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Vivobarefoot is currently the hot stuff, growing exponentially. They are doing for shoes what Patagonia did for clothing.
So it's time to have a closer look at what makes them so successful.
Why does it matter:
learning from the best can help to boost your nature venture
what they are doing is no magic & you can do it, too
they show connecting people to nature works
Let's dive deeper!
11 best practices to learn from Vivobarefoot
#1 Incorporate nature into your brand DNA
Nature is the star in their entire branding, positioning them clearly as shoe producers for nature lovers.
Some examples are:
A beehive is part of their logo.
Almost every picture on their website and social media shows their products in action in nature.
They keep their brand colors black & white to let nature bring the colors
Reflection Question: Does your brand reflect your nature ambition? Without text, could someone get what you are doing?
#2 Flip the script
While their competitors promise us even softer foot cushions and airy soles, vivobarefoot is challenging everyone else.
They make noise that the industry is going in the wrong direction and that people should wear wider shoes with flat soles.
They claim that we crippled our feet and provide their products as a solution for better health and reconnecting us more with nature.
Reflection Question: Can you challenge your industry in some way?
#3 Increase the life of your products
If you are producing products, your nature product needs to be legit to be consumed by nature supporters.
They managed to get more people on board by creating Revivo.
On this additional website,, customers can find products to extend the lives of their shoes, send back their old ones, get their shoes repaired,, or buy second-hand pairs.
Makes it people for people to save money + do something good for the planet + create brand perception for vivobarefoot
Reflection Question: Can you extend the life of your products?
#4 Push boundaries
One of their latest social media stunts was a recent campaign in which they are testing compostable 3D printed footwear, together with nature influencers.
Compostable 3D printed footwear.
I can't recall anything like this.
Pushing boundaries, imagining what is possible, and sharing transparently how you can get to this wild future will definitely boost your nature venture.
Reflection Question: Are there areas where you can push the boundaries of what is possible in your industry?
#5 Collaborate with others
You can do a great job by yourself, but to move the needle, you need allies. Strong and aligned allies.
So that's what they did. They ventured out and got some incredible partners that 100% match their nature venture, like John John Florence, Gaia, Balena, Russell Brand & co.
You tap into their community and vice versa. It is a win-win for both parties.
Reflection Question: Who could you collaborate with that matches your brand 100%?
#6 Right timing
They were founded in 2012 but only recently went through the roof, triggered by more people wanting to reconnect with nature.
So be kind to yourself if your nature venture is not hitting the desired traction.
Took them 12 years as well.
What we can learn from them here is to keep the core of your values, hold on to your general idea, listen to your customers, and improve constantly.
Your time will come.
Reflection Question: How can you build up your nature venture so that it can sustain, even in rough times?
#7 Create a good product
No brainer. I know. Most often overlooked though, by many of us, me occasionally included.
Having a gerat product/service will make your marketing and sales sooo much easier.
Instead of losing people after they buy your product, you gain ambassadors that tell others.
From their functionality, they always seemed great, but they were ugly.
They constantly improved functionality and got better designs. Now it is working.
I tried them on as well and have to say, wow. You can guess which shoes I will buy next.
Reflection Question: How can you bring your product/service to the next level so people will talk about your product?
#8 Go beyond products
/
When you have a service -> look if you can create an additional physical product.
When you have a product -> check if you can create a service.
Vivobarefoot did this beautifully. Instead of just producing shoes, they created an entire world that introduces people to the barefoot movement and science.
They now offer courses, training, guides, tools & more to elevate the value of their brand.
Reflection Question: What can you offer your customers beyond your nature product?
#9 Onboard an army of ambassadors
If you are a nature venture, chances are good that you do not have massive marketing budgets.
To solve that problem, make it as easy as possible for people to promote and benefit your products.
Some examples of that vivobarefoot does:
vivo coach program - where coaches can learn more & promote their products
refer a friend - refer a friend, and both get 15% off
affiliate program - where people can add links to their website & get a 6% commission
Reflection Question: How can you nudge people to promote your products?
#10 Speak about sustainability regenerative journey
Sustainability is not the solution. We can't stop there.
Rather than seeing and communicating sustainability as an endpoint they honestly share that they are on a regenerative journey.
They are far from perfect & they don't try to hide, as big messages like this one proves:
"*The main materials in all our Vegan* products are synthetic and aren’t derived from animals. We don’t (yet) have the transparency we need over the production of all the small components (such as adhesives and dyes) used in these products to ensure they meet vegan best practices. So, whilst we believe the shoes are vegan, we’re not yet able to guarantee it and want to be fully transparent."
Others would have just claimed them to be vegan, but not vivobarefoot.
Reflection Question: Can you share more about your journey to become a regenerative business? What are the obstacles? What are your victories?
#11 Be different
If this quick case study revealed anything, it is that being different pays off.
So instead of being super clean and doing precisely what everyone else is doing, build up some courage and try something new.
In a world where everyone copies everyone, this will go a long way.
Reflection Question: Are you different, or do you repeat what everyone else is doing?
Your turn!
4 Actions you can take to learn from Vivobarefoot
#1 See. Check out their website, Socials & co, for yourself to make up your own mind.
#2 Reflect. Use the reflection questions to see which area you could improve the most.
#3 Pick 1. Pick one area to start with. Answer the question and then take it back to your teams to solve it together.
#4 Pick the next. After you are done, pick the next one to make constant progress.
Cheat Sheet to learn from vivobarefoot
Books:
Video:
Reconnecting people to nature is not always hugging trees or even planting them. Sometimes, it goes through shoes.
Vivobarefoot made their mark already in the shoe industry and is showing us that you do not need crazy marketing budgets to boost your nature venture.
If you enjoyed this, I would love to hear from you; which nature company/NGO should I look at next?
Until then, have a wild week!
Best,
Oli
P.S. If this was useful to you, please consider sharing this newsletter with one other ecopreneur. It would mean the world to me.
🦧 Whenever you are ready, there are 2 ways Wild Business Mates can help you grow and double your impact:
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