Jacob Zander, a 23 year old from Santa Barbara, became a young entrepreneur after taking a college business class. He wrote in an article last year about how he developed an idea that he had been pondering through this class. At the end of the semester, Jacob had a product and a vision that he was ready and able to pitch to an investor.

Jacob’s idea of Footsouls, insoles for Converse, started when he was an employee at Trader Joe’s. With his friends, he frequently discussed that, although they wanted to wear their Converse to work, they always opted not to as they were too uncomfortable to wear for extended periods of time. To gauge initial interest for his product and idea, he asked his co-workers about it and sought their opinions. After this, because of his teacher, friends, traveling, and TikTok, Jacob’s insoles went viral.

Through his company and with his product, Jacob wants to inspire people and spread positivity. The product itself, a cream insole with the lettering “Feel Your Soul” written on it, was created to remind people every time they put their shoes on, to go out and truly live their lives. In addition to the insoles for Converse, Jacob’s company has expanded to creating insoles for Vans, clothing, and roller skates! Along with this, the company has a “Smile Fund” that takes a designated amount of every Footsouls purchase and uses it to give back to others.

What makes Jacob particularly creative, is his use of social media to help his company reach so many people. Before Footsouls was even born, Jacob filmed his entire creative and business process. Transparency was a huge goal of Jacob’s.  He wanted to show others his success hoping that they would gain the confidence they needed to succeed. Then, once he was able to manufacture the insoles, he began creating and posting TikToks. He used this as a way to advertise but also to give people a behind-the-scenes view of packaging and shipping process.

Since 2017, when Jacob was just beginning his journey with Footsouls, he has come a long way. With the help of mentors, friends, and social media, Jacob is inspiring others to follow their dreams and live every day to the fullest!

Jacob’s Website: https://feelyoursoul.com/

Sources

The Story of How Feel Your Soul Footsouls Started– FEEL YOUR SOUL

How Jacob Zander Spreads Positivity with Footsouls — Comeback Magazine