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InPerson

Steve founded CrepStars
Lambo, a laceless indoor trainer
designed to combine sneaker
aesthetics with slipper-like
comfort. His CrepStars journey
took him into the world of
Dragon’s Den in 2023

drop off completely,‘ he says. ‘It felt like value from it. It made me realise I was designs and multiple factory revisions
you were always fighting a battle you thinking about business all wrong. From and spent about a year refining the
couldn‘t really win.‘ there I started reading more, watching product into something more considered.
Was he recognising the treadmill his YouTube stuff – Diary of a CEO, Alex ‘We probably went through 10 revisions
father and uncle had been on? Hormozi – and it just snowballed.‘ to get it right. It had to feel right as well
‘Yes, you just live the same life on Slowly, his mindset shifted from as look right.‘
repeat every year. And I think that‘s running a small flooring operation to The result was the CrepStars Lambo,
actually how many small business thinking in systems and leverage. ‘That‘s a laceless indoor trainer designed to
owners live without realising it. It when I thought about vehicles, the combine sneaker aesthetics with slipper-
becomes a cycle.‘ platform or structure that determines like comfort, finished with lightweight
For Steve, that realisation became how far and how fast you can scale your materials and a memory foam fleece
uncomfortable. ‘It‘s a huge problem that success,‘ he says. ‘It all really started with insole. To bring it to scale, Steve made
everyone sort of ignores. Even when you that book, then everything just built from a significant financial commitment,
do see it, not everyone wants to change there.‘ remortgaging his home and investing
it. Not everyone wants to spend 12-hour Alongside his flooring career, Steve about £120,000 across stock, tooling
days, every day, for years on end, just founded CrepStars, an indoor footwear and development. ‘I bought 3,000 pairs in
sat at a computer, not seeing friends or brand built from the same instinct that‘s three colourways,‘ he says. ‘At that point
having a life outside of it.‘ shaped much of his working life: spotting you‘re all in.‘
It was that realisation, that effort didn‘t everyday problems and trying to solve Steve‘s CrepStars journey took him
necessarily translate into long-term them properly. into the world of Dragon‘s Den in 2023.
leverage, which ultimately pushed him The idea, he explains, came from ‘It‘s filmed over about two weeks in
to explore other opportunities outside personal frustration. ‘I was always summer,‘ he says. ‘Then you find out
traditional flooring, even while continuing walking around indoors in trainers or around Christmas if it‘s going to air, and
to run the business in the background. socks. I didn‘t like slippers – they‘re like it‘s shown early the next year.‘
‘I realised it‘s the vertical you‘re in that old-man slippers – so I thought, why He initially entered with his first,
decides where you end up. I had goals in isn‘t there something that looks like a less developed product, but didn‘t get
life, but I could see I wasn‘t going to get trainer but actually works indoors?‘ through. A second application, however,
there doing what I was doing. I needed a What started as a casual idea soon secured him a place in front of the
different vehicle.‘ became a serious side venture. Dragons. In preparation, he leaned
Drawing on the same hands-on on advice from a contact he met at a
NE unexpected influence came from approach he used in flooring, Steve networking event in London – someone
Ooutside the trade entirely. ‘I was at began testing prototypes through who‘d worked with the founder of Tangle
the gym one day and the owner could overseas manufacturers. ‘The first Teezer, one of the show‘s most famously
see I was a bit fed up with work,‘ Steve version was cheap and a bit tacky, but ‘missed‘ investment opportunities.
says. ‘He told me to read The E-Myth it worked. I sold about 1,000 pairs on ‘He helped me understand what they
Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don‘t Amazon. They were popular, but I was were looking for in the application,‘ Steve
Work and What to Do About It by Michael breaking even because the marketing says. ‘So I went down, filmed the whole
Gerber. I don‘t really read books, I wasn‘t costs were so high.‘ thing, but it didn‘t end up airing.‘
academic at all, but I gave it a go.‘ Rather than stepping away, he doubled While the experience gave him
That book, he says, changed his down on development. He brought in exposure, it also brought mixed
outlook completely. ‘I just got so much a shoe designer, worked through CAD outcomes. ‘It‘s entertainment at the end

16 CFJ July 2026 www.contractflooringjournal.co.uk
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