Meet Malia Pope | Shoe Customizer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Malia Pope and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Malia, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk taking has made such a huge difference in the life of my business. Previously in my personal life, I was never too good at getting out of my comfort zone. So when I began customizing shoes, I was very hesitant to try new things where I wasn’t 100% certain of the outcome. As I started to grow little by little and get more comfortable, I finally felt ready and confident enough to begin taking risks. I want to share an experience of a risk I took that turned out positively. Earlier in the year, I reached out to a few different influencers on Instagram who I thought would represent me well. At the time, I was still a relatively new page and had a small following so I wasn’t sure if any would respond. However, one did! She was very excited for the offer I made and agreed to work with me on a collaboration. Once she received her pair, she did everything she had originally agreed to which made a huge impact on my business. Because of this influencer and my decision to take a leap of faith despite doubt and difficulties, my Instagram following tripled in size over the course of a week! I was so happy to have all of these new people supporting me and my work!
However, taking risks doesn’t always go well. At times it can be disheartening and feel hard to keep pushing forward with your work, so I wanted to share an experience closer to that side of the spectrum to give those who may relate some hope. For weeks I had been tediously planning a big giveaway for my business and was very nervous but excited to finally release it. Sadly, this risk didn’t go quite as well as the one before. It still caught the eye of my followers and I saw some growth, but it was no where near the amount of growth I had predicted and hoped to get. Even though it wasn’t quite as successful as I wanted it to be, I’m still glad I decided to go through with it.
I’ve learned that when things don’t turn out the way I hope, it can still be beneficial to my growth and progress. It helps me figure out what doesn’t work for my intended audience that way I don’t make the same mistakes again. Instead, I learn to adapt new tactics and figure out where to focus my attention to get the most out of what I do. It’s all trial and error. I’ve also realized that when I don’t go through with an idea that I have, I always question if it would’ve been worth it or not to take that leap of faith. But I never feel that way when I do go through with things no matter the outcome.
If I had any advice to those reading, I’d say do it and do it scared! Otherwise you’ll stay stuck where you are. Indecision will cause more harm than an ineffective decision. Keep pushing through to reach your goals and become your best self. Without letting go of some of the anxiety and nerves that had originally held me back, I would’ve never had these experiences, both good and bad, that I’ve been so blessed with.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Everything I do is hand painted with love and care and made specifically for its individual owner! I am so passionate about every piece of artwork that I have the opportunity to create. I do my best to create a relationship with each customer and bring exactly what they want to life on a pair of shoes! Getting where I am today wasn’t necessarily easy, there was a lot of patient waiting, behind the scenes hard work, and risks that didn’t always play out as I hoped. However, I knew that I loved doing this so I pushed through and kept working at my goals no matter how hard the circumstances may have been. During my journey I’ve learned that everyone has something they can offer and with that, there are always improvements you can make to better your goods and/or services. There are no specific guidelines to running your own business which can make things difficult at times, but I’m learning along the way and continuing to better my craft as I keep working.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m a big fan of getting out and exploring nature. Some of my favorite outdoor places are Devils Backbone in Loveland, Horestooth Reservoir, and Rocky Mountain National Park! They have some towns, like Estes Park, up in the mountains with small shops and restaurants to check out. Besides enjoying nature, I also enjoy art and sports. There are multiple art museums in Denver that are always wonderful to experience including the limited edition Immersive Van Gogh exhibit! In Denver and Commerce City, they have many of our sports stadiums/arenas as well. My personal favorites to watch would be the Colorado Rapids and the Avalanche or Eagles. There’s also the Rockies, Broncos, and Nuggets which are enjoyable too. Food-wise, I feel like most places are pretty generic US chains. However, there are some delicious food trucks and local small restaurants around town like Jenny’s Malt Shop where you can get some fantastic volcano ice snow cones and more!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people I’d like to give credit to for helping push me to where I am today! My family members have absolutely played a big part in it all. They’ve encouraged me, motivated me, and have even helped finance some of my decisions with full faith in my goals. I’d also like to thank many of my close friends for supporting me both in person and over social media, they’ve been by my side cheering me on and celebrating the big and little victories with me! I’d especially like to thank my good friend Nick Thomas, he’s one of the main reasons I decided to start up my business and try to customize shoes for others in the first place. I want to thank the small business community and my followers for inspiring me and keeping me busy doing what I love! Lastly, while this may seem a little odd, I’d have to give a shoutout to COVID. If it hadn’t gotten all of us quarantined back in 2020, I’m not sure my business would be here today!

Website: https://www.customizedbymalia.wixsite.com/shoes

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/customized.bymalia/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/customized.bymaliapope/posts/

Other: Pinterest: https://pin.it/22mQRyz

Image Credits
Photos taken by Malia Pope and Bella Pope