Shoes For Kids, Created By a Kid | Business with Purpose Podcast EP 236: Carter Waugh, Critts Shoes

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Think back to when you were a kid. Do you remember your flip-flops falling off and scraping your feet along the concrete? Guess what? Kids still have this problem. 

My guest today took his own footwear problem and decided to actually do something about it. Carter Waugh, 11, is the founder of Critts, a customizable flip-flop clog hybrid designed for running, jumping and climbing. His dad, Ryan, also joins us for the interview. 

2:53 – Carter 101

• He loves lacrosse, skateboarding, golf, tennis, sometimes basketball, and, of course, designing shoes.
• Carter was on a family vacation in the Caribbean. He wasn’t happy with his flip-flops or Crocs and asked his dad, Ryan, if he could design his own shoe, called a Flip Critt.
• His dad told him to create a business plan.

5:30 – Ryan’s reaction

• Ryan was amazed by his son’s business plan and drawing and his emotional intelligence

9:50 – How Carter designed the Flip Critt

• Carter didn’t realize how time consuming and difficult it would be to design a shoe
• He met with a Los Angeles shoe consultant, who helped with the process, and then met with manufacturing consultants in China

19:02 – What Carter has learned

• At first, Carter thought, “Wham, bam, I’m done.” But the shoe-making process took longer than he realized.
• “At first I was just like, ‘It’s a cool idea. I might not be able to do it. I mean, I’m like 8. Who makes a shoe when they’re 8?’ But once I got into it, I started liking shoes. I started liking them a lot.”
• Besides learning a lot about shoes, he has also learned a lot about doing interviews and talking with adults.

23:18 – What Carter’s parents have learned

• Ryan said he has learned more from his son than his son has learned from him.
• He says his son is a special human who sees the good in everybody and everything around him. 
• Carter’s initial mission statement was: “To spread happiness, safety and security to all critters.”

26:22 – Carter’s methods

• Carter’s approach to life is refreshing and fascinating, according to his dad.
• He wants the business to be simple so people can enjoy his shoes.

32:02 – Critts Cares

• Carter has created Critts Cares. Every time someone buys a pair of Critts shoes, $2 goes back to his old elementary school. 

33:45 – Get to know Carter

• What song hypes him up? Lil Nas X, Holiday
• What actor should play him? Someone with orange hair, obviously

FEATURED QUOTES

“This was a real life thing, organically, that came out of the mind of an 8-year-old that was like, ‘Wow!’” – Ryan

“After a while, like two years, I finally perfected it to what I have today. And now I’m selling it and hearing tons of feedback on it … and a lot of people love it.” – Carter

“At first I was just like, ‘It’s a cool idea. I might not be able to do it. I mean, I’m like 8. Who makes a shoe when they’re 8?’ But once I got into it, I started liking shoes. I started liking them a lot.” – Carter

LINKS:

https://critts.com/

ABOUT CARTER: 

Founder, visionary and overall goofball is a talented 11 year old named Carter “Critt” Waugh. He is a very active leader with an active imagination.  He loves sports and is a talented lacrosse attackman. He loves his friends, his family and basically he loves anything that gets him dirty and sweaty. He has been the perfect test subject for his creation.

Thank you to our partner of the show, MamaSuds!
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Leave a comment below with something you learned from this episode.