Today we’d like to introduce you to Tori Wood.
Tori, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started at ISlide as a Marketing Intern during my senior year at Bridgewater State in December of 2014. At the time there were only 6 full-time employees and a group of about 8 interns. With that being said you could say we were at the start of our start-up phase. We were then located in an old mill building in Norwood.
The Mill was our home… we spent so many hours there making sure our work was getting done because we knew if it wasn’t, we were never going to succeed. And that is the mentality ISlide instills in you… it’s not just about completing your daily tasks within your role but making sure the company is continuing to grow and get better every day.
Once I graduated in May of 2015 Justin and the team offered me a full-time position working in operations. With no prior experience in that department, I wondered why they wanted me but I accepted without question. I wanted to be a part of this company so badly that I was ready to do anything to make that happen. I felt the passion and learned the drive and I was ready to dive in.
I went on to manager Customer Service, Order Processing, A/R and pieces of Operations for the next 3 years. Throughout this time we signed on with the NBA, partnered with DJ Khaled, aired on Shark Tank with Antonio Brown, and moved our office to Hyde Park.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
With most startups, things are never really ‘easy’. Outside of the long hours and challenging work, we had to figure out how to run the company and how to make it scalable. Since we are the only company in the world doing what we do, there was no framework for success. We had to start from phase one with our own product and our own printing process.
Once our popularity spiked, we had to scale even more to keep up with demand. While being a great problem to have, ISlide has a small, close-knit team that needs to function like a well-oiled machine. We never want to hire too quickly or hire the wrong people. We have a very special culture that we want to preserve when we onboard new employees.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about ISlide – what should we know?
We are the only slide company in the world that allows you to customize the way we do.
You can upload a picture of your dog or an embarrassing picture of your best friend and we will print it on the straps of your slides. We also have the option to customize the sides of the straps. Which means you can put your nickname or an emoji on the sides of the slides to complement the top design.
When most people think custom footwear they think they are going to be changing the color of the materials but with ISlide we have 10-12 slide colors that are your canvas for creation. We are not only known for our custom printing capabilities but for having the comfiest slide in the market. Many professional athletes get free slides from Nike and Adidas but choose to wear our slides because they are special to them personally and are the best for their feet after playing in a game.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
ISlide wouldn’t be anywhere without the team. Everyone that has worked at here (employees or interns- past or present) has brought us to where we are today. We all have one common goal and that is to see ISlide succeed.
Whether that is internally with departments or processes or externally with partnerships and investments, we all want the best for this brand.
When hiring new employees we always make sure that people fit our culture first and foremost. Everyone here is willing to do anything and everything to get the job done and that is why we have seen such great success in our 5 years of existence.
Contact Info:
- Address: 65 Sprague St East Building 2nd Floor
Hyde Park MA 02136 - Website: islideusa.com
- Phone: 7813520677
- Email: tori@islideusa.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/islideusa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ISlideUSA
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/islideusa
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/ISlideUSA
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
