Starting a Company to Solve an Everyday Problem by Stina Andersson, founder of Stinaa.J

Like countless evenings before, I was complaining to my husband that my feet were badly hurting because of my shoes. I don’t even know how many times I been in this situation; when the pain in my feet is the only thing I can think of. I walked home barefoot that night but promised myself that this would be the last time. I devoted myself to find a solution.

What I later learned, was that hurting feet is not only for us women enjoying an evening in heels. Poor shoes on harsh surfaces are a societal problem causing short-term and long-term pain and injuries in feet, knee, hip and back. And the problem is global. Ever since humans stopped walking barefoot in the woods, our bodies have been exposed to a lot of damage. On top of this, the fashion industry has created a norm and acceptance that hurting feet is a price to pay to look good. 

To find a solution, I teamed up with an orthopedic and biomechanical technician with 30 years of experience from treating patients in all ages, nationalities, and physical conditions; from professional athletes to people with everyday pain. That was the start of Stinaa.J.

With Stinaa.J we have found a niche of our own; combining high level orthopedic technology with sustainable fashion. We have two global patents based on data from more than a million 3D scanned feet, thirty years of experience from treating injuries and world leading materials from the space industry. Our shoes will take care of your body; both preventing and healing short-term and long-term pain in feet, knee and lower back. We combine this with quality European craftsmanship, mainly from Portugal and Italy. 

We are still in the beginning of our journey creating a global shoe brand. But I have accomplished one thing; I no longer complain about hurting feet.

I know that many of the women in Business & Dreams community want to start or already have started a company. I am not sure that I am the right person to give advice, but I can share some insights that I’ve gained during my journey.

1. Find the right co-founder. If you share the same vision and dedication, he or she will be the one that you can fully trust to make decisions for your company. 

2. You need to be stupidly optimistic. All mistakes are a lesson learned and there are always new possibilities around the corner, if you continue to work hard for them. It’s ok to be devastated if you stand up the day after feeling one experience richer.

3. Hard work. If you start a company, you no longer have a “real” job and it will be a part of who you are. That means no vacation (in the beginning at least), but the good thing is that you won’t mind at all ☺

If you want to learn more about Stinaa.J or try a pair of our shoes, visit our concept store (Sturegatan 16) in Stockholm or visit our homepage, https://stinaaj.com/.

Thank you so much for reading about my story and good luck on yours!