process with a man who was described as the best mechanical and chemical engineer in the footwear world. Unfortunately, my project did not rank high on his to-do list and he would take weeks and months to respond to simple emails and design improvements. Weeks became months, months became 2 years and the material never rose to the quality necessary for production. Finally I decided to stop the headache of working with this manufacturer. Next, I tried to find a manufacturer in Guanajuato Mexico. I chose one, made a mold and unfortunately I found their manufacturing method was not going to work in producing the results that were necessary. At that point in time, I almost gave up. I put the project down for most of the next year. During that time I met some many people with foot pain who were in need of my design. I decided that producing this design was part of my life’s purpose and I needed to bring the project to completion. I searched across the world, I made a list of over 60 manufacturers and narrowed it down to the one I have chosen to work with since my launch. They have impeccable quality standards, they were willing to take the time to develop my product materials to perfection and I have happily built a very good relationship with them over the past 7 years now.
If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?
I wouldn’t change a thing! I love that I get to help people get back their quality of life. Foot pain can be debilitating & can impede our ability to work & to do the things that we love. Our feet support our entire body & it is such a joy to be able to help provide the most innovative, effective solutions to support the feet.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://soulinsole.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/soulinsole
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/soulinsole
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/soulinsole
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SoulInsole
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/soul-insole-san-diego-3