{"id":56254,"date":"2019-05-03T18:34:01","date_gmt":"2019-05-03T18:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/05\/03\/these-vets-got-their-kicks-by-starting-their-own-shoe-related-businesses\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T16:15:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T16:15:12","slug":"these-vets-got-their-kicks-by-starting-their-own-shoe-related-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2019\/05\/03\/these-vets-got-their-kicks-by-starting-their-own-shoe-related-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"These vets got their kicks by starting their own shoe-related businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Natasha Norie Standard and Eddy Mejia are Army veterans who took very different paths to launching their own shoe-related businesses. But the skills they picked up in the military helped pave both of their paths to success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are their stories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making the jump <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standard said her high school was filled with Rhodes scholars aspiring to be doctors, lawyers and engineers. Her dream, however, was to study fashion in New York City at the Fashion Institute of Technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, her parents weren\u2019t particularly supportive of that goal. So instead, Standard decided to \u201cpave her own path\u201d and enlist in the Army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI went into the military because I wanted to show my parents that I could make my own decisions and those decisions could be great for my life,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She entered the military in 1996 and spent most of her time as a logistics officer, with seven years spent in special ops. Standard separated in 2014 as a major and quickly earned a Master of Arts degree in luxury and fashion management from the Savannah College of Art and Design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then came her biggest leap yet: enrolling in a 10-month shoe course at the Arsutoria School in Milan, Italy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI learned so much about the feet and partnering the footwear with the feet,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While in Italy, she networked with plenty of people in the fashion world, including some folks who worked at consultancy companies and with the ability to link designers with factories to manufacture their products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standard used what she learned and the connections she made in Italy to launch her own designer-shoe brand, Norie Shoes<\/a>. She said that her shoes are in full production, and she has already sold about 25 pairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll the designs come from my heart, soul and spirit,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norie Shoes are designed to be \u201cwearable and walkable,\u201d according to Standard. Her goal was to take a \u201ccommon-sense\u201d approach to women\u2019s footwear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She credited the military for teaching her important skills that have translated to the business world, including leadership, endurance and the tenacity to succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was prepared to jump out of planes,\u201d Standard said. \u201cBut starting my own business is the hardest thing I\u2019ve ever done in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the shoe fits<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mejia took a slightly more circuitous route to breaking into the shoe entrepreneurship world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He enlisted in the Army in 2008 and spent most of his active-duty time as an IT specialist. He had an uncle in the military, so for him joining the Army seemed natural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted to serve and see what it was about and give back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After separating as a sergeant in 2014, Mejia enrolled at the University of Illinois at Chicago for his undergraduate studies in computer engineering. While there, the school held a \u201cstartup challenge\u201d where students competed to receive funding to start their own business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While searching for ideas to enter into the startup challenge, Mejia connected with a friend from high school who he said owned more than 300 pairs of sneakers that he stored in Ziploc bags and Tupperware containers. It occurred to Mejia that there weren\u2019t many products out there for enthusiasts to display their prized kicks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That sparked the idea for his company, DisplayInfinity<\/a>, and its inaugural product, the ShoeBoxOne. His acrylic shoe display cases won the startup challenge, and pretty soon he was receiving funding for his small business from incubators like Future Founders and Bunker Labs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t really big into sneakers,\u201d Mejia said. \u201cNow I understand why they care about them. It\u2019s like art. Each one of them has their own story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is currently getting his MBA at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign while overseeing DisplayInfinity. Mejia credits military-taught skills like managing teams, public speaking and, most importantly, having the grit to face adversity as some of his keys to success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are times where it\u2019s like, \u2018Oh my god nothing\u2019s going to work out,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cAnd you just have to keep pushing on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They did it, and so can you<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standard advised anyone trying to follow in her footsteps to always be talking up your business to anyone who will listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDefinitely get educated and don\u2019t discount the power of your network,\u201d she said. \u201cTake every opportunity to tell people what you\u2019re doing. Even if it seems like it\u2019s an audience not doing anything associated with what you\u2019re doing, do it. You just never know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for Mejia, his philosophy is all about \u201cembracing the suck\u201d \u2014 the hurdles any aspiring entrepreneur will face getting their business off the ground. There\u2019s an inherent thrill in the uncertainty of the whole process for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe got really used to having that security in the military,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s OK to take a risk. But that\u2019s what life\u2019s about, enjoying it and embracing the opportunities that are presented to you.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Natasha Norie Standard and Eddy Mejia are Army veterans who both took very different paths to launch their own shoe-related 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