How I Built and Grew a Women’s Basketball Sneaker Brand in College

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Natalie White, the founder of Moolah Kicks, which makes women’s basketball sneakers. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I started playing basketball when I was five years old. I’m from New York City, and one of my earliest memories of the sport was traveling to Ocean City, New Jersey, to play in a tournament. I was the only girl on the team. But it didn’t matter. Basketball soon became my life.

I played on the girls’ team in high school. Then, I went to Boston College, where I joined the women’s club team and managed the varsity team while studying finance and art.

While picking out basketball shoes for my senior year, I came across an ad featuring WNBA players. The ad pictured stars Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi promoting other athletes’ signature sneakers. Sue Bird held the Kyrie 4 shoe, and Diana Taurasi held the LeBron 12.

I saw that ad, and it hit me. What is this saying? You can be the absolute best in the game but you will still be wearing and promoting sneakers named after someone else?

I looked into the issue and saw that not only is there a social implication, but a performance one as well. The female foot form differs in five key areas, including the ankle. So, when we play in these shoes, we’re more at risk for knee, ankle, and leg injuries that are so common in basketball. It felt like a one-two punch.

In 2020, as a senior in college, I started Moolah Kicks to create sneakers for female basketball players.

The brand name is slang for money and a nod to the street culture of women’s basketball that I grew up with. It also signifies the financial opportunity the Moolah brand creates for female players with the help of our partners and the women’s basketball community that has embraced us.

Related stories

Working with female athletes to grow the brand

We work with female athletes to grow our brand.

WNBA player Courtney Williams wears our shoes. We’ve collaborated with major brands, including Stanley, and we’ve been on the “Today” show.

We’ve also expanded our reach into youth and amateur sports over the last few years. Since we started, we have signed over 100 name, image, and likeness deals with athletes and gotten hundreds of Amateur Athletic Union teams to wear our shoes.

We produce a shoe called the Press Break designed for girls’ feet. We wanted girls to have shoes earlier, as young as in grade school. It is so important that when she plays in her first game or practice, she can take the court in shoes that will elevate her game and promote career longevity.

We’re just getting started with the women’s basketball movement.

We’ve gone from an idea to selling our sneakers in 631 stores. I cold-called businesses to get them to carry our shoes. It can feel daunting to put yourself out there, but if you are intentional with your approach, describe some clear value that you may be able to add, and honor the other person’s time, it can change your life.

Three pieces of advice that I would give to anyone is to always be ready, hustle, and remember that the cream always rises to the top.

Every challenge is an opportunity to get stronger

When you’re at a startup, one day can completely change the company. It is countless when you think about what could go wrong.

There are challenges in everything: manufacturing, contract and legal stuff, cash flow, operations, admin, and freight charges. What happens if there is an error on our duty bill?

COVID disruptions to the supply chain, along with being a startup brand caused some challenges to our brand early on. Now, we are incredibly lucky to partner with one of the top factories for performance footwear in the world.

The biggest lesson I learned is that every challenge is an opportunity to get stronger.

Moolah is a story about what happens when you lean into your community.

We want to be synonymous with women’s basketball. We want to create our own lane in which success is not compared to men’s basketball. It’s our own sport, our own identity, our own image and success.