Enjoy the walk. Such a simple, yet profound statement. One that relates not just to the links but also to life. Far too often we can get caught up in chasing our goals, forgetting to take a moment to appreciate where we are at in that exact moment of time. Maybe it is walking nine with your friends or family, playing a new course, or opening a fresh pair of kicks from your favorite brand.

Enjoy the walk. A slogan that TRUE Linkswear has brought to life.

At first glance of their shoes, website, or social media channels, you immediately get encaptured with the desire for your next golfing adventure. A craving to visit the Pacific Northwest and feel the influence of the great outdoors that inspired the companies creation.

That inception of TRUE was molded around a concept that golfers were not familiar with at the time. A unique, comfortable golf shoe dedicated to the walking golfer. Seemed to good to be TRUE.

But it wasn’t. The release of the original shoe in 2009 hit a chord with the golfing community. A loyal following began to develop around the brand. The comfortable, spikeless shoe was a hit.

“I think it was a bigger hit than even the folks who were with the business and ran the business at the time even expected. It grew rapidly through a traditional brick and mortar retail model.” – Justin Turner

But far too often a company changes. That original vision get’s lost in the heat of competition in the marketplace. They began creating models that looked more like big brand shoes and less like the casual footwear that carved out their niche following in the first place.

And this background of their company is what makes the “relaunch” of their brand so fascinating. The team over at TRUE took that original mission that made them such a great success and put their own modern twist on the business.

G&E has also teamed up with the team at TRUE to bring our audience a 15% discount on your purchase at truelinkswear.com heading into the holidays. All you have to do is enter the coupon code GANDEPPOD15 and your good to go.

Introducing the new TRUE Linkswear

A company re-engineered to provide its loyal fans with the highest quality shoe they can create. And Justin Turner, this week’s guest on G&E The Podcast, dives deep into the new business model.

When TRUE was at its peak in terms of revenue, 75 percent of sales came from big-box retail. While 25 percent came from e-commerce. Flipping this ratio is one of the first moves that the team is making to modernize the business. Developing direct-to-consumer into their primary channel has become one of the principal initiatives over at TRUE.

To make this happen, they completely revamped the website, giving their customers an impressive user experience. A trip over to truelinkswear.com takes you through a journey of the relaunch of the brand. With pages dedicated to their companies story, the new business model and an incredibly detailed walkthrough of what goes into the shoe in the Materials Matter section, it is hard not to begin to develop a connection with the company.

This focus on the user experience makes me think of one of my favorite quotes from the man who seems to be taking over the world. Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos.

“We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.” – Jeff Bezos

And this commitment to a digital experience doesn’t stop there. With the website renovation came a complete overhaul of their social media strategy. One quick glance at their Instagram page says it all.

With the relaunch of the brand, TRUE has taken its niche following back to its routes. From the simplicity of having two superb models in the Outsider and Original to the revamped digital experience, walking golfers everywhere should be very happy.

Episode 25 of G&E The Podcast | Golf & Entrepreneurship

This weeks interview with Justin Turner was an absolute pleasure. With his background in private equity, Justin peels back the curtains giving us a behind the scenes view into each step of the brand’s change of business plan. From the development of their new shoe models to the tools they used to enhance their direct-to-consumer channel, we talk about it all. Enjoy.