My First Steps

Children's Footwear Retailmyfirststeps.ie

My First Steps is an Irish children's footwear retailer founded in 2022, operating two physical stores in Ennis and Galway alongside a Shopify e-commerce platform. It serves parents of children from pre-walker age through school age with 1,370+ products across 20+ premium shoe brands, shipping to 40+ countries.

Company typePrivate
Founded2022
HeadquartersEnnis, Clare, Ireland
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What My First Steps does

My First Steps is an Irish children's footwear and accessories retailer founded in 2022 and headquartered in Ennis, County Clare. The company operates a hybrid retail model combining two physical stores in Ennis and Galway with a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront (myfirststeps.ie). It serves parents of children from pre-walker age through school age, offering a curated selection of 1,370+ products across 20+ premium brands including Geox, Clarks, Skechers, Biomecanics, Froddo, Pablosky, Lelli Kelly, Primigi, Bobux, Crocs, and Start Rite. The core offering spans pre-walkers, school shoes, runners, sandals, boots, wellies, and a specialized Barefoot Collection, complemented by children's clothing, backpacks, accessories, and Jibbitz charms.

The company's underlying technology is the Shopify e-commerce platform supporting its online storefront, inventory management, and order processing, with multi-currency support across 30+ currencies and shipping to Ireland, Northern Ireland, the UK, 29 European countries, and 8 worldwide destinations. In-store shoe fitting services use expert foot measurement provided by trained staff, supplemented by an online Sizewise measuring tool. The business differentiates itself through professional fitting services, multiple width options (Narrow E through Extra Wide H), a Jump Club loyalty program, and a shoe recycling scheme.

My First Steps generates revenue through one-time retail product sales (children's footwear and accessories) and digital gift vouchers, priced from approximately €10 for accessories to €106 for premium boots. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via both physical retail and e-commerce, targeting parents of young children. The company donates a proportion of profits to two Irish children's charities (Cliona's Foundation and Hugh's House), a commitment tied to the owner's personal story. Payment options include Klarna buy-now-pay-later, Shop Pay, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, with delivery fulfilled by Fastway Couriers and An Post.

My First Steps firmographics

Firmographics

Name: My First Steps
Legal name: My First Steps
Website: https://myfirststeps.ie
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2022
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: My First Steps is an Irish children's footwear retailer founded in 2022, operating two physical stores in Ennis and Galway alongside a Shopify e-commerce platform. It serves parents of children from pre-walker age through school age with 1,370+ products across 20+ premium shoe brands, shipping to 40+ countries.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

My First Steps industry classification

Industry

Product category: Children's Footwear Retail
NAICS: Shoe Retailers (45821), Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers (458)
SIC: Retail-Shoe Stores (5661)
akta.pro primary industry: Children’s & Baby Footwear Retail (CRAAADAF)
akta.pro secondary industry: Footwear Accessories & Care Retail (Insoles, Laces, Shoe Care) (CRAAADAL)

Keywords

Children's footwear retail
Kids shoe store
School shoes Ireland
Barefoot kids shoes
Pre-walker baby shoes

Where My First Steps is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Ennis, Clare
HQ country: Ireland
HQ region: Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

My First Steps business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Retail Product Sales: One-time sales of children's footwear and accessories through both e-commerce and physical retail stores. Products include shoes, boots, sandals, school shoes, and related children's accessories. The company carries 1,370+ products across multiple branded collections.
Gift Vouchers: Digital gift vouchers available for purchase, enabling gifting for children's footwear and accessories.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Standard Delivery - ROI/NI
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Express Delivery - ROI/NI
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	UK Delivery
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Europe Delivery
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Worldwide Delivery
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Product Pricing

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

My First Steps product offering

Product offering

Core offering

My First Steps sells children's footwear (pre-walkers, school shoes, runners, sandals, boots, wellies, high tops, slippers, communion shoes, and a barefoot collection) for boys and girls from pre-walker age through primary school, alongside complementary children's clothing, backpacks, accessories, and Crocs Jibbitz charms. The company operates a Shopify-powered online storefront serving Ireland, the UK, Europe, and select worldwide destinations, supported by two physical retail stores in Ennis and Galway that offer expert in-store shoe fitting and foot measurement services.

Product overview

My First Steps is an Irish children's footwear and accessories retailer operating as a Shopify-based e-commerce platform with physical stores in Ennis and Galway. The core product is children's footwear spanning multiple categories including pre-walkers, school shoes, runners, sandals, boots, wellies, high tops, barefoot collection, and slippers for boys and girls. The business also offers complementary products including children's clothing (Little Lighthouse brand), backpacks, accessories (pencil cases, water bottles, lunch boxes), and Jibbitz charms for Crocs. Value-added services include in-store shoe fitting with expert measurements, an online size guide tool, gift vouchers, a loyalty program (Jump Club), and a recycling scheme. The store stocks over 20 major footwear brands including Geox, Clarks, Skechers, Biomecanics, Froddo, Pablosky, Lelli Kelly, Primigi, Bobux, Ricosta, Victoria, Crocs, and Start Rite.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Kids Footwear (Boys and Girls)

Quantifiable outcome

242 customer reviews collected via Judge.me

Companies that use My First Steps

Customer profile

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

My First Steps technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

My First Steps partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

Cliona's FoundationminorOthersIrish children's charity benefiting from a proportion of My First Steps' profits. The partnership has personal significance as the charity supported the owner's family when their own daughter was ill, creating an emotional connection to the business mission beyond pure retail.
Hugh's HouseminorOthersIrish children's charity benefiting from a proportion of My First Steps' profits. Like Cliona's Foundation, this charity supported the owner's family during their daughter's illness, creating a meaningful charitable commitment that differentiates the business socially.
Fastway CouriersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCourier partner for standard delivery within Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Handles parcel delivery for online orders in the primary domestic market.
An PostminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIrish postal service used for delivery of small items and gift vouchers within Republic of Ireland.
KlarnaminorOthersBuy-now-pay-later payment option offered at checkout, enabling customers to spread payments over time. Payment processor partnership facilitating customer purchases.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

My First Steps competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

Schuh: UK-headquartered multi-brand footwear retailer with significant children's ranges and omnichannel presence — comparable as a broader multi-brand footwear incumbent serving family shoppers across UK and Ireland.
Mothercare: UK-headquartered multi-category retailer of products for parents and young children including footwear, nursery, and clothing — comparable as a broad incumbent in the children's apparel/footwear category that has struggled with D2C and omnichannel execution similar to My First Steps' hybrid challenge.
Clarks: UK heritage footwear giant with a large children's segment, multi-brand heritage (including Start Rite), global D2C and wholesale presence — comparable as both a brand partner of My First Steps and a broad incumbent shaping the children's footwear competitive landscape.
The Children's Place: US-based specialty retailer of children's apparel and footwear operating stores and e-commerce — comparable as a broad-incumbent children's specialty retailer combining apparel and footwear assortment with omnichannel operations.
Pavers Shoes: UK multi-brand footwear retailer with strong family/kids assortment and value positioning — comparable as a UK/European regional multi-brand shoe retailer that competes for the same family footwear basket as My First Steps.

Direct peers

Shoebacca: US online footwear retailer offering discounted multi-brand family footwear with broad kids' assortment — comparable as a multi-brand online shoe retailer competing for the same parent-driven, value-conscious children's footwear basket.
Froddo: Croatian premium children's footwear brand with barefoot and orthopedist-friendly positioning sold through specialty retailers globally — directly comparable to My First Steps' role as a curated multi-brand children's specialist featuring Froddo as a key partner.
Start Rite: UK children's footwear specialist brand (now part of Clarks) with fitting-focused retail heritage and school-shoe positioning — directly comparable to My First Steps' school shoe category leadership and specialist children's brand curation.
Bobux: New Zealand-origin children's footwear brand with strong barefoot/minimalist positioning and D2C plus retail distribution globally, including Ireland — directly comparable to My First Steps' Barefoot Collection curation and premium-brand children's footwear positioning.
Stride Rite: Historic US-based children's footwear specialist retailer founded in 1919, focused exclusively on kids' shoes with a fitting-led retail and e-commerce model — directly comparable to My First Steps' specialty positioning in children's footwear with multi-brand assortment and fitting services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

My First Steps financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

My First Steps leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

My First Steps funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

My First Steps M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about My First Steps

What does My First Steps do?

Is My First Steps a public or private company?

My First Steps is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was My First Steps founded?

My First Steps was founded in 2022. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is My First Steps based?

My First Steps is headquartered in Ennis, Clare, Ireland, in the Europe region.

How does My First Steps make money?

Two revenue lines are on record. Retail Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are gift Vouchers.

Who are My First Steps's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are Schuh, Mothercare, Clarks, The Children's Place and Pavers Shoes. Direct peers are Shoebacca, Froddo, Start Rite, Bobux and Stride Rite.

Does My First Steps have an API?

No public API is recorded for My First Steps.

What industry is My First Steps in?

My First Steps's product category is Children's Footwear Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAAADAF, Children’s & Baby Footwear Retail, with a secondary code of CRAAADAL, Footwear Accessories & Care Retail (Insoles, Laces, Shoe Care). Its NAICS code is 45821 and its SIC code is 5661.