She’s a pint-sized, enthusiastic Kristen Bell look-a-like who turned her high school ceramics art project into a multi-million dollar company. Young entrepreneur, Lindsay Phillips, was able to take her vision for chic and versatile sandals to a whole new level when she introduced her own line named Lindsay Phillips Inc.
From selling out of a small storage unit to now being carried in over 2,500 independent stores throughout the USA, the UK, Europe, Australia and Japan, Phillips’ journey is unique and inspiring for hopeful entrepreneurs, working moms and fashion-lovers alike.
The Lindsay Phillips brand mantra, “Change your look, not your sole,” applies both to Phillips’ innovative line and her personal life. Since launching the successful brand, she has graduated from Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., where she studied both art history and communication and has had the opportunity to study abroad in Penang, Malaysia. Phillips’ has also gotten married and is now a mother. Despite her many accomplishments in the professional world, it’s her childhood past and family that influences her life and keeps her well-grounded.
It all began in 2003 during Phillips’ senior year of high school at Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa, Fla. Phillips had the idea to adorn buttons and ribbons to her ceramic sandal but found that glue wasn’t quite holding the accessories in place. Instead, she tried using Velcro to attach interchangeable straps that could be taken off and switched for versatility and convenience. Fast forward to 2007, when Phillips introduced her very first patented product: the SwitchFlop.
“I was very focused in college to launch my company so I did not have to look for a job. I’m a big believer in education – the more knowledge you have, the better off you are,” Phillips said.
The original SwitchFlop was simply a black flip-flop sandal that had 13 possible different interchangeable Velcro straps to switch on and off of the thong part of the shoe. That simple, yet inventive first version, dubbed the “Lulu,” is still their best-selling shoe to date.
Since its introduction, Phillips has added a variety of other styles and colors of shoes, straps and snaps, including flats, wedges, heels, bags, scarves and hundreds of strap and snap designs to personalize each item.
“In the beginning stages I did not know what a day off work was like. We were working around the clock and still could not find enough time to get everything done,” Phillips said.
It’s been six years since the launch of her brand. In these past years, Phillips has won numerous awards including the Stevie Award for Best Entrepreneur (2009), the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2010), and Rollins College’s Young Alumni Achievement Award (2012), among others.
“Hearing how well the product sells from my stores and seeing how customers love the product is what really keeps me motivated,” Phillips said.
Her brand has captured the interest not only of customers looking for a functional shoe that takes minimal effort but also big-time shoe seller Trimfoot Co. Trimfoot’s main focus is on infants and children’s footwear, but in August he decided to expand into the women’s market by acquiring Lindsay Phillips Inc.
“It was definitely a hard decision, but they have such an amazing infrastructure, which would have taken a lot of capitol for me to build. However, it will always be my baby and it still feels like it is my company,” Phillips said.
Throughout her journey, Phillips has had the opportunity to meet countless influencers and successful business people. She awards Dan Cathy, president and COO of fast-food chain, Chick-fil-a, as her favorite person that she’s met so far.
“We did a talk show together, and I was very inspired by him. He is also probably one of the nicest people I have met,” Phillips said.
One of Phillips’ role models is her mentor, Sara Blakely, who is one of the youngest self-made billionaires in the world. Blakely is the inventor of the popular women’s shapewear brand, Spanx, and coincidentally grew up in the same city as Phillips in Clearwater, Fla. Phillips also considers her father, Paul, to be one of her biggest role models.
“He has the perfect balance. He is one of the hardest workers I know, yet he never missed one of my soccer games. He is always happy. You would never know if he was having a bad day,” Phillips said.
She recalls one of her favorite childhood memories with her family in the hot summer afternoons on the west coast of Florida.
“My dad would come home from work and he would take my brother and I out in the ‘silver bullet,’ which was a row boat. We would go around and pull up all the crab traps. It was always the best time of the day,” Phillips said.
The proof of her success and evolution as a person can be told best by her friends and family, who have seen her grow from a diva in diapers to a well-rounded and caring mother and friend.
Her mother, Liz, who has been a major part in helping Phillips launch her brand and still holds the position of Vice President of sales, remembers Phillips’ childhood days like it was only yesterday
“Lindsay really was a jack of all trades. She loves to run and started walking at seven months! As a toddler she loved to wear pretty clothes, but as she grew up she played outside with her older brother and the neighbors all the time and played soccer all the way through high school,” Liz Phillips said.
Liz even recalls “Her great love was her motorized pink Barbie car, and to this day, she still loves to drive it.”
Bob Schmook, Phillips’ cousin, was a part of the business during its early stages too. Phillips asked him to be in charge of the shipping and receiving for the company.
“I have seen her develop into a professional business person who has weathered the ups and downs of owning a business. I always loved the holidays with Lindsay. She always sat next to me at the dinner table and we would lovingly harass each other. I can tell you she was never shy and was very outgoing,” Schmook said.
One of the biggest changes in Phillips’ life besides her growing company was becoming a wife and a mother. Phillips and husband, Brantley Muscato, were together two years before they tied the knot in 2008. More recently, they have welcomed their first child, 13-month-old baby boy, Burcham. Burcham dons strawberry blonde hair and is the kind of baby who could make anyone smile, from his chubby baby cheeks to his giddy, contagious laugh.
Muscato jokes that if there’s one thing Phillips can’t live without, it’s her shoes. On a more serious note, he sees his wife as a tenacious, creative, strong-willed and selfless woman.
“Since we’ve been together, she doesn’t sweat the small stuff as much and she has become a lot more patient. She is a woman of great character and attitude, which continues to lead her to great success,” Muscato said.
Laughing uncontrollably, picking out their first dog together and being able to wake up next to Phillips are among Muscato’s favorite things about their relationship.
“Lindsay is truly an amazing woman inside and out. She is an incredible mother and wife, and I am very lucky to have found such a great partner in life,” Muscato exclaims.
One of Phillips’ long-time best friends of 25 years, Liz Simmons, has seen Phillips evolve rather than change throughout their friendship.
“One of her strengths is her drive and the ability to push forward despite obstacles that may present themselves. She also has the capacity to run a business, take care of a family and be a great Matron of Honor – to me! I don’t know many other individuals who can handle all of those responsibilities, and also do it well and gracefully,” Simmons explains.
As for the future, Phillips doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. At such a young age, 28, she still has plenty of time to further her brand and add even more to her already impressive resume. Eventually, she wants to tap into the kid’s shoe market and is currently in the works of writing a book about her life.
“I’m still figuring out the exact plot, and not 100 percent sure yet. However, it will be about my journey. I don’t think people will realize what I have gone through and some of the crazy situations I have been in as a young female entrepreneur,” Phillips’ said.
Phillips’ journey has clearly been one for the books, and despite some setbacks along the way – which Phillips promises to cover in her own book – her successful business and sterling character is evidence in itself.
As for those looking to follow in the path of Phillips, she recommends to immerse yourself in the industry you’re interested in and then “take it a day at a time and follow your gut. All of the bad decisions I made did not feel right; looking back I should have followed my intuition.”
One of her favorite quotes, which basically sums up Phillips’ work ethic and mindset when it comes to her life, is to always remember that “change is inevitable, growth is optional.”