These Shoes are Made for Walking
The founder of Sunnystep transforms a life-changing health challenge into a thriving footwear enterprise.
After a severe pilates accident at 28, Ting Mao, founder and CEO of Sunnystep, discovered the profound importance of walking, an often underestimated activity, transforming it into a central focus of her life. While the incident left her in excruciating pain, it also spurred her appreciation for the activity’s profound benefits to the body, mind, and soul. However, the lack of suitable walking shoes hindered her recovery, leading to a realisation that aesthetic appeal was often sacrificed for functionality.
During her challenging six-month recovery, Mao, conceived the idea of combining style with support in walking shoes. This concept was fueled by her commitment to advocating for self-care and highlighting the health benefits of walking, drawing from her personal experience.
CRAFTING COMFORT AND CUSTOMER RELATIONS
Infusing Sunnystep with personal struggles became the cornerstone of its mission. “We want to help people move freely and happily,” emphasising her dedication to engaging actively with customers and enhancing their lives through innovative footwear.
Recently, Sunnystep introduced a new outsole with a novel material and formula, personally tested by Mao through manufacturing 50 pairs for staff and select customers. This meticulous approach continues with each new product launch, involving small batches where standards are established and customers are consulted on desired colours.
Ting ’s user-centric approach, refined during her stints at Facebook and Grab, drives Sunnystep’s product development. For her, product development entails “pushing the frontier in science and technology and research and development”. In line with this belief, Mao previously sent her shoes to a mechanical engineering professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, her alma mater, to study the benefits of Sunnystep footwear. The outcomes were promising.
Building on these encouraging experiments, Mao is intensifying research efforts with the prestigious American university. She is also in the final stages of formalising the necessary legal documentation to officially sponsor an extended-term research project slated to begin in early 2024.
PROFIT VS PURPOSE
Her ethos appears to be working. Sunnystep’s growth during the pandemic — generating $1 million in revenue over three years and selling at least 150,000 pairs of shoes — underscores the power of a quality product and word-of-mouth recommendations. Mao views success not in the conventional sense but as the constant process of doing meaningful work, building relationships and impacting lives positively.
Even as she galvanises the company to greater heights, she consistently roots herself. Throughout the interview, expressions of gratitude pepper the conversation. Maintaining a vigilant eye on her weaknesses also keeps her grounded. “I actively seek out failures and view them as opportunities for improvement. Rather than being discouraged, I find excitement in identifying weaknesses and failures, using them as stepping stones to enhance our capabilities.”
Exciting times lie ahead. While Mao is acutely aware of Sunnystep’s enviable progress, the most profound lesson is her acknowledgement that she would give it all up in a heartbeat to restore her health to its pre-accident state. Although she has regained 80 per cent of her pre-incident self, she ruefully shares, “I’m still unable to sneeze freely, and prolonged sitting is not possible. My daily life continues to be impacted. Health truly is priceless.”