This week Jo sits down with Claire Burrows, founder of London footwear brand Air & Grace, to discuss building a business in midlife by solving the style-versus-comfort problem. Claire shares how redundancy pushed her to launch in 2014 after 20+ years in buying, design, and product development, funding early work with her life savings, renting out her home, and borrowing money. She explains developing the patented Tender Loving Air technology with technologist Kevin Ban, including setbacks like rejecting the first production run, running out of money, and later winning a Metro Newspaper competition that enabled a pivot from a failed wholesale plan to direct-to-consumer via Shopify. Claire describes learning marketing, e-commerce, and cashflow management, using consumer events to drive early sales and feedback, and later refocusing online. Her advice highlights investing in legal support and knowledge, keeping teams lean, and trusting red flags earlier.
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
01:47 Redundancy Sparks the Leap
02:39 Finding the Comfort Gap
04:25 Building the First Prototype Team
08:02 Naming Air and Grace
09:21 First Product and Early Setbacks
12:51 Tender Loving Air Tech
15:03 Funding and Cost Realities
16:38 Pivot to Direct to Consumer
19:24 Shopify Site and Winning Investment
21:04 Learning D2C Marketing and Finance
22:40 Money Mindset Shift
22:57 First Hire Milestone
23:22 Selling Comfort Online
23:42 Consumer Events Playbook
25:30 Trade Show Chaos Story
26:18 Online Focus Tipping Point
26:59 Back To In Person
27:40 New Product Evolution
28:22 Best Selling Flat
29:27 Color Range Strategy
30:12 Surviving Tough Markets
31:51 Streamlining For Growth
32:54 Team Culture Energy
33:33 Business Owner Surprises
34:40 Shoemaking Complexity
35:46 Three Two One Framework
36:06 Worth Every Penny
40:44 Team Size Regrets
42:25 Quit Earlier Lesson
44:07 Thanking The Technologist
45:02 Final Wrap And Goodbye
Visit at https://airandgracelondon.com/
Follow on Instagram @airandgrace
Support the show
Edited and produced by Jo Glynn-Smith 2025.
Recorded at Eight Works Podcast Studios, 1 Dysart Street, London, EC2A 2BX
For bookings: eightworks@eightclub.co.uk
Jo Glynn-Smith is an entrepreneur, professional coach, writer, and speaker from London, she is an expert in career transformation and change.
Instagram @jojoglynnsmith and @themidlifeentrepreneur
Contact: enquiries@joglynnsmith.com
www.joglynnsmith.com
MUSIC CREDIT Easy Money by REX BANNER licensed by Artlist.io
PHOTOGRAPHY by JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH www.jonathanglynnsmith.com
