{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"From School Shoes to Exit | With Lincoln New","description":"On this episode of The Evolve to Succeed Podcast, we\u2019re joined by Lincoln New, co-founder of Term Footwear, who shares the full story behind launching, pivoting, scaling and eventually exiting a school footwear brand in one of the UK\u2019s toughest retail sectors. Lincoln takes us back to the early days of starting the business with little more than industry experience, belief and \u00a3700 worth of stock in a garage. He talks candidly about naivety, self-belief, dealing with doubters, managing supply chains across continents and the emotional toll of constant pivots. From distributor to brand owner, Amazon setbacks to Costco breakthroughs, Brexit to Covid, Lincoln\u2019s journey is a masterclass in resilience. The conversation explores how relationships carried the business through its hardest moments, why strategy matters most when things aren\u2019t going well, and how Lincoln approached exit planning with honesty and clarity about his \u201cwhy\u201d. This episode is packed with hard-earned lessons for anyone starting, growing or thinking about exiting a business. If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe, share, and leave a review to support the show.   What The Episode Covers  Where the idea for Term Footwear came from Starting a business with limited capital and big ambition Entering an overcrowded, brand-dominated market Overcoming self-doubt, criticism and scepticism Managing overseas manufacturing and supply chains Pivoting from distributor to brand owner Navigating Amazon failures and Costco opportunities Surviving Brexit and Covid through strategic pivots Building trust-based customer relationships Planning, executing and emotionally navigating a business exit  Chapters \/ Timestamps  00:00 \u2013 Where did the idea for Term Footwear come from? 03:00 \u2013 What motivated you to start a business in such a crowded market? 06:30 \u2013 How did you deal with self-doubt and early scepticism? 09:50 \u2013 How did you manage sourcing and supply chains overseas? 12:40 \u2013 What forced the pivot from distributor to owning the brand? 17:00 \u2013 How did Amazon and Costco shape the business model? 23:50 \u2013 How did Covid change your strategy and market focus? 30:00 \u2013 When did you start thinking seriously about an exit? 36:00 \u2013 How did you make the business attractive to buyers? 39:00 \u2013 How did it feel to finally complete the exit? 42:30 \u2013 What advice would you give founders starting today? 49:00 \u2013 What does success mean to you now?   ","author_name":"Evolve to Succeed","author_url":"http:\/\/evolvetosucceed.libsyn.com\/website","html":"