August 15, 2019 – Forbes – Ashleigh Dempster started AKID in 2014 because she was unable to find stylish, long-lasting, comfortable shoes for her children. Trends that typically are seen on adults are rarely found in kids sizes and Dempster wanted that to change. The line launched with eclectic sneakers and slides that went viral. She had figured her friends and family would want to dress their children in AKID, but A-list celebs such as Kim Kardashian, Jessica Alba, Drew Barrymore, Jaime King, Molly Sims, Beyonce and Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, Charlize Theron, Selma Blair, January Jones, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, Kourtney Kardashian, and list goes on, were obsessed with styling their kids in AKID.

With such high demand coming from all directions, department stores like Nordstrom, Bergdorfs, Saks and Bloomingdales couldn’t get enough. Dempster, on the other hand, realized that scaling too fast was detrimental to the brand’s identity and mission. After a few years in retail, Dempster decided to scale back by focusing only on direct to consumer. Many entrepreneurs may see scaling back as a “failure,” but it was, in fact, a success for the brand and a great lesson for other new entrepreneurs on scaling too fast. As the five year anniversary of AKID approaches, Dempster shares the lessons she’s learned from her first brand.

Read more at Forbes.