In this episode of the Achieve Podcast, host Taylor Baker interviews Guillaume Linossier, founder of Saola, a sustainable shoe brand. Guillaume shares his 15‑year background in the outdoor industry, the inspiration behind Saola, and the brand’s core mission of delivering environmentally friendly footwear. He explains that over 70% of each shoe’s weight comes from recycled or bio‑based materials and that Saola donates 1% of sales to wildlife‑preservation NGOs through the 1% for the Planet initiative. Growth is driven primarily by wholesale relationships and an online store, with pricing kept competitive despite tariff pressures from Vietnam. The COVID‑19 pandemic caused a 70% loss of customers, forcing a rebuild and highlighting cash‑flow challenges that have persisted. Saola operates with a small, globally distributed team of about ten people. Ongoing bottlenecks include logistics costs, geopolitical instability, and limited marketing storytelling. The company has begun leveraging AI for product‑photo generation, marketing copy, and financial reporting/forecasting. Looking ahead, Guillaume aims to raise U.S. investors, boost online sales, and scale the brand’s sustainability impact, noting that higher sales will fund more wildlife projects. He reflects on lessons learned—early fundraising, cash‑flow management, and ensuring family support—and advises entrepreneurs to embed sustainability from day one. The episode closes with a call to action to visit saola.com and follow the brand on social media.
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Welcome to another episode of the Achieve Podcast, the show where we highlight leaders, creators, and entrepreneurs who are building meaningful businesses, shaping their industries, and having an impact. I'm Taylor Baker Baker, your host, and excited to be joined today by Ji, the founder of Sayula, a beautiful shoe company. Now give us the backstory. With how you got into this space and who you're currently serving, because you guys have a niche with this type of footwear.
Yeah, we— so, so I've, uh, I've worked in the outdoor industry for about 15 years before launching the, the brand, uh, and I initially joined the outdoor industry for, you know, passion for sports but also for nature and the environment. And to me, that was the industry that was the closest to nature. And the more I worked in, you know, different brands, the more I felt a disconnect between the marketing of the brand and what was really going on on the production side. So, you know, after a few years, I decided to leave my job and launch a business that would be, you know, really environmentally focused. You know, inspired by brands like Patagonia, of course, and, you know, several other ones. And that's how basically Sérolat was born. I would say the mission of the brand was born before the type of products we would sell.
That makes sense. And again, it's like majority of your products are recycled or are user-friendly, environmentally friendly, which I love the sustainability of it.
Yeah, yeah, we, we, uh, we try to, um, to use, uh, as much recycled or bio-based materials as we can. So today, in the pair of shoes, if you take the weight of the shoe, I would say more than 70% of its weight is made of recycled or sustainable materials. And then the other mission of the brand is we, um, uh, we— so we joined the 1% for the Planet organization since, you know, day one. And we work with some NGOs on some wildlife preservation projects. So 1% of our sales go towards these NGOs.
Yeah, I love that. I love that. Now, with this stage of the business, what would you say is actually driving growth for you?
What's driving growth is really— so we sell wholesale, so we sell to stores. We sell online. So our wholesale business is definitely where we see a lot of traction and people embrace the shoes, you know, I would say for the sustainable mission, but also, you know, for the lightness and the comfort of the products. And we try to stay, you know, at some prices that where, you know, hopefully more, you know, a big chunk of the population can afford the shoes. Yeah, it's difficult. You know, with, you know, with new tariffs in place, for example, importing the shoes from Vietnam. But we try to be as competitive as possible in pricing.
Yeah, yeah, very competitive and for a very good quality and aesthetically pleasing footwear. It's amazing. Now, looking back for you personally, what would you say is positive or negative turning points have molded the way you think about running the organization?
Uh, turning points, um, you know, I think, you know, we, you know, when we, we launched— so we launched the brand in 2018, um, we had a, you know, really strong growth, uh, the first couple of years. Uh, at the time, 90% of our business was selling to stores, and basically when COVID hit we lost about 70% of our customers within a few weeks. So we had to kind of rebuild everything after COVID. And I would say the, you know, we focus a lot on just the business. When I initially launched, you know, my goal was to really spend more time with the NGOs and some wildlife preservation projects. But we are still at a stage where, you know, 120% of my time is just, you know, just focusing on business, growth, you know, and trying to get the finances in place, you know. And I'm hoping that at some point, you know, I will be able to dedicate a bit more time on the— on basically what really passionates me as well, is really working on some, you know, environmental projects.
Yeah, I love that. Now, how big is the team and the organization?
So the team, we are a pretty small team. We are 10 people. Most of them are in Europe. We have a guy in Taiwan as well. So it's, you know, and then we work with independent sales reps. So we have a bunch of people in North America and in Europe, basically just going on the road and selling the products.
Awesome. Now, as you guys try to grow and expand, what have been some of the biggest bottlenecks or obstacles that keep showing up?
I mean, COVID was definitely one. And yeah, and I would say, you know, I feel like the last, you know, 3, 4 years we always had some, you know, challenges. So either being, you know, increasing pricing in terms of logistics. This year is, you know, the new tariffs that have been put in place have definitely impacted a lot of the business. So, you know, we feel like, you know, with the, you know, about half of our business is in Europe. With the war in Ukraine, you know, and what's going on in the Middle East right now, it's just people are very cautious, some, you know, scared. And so, yeah, I mean, we try to push the business as much as we can, but there are a lot of external factors where we have no control over. So we just try to navigate as much as we, you know, as we can. Yeah.
That makes sense. A lot of moving parts, a lot of factors to deal with there. Now, when it comes to your messaging, your outreach, your marketing systems, what's been working well and where do you feel the biggest gaps or frustrations?
Um, you know, storytelling has not been our strength. Uh, so we, you know, we try to, you know, the strength that today is really on our products. Um, so that's what we are trying to to push as much as possible and really trying to get people to experience and wear the shoes. And because all the feedback we have is really good, and so we, you know, I'm just trying to, you know, push on that aspect. And then we, you know, we are working with some influencers, some, you know, a couple of ambassadors. But this is a big project for us. I would say the next 12 months is really try to be better at telling our story and telling our mission.
That makes a lot of sense. Now, with all the talk around AI and automation, where have you guys found ways internally to use it, and where do you still see opportunity?
Yeah, so we, so we've started to really use it, um, in depth, I would say about 6 months ago, a lot on the marketing side. Um, you know, we, with spent a lot of time and money over the last few years on, you know, doing product pictures, photo shoots, and that kind of stuff. And so, I mean, even if we will continue to do some, we're going to try to optimize, uh, you know, that, you know, all that part of the business with AI. And then we are starting to also implement some AI solutions on the financial side. Just try to run some reporting, gather information, try to be better at forecast. And that's, yeah, so that's, I would say, I was at our office in France a few months ago and I really tried to push the team to just focus more and more on AI, especially as we are a small team. The more efficient we can be, the better it will be for sure.
Yeah. Now, when you think about the next stages of the business, what are you most excited about?
Well, I think, I mean, the next stages is really, uh, you know, for us, so, you know, I have a big project this year and I'm looking— I'm going to be looking at for investors in the US. We have investors in Europe, but as we grow, um, in the US faster, the goal now is to really get the brand out there. You know, we have, we know we have great products. We, they perform both online and at retail, and people, you know, once they buy a pair of shoes, they come back to us. We have about 30, more than 30% of people or customers on our website who have 3 or more pairs of shoes. So now it's really a matter of just, you know, getting the name out there, getting the, you know, more visibility and This is what I'm excited about. It's a challenge, but this is also where I see the biggest potential. And in my vision, the more we sell, you know, sustainable shoes, basically the least non-sustainable shoes there will be on the market. And also the bigger we get, the bigger the amount of money we will have just to help some wildlife preservation projects. So it's You know, it's everything basically is linked to growth now.
Wow, that makes a lot of sense. And I love that mission that you're on, that the holistic view with it. Now, when you think about your journey, the wins, the mistakes, what lessons stand out to you and what do you wish you understood sooner?
What I wish to understood sooner is maybe, I mean, one of our biggest challenge is always basically run out of cash. We have a lot of cash flow needs, and this is very stressful, very time-consuming. And I would say if I had to start over, I would try to raise a lot more money from day one instead of just trying to do a smaller, you know, fundraise. And then maybe be, be part of you know, I would say I've tried to have really the right people around me from day one to give me better advice. And again, you know, maybe with, you know, better connections, networks, and stuff like that.
Yeah, that makes sense. Cash flow.
One thing— well, yeah, and one thing I forgot to mention, and to me that's key, um, so I have a wife and kids and, and, uh It's, you know, launching your own business has definitely an impact on your personal life. And I took advice from a friend when I started, and he was like, well, you know, just make sure your wife is on board with this because it's going to be, you know, a roller coaster, a lot of good days and a lot of bad days. And so I really try to pay a lot of attention to how my wife feels about what we're doing because To me, that's the number one priority.
Yeah, that's good. That's wonderful to have that team with the wife, because yeah, when things are struggling at home, they're not going to do as well as work. Now, G, if you had to pick one constraint to focus on and solve over the next 90 days, what would it be?
Um, one constraint, uh, I would say really try to better perform online. You know, we see the potential. I just feel like we don't have the right tools and the right expertise. And if we had, you know, and I'm sure, I mean, we could do 10 times more just on our online business. So that's where I would focus on if I had one topic to That makes sense.
Any— again, I appreciate you coming on and sharing, sharing what you have, because I love the mission behind it, and I can't emphasize that enough. So any other final words or advice for other leaders, other entrepreneurs on a similar journey?
Uh, I would say, I mean, if you start a project, uh, these days, um, try to incorporate the sustainable aspect of your business from day one. Because even if, you know, a lot of consumers, you know, are going to look for pricing or, you know, products or, you know, anything at first, and maybe, you know, the environment won't be the number one priority, it's something that's, you know, basically going to have to be in every single business in the future. And it's a lot easier to have it from day one than trying to incorporate it at a later stage because it's, you know, very often costs a little bit more. So you, you know, you have more constraints where it's— if it's from day one, then it makes your journey a lot, a lot easier.
Yeah, I love that. That is, that is a lot of good advice there because we all need to do a better job being good stewards of the Earth and things around us.
I mean, we only have one, and to me, when I see some stuff happening some days, I'm like, you know, I think we should try to focus on, you know, preserving the Earth, preserving the environment a lot more than what we do, and spending less money on, you know, military stuff and And, you know, I mean, trying to preserve what we have instead of trying to get something we don't have, basically. Yeah.
And so that sustainable aspect starting from day one, it's just so much more cost effective than having to retrofit afterwards.
So, sure.
Yeah, yeah, that is a beautiful message. And again, for those who want to reach out and learn more, they can reach out on LinkedIn or they go to saola.com. That's S-A-O-L-A.com. La.com. Anywhere else you'd like to send them?
Uh, no, I think that's the best way to get, uh, you know, as much information as, as you can. And, uh, I mean, then you'll have access to our social, uh, social networks as well. So yeah.
Oh, that's wonderful. Now again, thank you for coming on and, and sharing, sharing the vision, the passion, the responsible approach to footwear. It doesn't have to be ugly, it doesn't have to be uncomfortable. It can be beautiful, comfortable, aesthetically pleasing, and environmentally friendly and conscious.
Thank you. And if you don't mind, uh, you know, I would just ask one thing. It's ask you a question. Do you have an idea of how many pairs of shoes are produced every year globally in the world?
I would guess a billion. I, I don't know.
Now, so it's about 25 billion pairs of shoes. And just to, you know, if you would count up to 25 billion, like, you know, 1, 2, 3, and every second, that would take you about 730 years to count up to 25 billion. So it's a huge amount of products. And it's even, you know, I think it's 100 billion for apparel. So, you know, so that's why it's important to have some products, you know, that are as sustainable as possible because we make so many of them.
Yeah, that, that is mind-blowing. 25 billion pairs of shoes are made every year.
Yeah. Wow.
That, that, yes, definitely need to be responsible with the resources that we have for that kind of turnover.
Yeah. Wow.
Well, thank you so much for coming on and sharing that. And, and thank you to today's sponsors of the episode, Achieve a Fractional, which provides executive fractional leadership for growing businesses. If you enjoyed today's episode, share it with a friend, with a colleague. Go online, look at the shoes, look at the mission, get a pair, see how comfortable they are. Reach out to G and the team and get involved, make a difference, purchase responsibly, and we will see you on the next episode of the Achieve Podcast.
