This Footwear Founder Shares Her Secret to Working With Factories
Executive Summary
Maguire co-founder Myriam Belzile-Maguire describes using footwear-industry experience, financing and factory relationships to start a direct-to-consumer shoe brand with her sister. She talks about small production orders, avoiding dependence on one factory and testing physical retail. Notes cover selected business passages of the full public auto-captions, checked against official Shopify show notes dated September 7, 2023. The YouTube video was uploaded again on March 28, 2024. The date shown follows the original show-note date; the official source also corrects the captions' rendering of her name. Financing and store examples describe that period, not current terms or results.
Key Takeaways
A niche and a plan
She understood early that footwear was a niche, studied in London on a borrowed year that took 13 years to repay, and learned Italian because the shoe makers are in Italy. She says she learned the most by working in the industry.
Corporate job as a foundation
She says a corporate job gave her experience and financial foundation. During COVID friends were laid off, but because she had her own business she could sell online and keep going.
Business plan, grants and loans
Her sister, who works in marketing, helped write the business plan, and the plan has barely changed. A pitch competition grant helped fund the first production (the captions garble the amount, so it is not stated here), and later loans, BDC and export grants helped open in Toronto and New York. Shoes are capital intensive because small brands buy stock in advance.
Direct and transparent
She chose direct to consumer so she did not have to compromise on quality or price. She says it is slower to build a brand but the reward is good.
Finding a factory
At a supplier show she walked around checking whether a supplier was an agent or a factory, spoke Italian to two men at a quiet stand, visited their 20-person factory and they agreed to small quantities.
Do not rely on one factory
After a factory shipped her order and told her it was closing the following week, she decided to work with three or four. She now works with 10 factories in four countries. She also found factories through leather suppliers, who are happy to share contacts because it brings them business.
Earn the factory's trust
She says go work for someone else first, because factories take you seriously if you have experience in the industry. She says the factory is part of her team, and she looks at punctuality and culture as well as quality.
The Conversation Breakdown
A niche and a plan
⏱ Untimed topicShe understood early that footwear was a niche, studied in London on a borrowed year that took 13 years to repay, and learned Italian because the shoe makers are in Italy. She says she learned the most by working in the industry.
Corporate job as a foundation
⏱ Untimed topicShe says a corporate job gave her experience and financial foundation. During COVID friends were laid off, but because she had her own business she could sell online and keep going.
Business plan, grants and loans
⏱ Untimed topicHer sister, who works in marketing, helped write the business plan, and the plan has barely changed. A pitch competition grant helped fund the first production (the captions garble the amount, so it is not stated here), and later loans, BDC and export grants helped open in Toronto and New York. Shoes are capital intensive because small brands buy stock in advance.
Direct and transparent
⏱ Untimed topicShe chose direct to consumer so she did not have to compromise on quality or price. She says it is slower to build a brand but the reward is good.
Finding a factory
⏱ Untimed topicAt a supplier show she walked around checking whether a supplier was an agent or a factory, spoke Italian to two men at a quiet stand, visited their 20-person factory and they agreed to small quantities.
Do not rely on one factory
⏱ Untimed topicAfter a factory shipped her order and told her it was closing the following week, she decided to work with three or four. She now works with 10 factories in four countries. She also found factories through leather suppliers, who are happy to share contacts because it brings them business.
Earn the factory's trust
⏱ Untimed topicShe says go work for someone else first, because factories take you seriously if you have experience in the industry. She says the factory is part of her team, and she looks at punctuality and culture as well as quality.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Experience and trust before sourcing
Belzile-Maguire says industry work taught her the category and helped factories take her seriously. A factory relationship includes reliability and working culture, not only product samples.
Avoid a single production dependency
One factory announced a closure after shipping an order. She responded by working with more factories and finding leads through material suppliers.
Pop-ups before a permanent store
In-person events let customers experience the product and coincided with later online sales. Use a test to understand that relationship before committing to a long retail lease.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓Visit a factory before you commit to it.
- ✓Assess supplier concentration and a practical backup plan before placing a large order.
- ✓Run a pop-up before you invest in a permanent store.
- ✓Include advance inventory payments in the financing plan for a footwear launch.
Notable Quotes
“go work for someone else”
“I feel like there's good factories in every country you just have to know the people”
“working only with one factories”
The One Thing to Remember
go work for someone else