Carol Haffke

When Carol Haffke opened her own longer sized, women’s shoe shop in April 2012, she had no idea what she was doing. None.

She walked away from more than two decades working in journalism, public relations and fundraising, and within a few months opened the doors of her beloved shop, The Shoe Garden, in Brisbane, Australia. With no experience in running a business — let alone in selling shoes — Carol developed her own way of doing things.

Carol is relentlessly honest in this book. She doesn’t flinch from describing the lows that she experienced in her first four years as a Proud Shoe Shop Owner, as she adjusted from a successful career to being self-employed, working solo and coping with slumps in sales. But In My Shoes tells of the many joyous times, too — like seeing first-time customers burst into tears of happiness at finding fabulous shoes that fit.

This is a book about creating your own brand in your own way. It is about taking a chance, learning on the job, becoming tough and daring to be different. It’s about making a commitment to create a not-just-for-profit business that cares.

Above all, it is a book about believing in yourself.