The Story
The Footbalance story is similar to the success stories of many top notch Finnish companies and athletes because it shaped out of the same ingredients: entrepreneurship, a clear vision, goal orientation and perseverance.
In the starting blocks
Having completed his professional qualification, physiotherapist Erkki Hakkala specialized in problems of the lower limbs. As he was an inventor and a developer by nature, he was not content simply with doing his everyday work; he also took it on himself to develop more modern treatment methods in order to serve customers better. Hakkala set up a lower limb analysis clinic at a Diacor Medical Centre, but he was already thinking of an even more straightforward way to treat and help his patients.
Getting started
Being a professional physiotherapist, Hakkala knew that severe foot malpositions require an examination by a trained professional. His main concern, in fact, was for that majority of the population who do not feel acute pain and who therefore do not know that they need help to prevent problems from arising and to make their everyday walking more comfortable. Inventions to improve the wellbeing of people have never been in short supply, but for some reason our feet have been largely neglected. Erkki Hakkala, wanting to make a contribution to the wellbeing of his fellow men, began to develop his idea.
First steps
Thousands of hours developing and the testing of the product on more than 3,000 patients with lower limb problems finally paid off, and the first pilot trials were started in early 2007. The Footbalance foot analysis equipment developed by Hakkala enabled the production of fully customized insoles at an ordinary retail shop and at a cost-effective price. After years of work, he had attained his first target: making customized insoles available to everyone.
Enter the coach
A major leap forward was achieved when Hakkala the inventor was joined by a robust business promoter. His new advocate could hardly have had better credentials: he was Antti Pihlakoski, Chairman of Finnish Athletics, Board member of the European Athletic Association (EAA), Secretary General of the 2005 World Athletics Championships in Helsinki and one of the greatest running talents of his day. Pihlakoski had been forced to abandon his athletic career because of lower limb problems; Footbalance helped him, and he decided to help Footbalance go global.
Full speed ahead
Successful trials at three stores of the Intersport chain in Finland resulted in an avalanche of orders, and soon Footbalance was part and parcel of the services offered in all of Intersport’s 47 stores. News of the new bestseller reached Norway, notorious for being the most technical and demanding sports equipment market in the world. The next contact came from Japan. And then there was one from the USA. In just over two years, Footbalance expanded onto three continents, and now had a presence in more than 200 stores. This is an unequivocal testimonial of the uniqueness, credibility and effectiveness of Footbalance.
Global marathon
For Footbalance, the road is clear. Though set on conquering the world, it is keeping its roots firmly in Finland. Its product development and manufacturing facilities are in Finland, and ‘Made in Finland’ remains a hallmark guaranteeing quality. And going back to the roots of his business, Erkki Hakkala developed the Footbalance Medical product range for those with severe foot problems. Responsibility is part and parcel of the concept: obviously some lower limb problems definitely require a careful examination and analysis by a trained physiotherapist. But the ultimate objective remains clear: to offer each of the world’s six billion pairs of feet customized insoles to improve their wellbeing.