Jeremy Stewart | Handling a Career Flip Flop

Having a particular set of skills doesn’t have to limit you to one industry. You can always follow in the footsteps of Hari Mari founder Jeremy Stewart.

Jeremy spent a decade as a political consultant: But after two presidential campaigns in Indonesia, he and his wife Lila were burned out. Their next move was something completely different — they started selling flip flops.

But it turns out that making the switch from politics to products is not as wild a leap as you might think.

“A politician is just a walking consumer good,” Jeremy says. “You dress them up, you attach messages, send them to the right distribution channel. If you do it right, you have favorable results.”

Back in Dallas, hunting for a new consumer good to dress up and sell, he kept coming back to flip flops. 

His research revealed that the market was bigger than he’d expected and wasn’t yet dominated by a single player. And the products hadn’t been redesigned in years.

Jeremy applied his political campaign skills to creating a sandal that would get consumers’ votes. Through focus groups, he learned that people wanted color, comfort and casual styles.

There were missteps along the way. Jeremy had no experience in footwear. His first order of 25,000 pairs was held up at customs over incorrect labels, and 10,000 were too faulty to sell.

Jeremy and Lila gave the faulty-but-wearable pairs to a non-profit for donation — which instead sold them at massively reduced rates online.

However, that experience hasn’t dampened Jeremy’s generous spirit: Hari Mari donates one percent of sales to pediatric oncology and hematology centers. 

The company also donates specially designed flip flops to service members and first responders who have lost a leg, and flip flops to medical workers on the front line of the pandemic.

“It’s a big part of our culture. It gives us real purpose because we know that if we can increase our sales and grow our brand footprint, there is a backend that is super helpful to children and families who are battling cancer.

👦 Name: Jeremy Stewart

⚙️ What he does: CEO and founder of Hari Mari, the premium flip flop brand sold direct to consumers in 1,500 places across the US, Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas, including Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Zappos.

👡 Company: Hari Mari

💎 Words of wisdom: “Don't do something just for the act of doing something when you don't know what the outcome is going to be. Let it come to you and act once you have a better sense of clarity.”

🔍 Where to find Hari Mari: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website

💡 Leaving the trail: After working as a political consultant for a decade, Jeremy was burned out. He moved back to the US and looked for a product to sell.

💡 Flip flops in focus: Jeremy kept coming back to flip flops. He used focus groups to find out what his future customers wanted, and how much they would pay.

💡 New model: Jeremy’s initial plan was based on a direct-to-consumer online model. But it turns out people like to test-drive their shoes more than other products.

💡 Labelgate: Jeremy flew to China to supervise his initial order of 25,000. But there were still some major disasters lying in wait when it finally reached him.

💡 Rewiring your business brain: Running a business doesn’t leave much room for putting your feet up, but Jeremy is learning to compartmentalize and handle situations calmly.

💡 Sand to street: Hari Mari took the flip flop from the beach to the city, and in the process laid the groundwork to become a lifestyle brand.

💡 Footing the bill: Jeremy and Lila always wanted to use the business to help children. One percent of sales goes to covering medical bills in pediatric oncology centers.

💡 Saying thanks: Hari Mari also has initiatives to give flip flops to veterans, first responders and medical professionals.

Jeremy Stewart:

“We were new, we didn't know any better. And thank God we didn't, because we were so naive, it didn't even phase us for a second. We just kept going.”

“When you start a business, highs and lows happen within the same hour, the same day, all the time. If you let it take you to either place, there are risks involved.”

“We're always fed this narrative that as an entrepreneur, you've always gotta be moving, everything's gotta happen in quick fashion. And sometimes, it's just reacting because you think that's the expectation.”

“Waiting and not letting your emotional triggers overrule your sensibilities seems to always play in your favor.”

“We saw a lot of great brands doing things for kids abroad. And we thought, why aren't more brands doing things for kids here in the US? There's just as much need.”