Meet Pedestrian Project: the brand championing a more walkable world with their natural foot care products

Like many startups, Kristen Doyle and Matt Jacob’s brand, Pedestrian Project, started from a personal need. Kristen explains, “I had very dry, cracked heels, and I was suffering for quite some time before I finally made my way to the local drug store and went down the foot care aisle, which is always buried in the back. I was immediately shocked at how outdated and uninspired the category was. I found a few products, but they were loaded with chemicals, didn’t smell great, and didn’t have the efficacy that I was looking for.”

In this moment, Kristen saw an opportunity.“[Foot care] is a category that feels ripe for modernization and better products. I though thought about how important our feet are to everything that we do, and how important movement, in general, is for both our physical and mental health. So why aren’t we all taking better care of our feet?”

With Pedestrian Project, Matt and Kristen are on a mission to change that — championing foot care not as a reactive response to injury but as a proactive daily ritual. Matt explains, “For some reason, self-care stops at the ankles. Part of our mission is to inspire people to live more of their lives on foot doing what they love. And we want to emphasize that proactive foot care can make a huge difference and prevent disabling injuries.”

Creating Pedestrian Project

With a background in product development, Kristin took the lead as they began creating their first line of products. She says, “The most common foot issues are dry skin, cracked heels, pain, calluses, and blisters, so when we started to develop the line, we were looking to address those issues. We partnered with formulators and found the manufacturers that were best suited to help us create each of these products and got to work.”

During development, they relied on both professional podiatrists and regular consumers for feedback. Kristin says, “We built a network of podiatrist partners that were experts in foot health, and tapped them for insights and product validation. We would also reach out to [friends and family] and say, ‘How are your feet? If anybody said they were struggling, we’d say, ‘We have some products for you to try.” Furthermore, Matt says, “The ultimate litmus test was Kristen’s heels. We knew we had something when those started to look pretty spectacular.” All told it took them around 12 to 16 months to finalize their first line of Pedestrian Project products, which includes Walker’s Cream, Cracked Heel Repair, Purifying Foot Soak, and Relief Balm.”

Spreading the word about proactive foot care

Foot care, Matt explains, “is a category that is dominated by traditional legacy brands at the local drug store. So a big focus for us is content creation. We’ve been lucky enough to partner with podiatrists who’ve helped be at the forefront of digestible content that’s informative about the basics of foot wellness.”

Pedestrian Project was also lucky to count one of its first customers and advocates as a principal ballerina at the New York City Ballet. Matt explains, “It was great validation for us. She said these are the products she’s been waiting for somebody to create.” Beyond such serendipitous customer relationships, Matt and Kristen have taken a very scrappy approach to partnerships. “We’ve done a lot of outreach trying to connect with people who we feel reflect the brand, but also live a life dependent upon their feet — running groups, dancers, teachers, nurses. Kristen has been out with running groups and introducing the brand through those avenues. We’re trying to connect authentically with people. What’s nice about our products is you see the benefit in one or two uses. It’s a relatively easy conversion if we can get the product in people’s hands. We’ve been pretty liberal with sharing products because we believe in the formulas Kristin and the team developed.”

Until now, Kristen and Matt have largely focused on DTC and online sales. Matt explains, “We’re just beginning our retail journey. We’re now live on the shelf at Central Market, and we’re starting to expand to other online retailers…We hope to connect with the right buyers who see the opportunity with [Pedestrian Project]…We think of ourselves as a wellness brand first and foremost: we just happen to be focused on feet. We believe there are opportunities to grow the category and change the mindset around how retailers can approach foot care.”

“On our DTC site, we’ve seen that [customers] are not buying a single product as a reaction to an issue. They’re buying into a regimen. They’re buying into this idea of proactive wellness and foot care. So our AOV [average order value] has exceeded our expectations and our repeat purchase rate is high. It has been validating for us, and I think it will translate down the road as we have more buyer conversations.”

Balancing big dreams with the reality of resources

As with many founders, Kristen and Matt are constantly balancing their desire for growth with the resource-strapped nature of startups. Matt says, “We have large aspirations for this brand and we’re trying to make sure that we grow it the right way, but the consumer landscape is challenging with acquisition costs on social media, and the fundraising market is continuing to shrink. We’re trying to navigate the new consumer world in a way that feels authentic to us, while also spreading the message as quickly as we can.”

“We’re eager and chomping at the bit to go big and get out there. But we’re being a bit more conservative to ensure that we’ve got a runway and that we’re not sacrificing the long-term to take a gamble on the short-term. It’s tough. We’re continuing to grow and we’re seeing success, but we’re a little more conservative than if we had more cash in the bank to run with.”

Despite this delicate balancing act, Matt and Kristen remain confident in Pedestrian Project and its mission. Kristen says, “When [customers] talk about how the products have changed their feet and solved a problem they’ve had for years — those real-world consumer testimonials and validation bring me the greatest joy. It makes me feel like if we can get the product out to more people, we’ll be able to help many more.”

Adding to that, Matt says, “Kristen and I both talk about feet a lot more than the average person, so if I find myself at a function and somebody asks about my job, they inevitably start telling me about their feet. The idea that there is still so much unmet consumer opportunity is something that keeps me excited. Every time I talk to somebody, they’re really interested in [Pedestrian Project], so it feels like we’re onto something.”

To learn more about Pedestrian Project, you can check out their website.