Today we’d like to introduce you to Melody Ucros.
Hi Melody, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Melody Ucros, and I’m the founder of Steps Direct, a family-owned online provider of premium hand-crafted insoles. I didn’t always know my path. I was a very creative and social kid, with an interest in business and the healthcare industry. I would spend all my free time working with my parents at their Prosthetics and Orthotics Company in Puerto Rico. I helped take patients to their fitting rooms, organize inventory, send birthday cards, and do as many patient activities as possible. I loved hearing stories about patients being able to walk and enjoy life again because of the prosthetics and orthotics that we provided. Therefore, wanting to impact people’s lives was always a motivating factor.
Fast forward, my brother and I moved to Florida with my mom. I did dual enrollment in my last year in school and worked in sales. This experience sparked something in me that forced me to change my major from biology to Entrepreneurship. At 16 years old, I went to the University of South Florida for Entrepreneurship and finished my bachelor’s by the time I was 19. During college, I was president of the Entrepreneurship club and had multiple sales and marketing roles in tech.
At these companies and organizations, I saw first-hand how data was transforming our world and how technology would be the enabler of all impactful services and products in the future. Therefore, at 19, I moved to Spain and completed a Master’s in Management and an additional master’s in Big Data and Analytics. I was done by 20.
For the past five years, I’ve had progressive roles in Transformation, Innovation, and Change Management for a global tech distributor. I love making things happen in a corporate setting, yet I can’t say I was fully fulfilled until this year. I was missing that feeling I had grown up with every summer, helping to change people’s lives.
In 2020, I started ideating possibilities with my dad regarding how we could combine our specialty areas and build something. We decided to try and digitize the evaluation for orthotics – using pictures to create a 3D model of the patient’s foot and complementing it with a questionnaire for additional accuracy. This was a game changer because my dad has been manufacturing orthotics on behalf of a podiatrist for over 20 years but being able to do it online allowed us to go directly to patients. Manufacturing insoles for patients without an intermediary meant we could deliver our high-quality custom insoles anywhere in the world at half the price and time it traditionally takes.
In October 2022, we launched StepsDirect. Now, I own the strategy, sales and marketing for StepsDirect, while my dad is focused on the product manufacturing and clinical aspects.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
I don’t think any Entrepreneur can say they have had a smooth road. It is always a learning curve! Some examples of struggles include:
a) Using experts to build our website and getting scammed
b) Accessing raw materials during covid when factories weren’t as responsive
c) Shipment of boxes and test materials from other countries taking almost 2 months (and we tested a lot of different materials)
d) Accessing money when the parent company in Puerto Rico wasn’t performing as well as before the pandemic
e) Testing the product with patients when face-to-face interaction was limited
f) And so on.
We overcame many of these challenges by switching to multiple providers, doing all the web and marketing ourselves, and simply understanding that it wasn’t the right time before. I think the launch at the end of 2022 was perfect timing, and we are excited about the future.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The StepsDirect brand was born out of our family’s shared mission to make custom high-quality orthotics more accessible worldwide and improve people’s life. We are known for the quality of our custom insoles and our easy online evaluation. We can translate any prescription or customize the insole based on what we observe in the pictures and read from the questionnaire. What sets us apart is our years of experience being the “behind-the-scenes” manufacturer of these premium insoles, understanding the most common problems that doctors often referred to us and how to overcome them with our product. We aren’t a big company with a big team. My dad and a few technicians take care of the manufacturing process, and I take care of everything else. So, if there’s an issue or complaint from the customer’s side – you will be working directly with us.
Instead of paying a one-time fee of $300+ for one pair of custom insoles, you can get ours at half the price and get a new pair every few years for even less. Our insoles also have a few benefits, including a lifetime warranty for manufacturing issues and 40% off on all future replacements. Your purchase also has a 90-day money-back guarantee if you are more than 100% satisfied.
Living with a foot injury, flat foot, pronation, or supination can limit someone’s ability to perform daily tasks and be there for their loved ones. Therefore, at StepsDirect, we aim to help that person live up to their potential again. I’m proud of what we’ve built because we are being true to who we are and acting as that extended family for many of our patients who need someone to hold their hand through this journey.
What matters most to you?
I want the people around me to reach their full potential in every aspect of my life. For me, the purpose of life is to be the best at doing what you love, surrounded by loved ones, and knowing yourself enough to take advantage of the opportunities that come along the way. In my day job – my goal is to ensure the people impacted by the transformation are given the right tools and opportunities to be successful at their job after the change happens. This will increase their confidence and enable them to continue their career path and growth within the company. With StepsDirect, I’m helping people fulfill their potential by giving them a product that can change how they feel daily. If you don’t have pain or can proactively prevent injuries, you are more likely to work out, play sports, travel, etc. I want people to stop experiencing pain so that they can go and do what they love to do! I suffer from pronation, and my husband has flat feet. We have our insoles on all the time! They are a crucial part of us being the best version of ourselves and positioning ourselves to fulfill our potential.
Pricing:
- $189 for One Pair of Hand-Crafted Insoles
- $99.95 for One Pair of Customizable Insoles
- 25% off when you subscribe to our newsletter
- Use Discount Code “VoyagerBOGO” to enjoy Buy One Get One Free. Valid for only 30 days after the release of this interview.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stepsdirect.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stepsdirect/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stepsdirect
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj06UX-PpHo
- Other: linkpop.com/stepsdirect
