Go Barefoot local business owners talk about how they started their adventure.

We are constantly inspired by the ambition and resilience of local business founders. We feel that the risks that they take lead to innovation and help in moving the world forward.

We’re lucky to be part of a community with lots of smart and inspiring women who own businesses. This week we had a chat with Go Barefoot,  a local business and the first online store selling BAREFOOT shoes in UAE.

Owned by two beautiful women, Martina Valusiakova & Eva Lindsay,  we chatted with them about why they started the business and we cannot be more inspired by their story.

What is your business about and why did you start it?

GoBarefoot.ae is the first online store selling BAREFOOT shoes in UAE and was launched in March 2021. Founded by two ex-pats and momtrepreneurs living in Abu Dhabi.

I and my partner Eva are both extremely passionate about barefoot footwear as we are strongly convinced that this is the future of the footwear industry. Our kids are growing up in barefoot shoes and we both also own a few pairs.

The Barefoot shoe trend has been massively growing among European countries and the US. We are the first one to bring this type of shoe into the UAE market. We think that every foot has the right to be healthy, it doesn’t matter if it’s a kid’s foot or an adult one. These shoes support the development of feet muscles & ligaments, support the lower back region, enhance the strength of the foot arch, and contribute to good posture. Our mission is to unleash as many feet as possible, bring them back to the natural movement and free them from heavy, narrow, unnatural, and hard shoes that simply make our feet and body suffer.

What do you love about your business?

We love what we do and are extremely passionate about spreading barefoot shoes awareness. Finally, UAE mums have started thinking about the right footwear for their little ones and consider the impact wrong footwear might have on the health of their children. We love to see that even the adults have slowly started thinking about what they put on their feet. Last but not the least, we love the flexibility our job is giving us, working from home, and being able to manage our own time is the greatest benefit but it can be also very tricky to find the fine line between work & family life.

 

How do you manage your time between running a business and a family?

The greatest benefit of our job can easily turn into its largest disadvantage as there are no fixed work hours and sometimes we work at night when everybody sleeps. It was hard, especially during the lockdowns and school closures, we needed to be mums and teachers first. And then, eventually, we could become businesswomen after hours.

We both understand how precious our family life is so we work hard on managing it right. We work during the time our kids are at school and then we turn into mums, cooks, drivers, and wives later like everybody else. We emphasize no work culture over the weekends (but yes, it is hard and sometimes we break this rule). Vacations are also a must! We are two in the business so during vacation we cover for one another so that the other one can switch off.

Self-care, sleep, and exercise are something we cannot compromise too! So to find enough time and the right balance, we both don’t reject any help in the household like regular cleaning services, ironing services, and maybe in the future the use of the school bus instead of us doing the school runs. We both have two kids and don’t have any nanny at home and it gets tough sometimes. But still, we do what we can while being gentle to ourselves when things are not going our way and what we wish for.

Also, it would be worth mentioning that we both have amazing and supportive husbands who help whenever they can – with our kids, household, and even business. They are a vital part of our journey and we wouldn’t be able to grow without their support.

Any piece of advice to other small business owners or anyone wanting to start their own business?

Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone! Partner up with same-minded people and start your ideas rolling! Connect! Talk! Find your passion and follow your dreams! There are wonderful support groups for women entrepreneurs all around UAE, so make the first step and dare to achieve the change in your life. Nobody else will do it but you.