After years working in the advertising industry, Mike McNeill found inspiration in helping others and pivoted to business ownership.

McNeill is the owner of The Good Feet Store location in Grand Rapids at 5070 28th St. SE, Suite B. The franchise specializes in personalized arch supports to provide long-term relief for foot pain and other related areas of discomfort.

Now in the business of helping people, McNeill’s career journey consistently has drawn on inspiration from those around him, beginning at a young age.

He was born in Ohio before his family moved to Buffalo, New York. His father was a General Mills plant manager and an accountant, and his mom worked as a school aide.

Business ownership was something McNeill was introduced to during his childhood, though it wasn’t usual for his family.

“We had almost no history of business ownership in my extended family … until my parents’ family,” McNeill said.

McNeill is the youngest of six children, and three of them have ventured into business ownership. As a child, McNeill watched his brother, who is 14 years his senior, open and operate several Domino’s Pizza locations. 

Though he didn’t realize it then, he said his brother’s success had an influence on his career path.

“I saw his success growing up through my teens and in my twenties, and I had the knowledge of ‘Wow, he grew up in the same house I did,’” McNeill said. “He didn’t have any special inside track to owning a business. He just saw something that he thought would work and kind of went for it. And it did work.”

After attending an all-boys Catholic high school, McNeill decided to pursue a degree in business administration from Canisius College in Buffalo. At the time, he didn’t have a clear career path in mind.

“I would not describe myself as a highly focused person at that point in my life,” he said. “So, you know you have to pick a major, but you don’t really know what you want to do. Business seemed like a great direction because that’s what my brother did.”

Upon graduating, McNeill took a job at the company his sister owned in Michigan. He worked as a manufacturer’s representative assistant, which he said was “basically a sales job” and didn’t last long.

McNeill then had an opportunity to be part of a direct mail startup company and moved to Ohio for the job.

“The whole idea of getting in on something that was brand new with a lot of growth potential excited me,” he said. “That was the beginning of my career track in advertising.”

McNeill went on to work for The Columbus Dispatch and some radio and TV stations. In 2001, he ended up at an advertising agency where he first was introduced to The Good Feet Store franchise.

“A local Good Feet Store was actually an early client,” he said.

During his time at the agency, McNeill worked on radio and TV commercials for The Good Feet Store. He personally interviewed real customers and witnessed the company’s impact first-hand.

“I got to know people and got to know their real-life experiences,” he said. “Even though, as an advertising person, I wasn’t in the store experiencing the customer, I was still experiencing the customer truthfully. I was experiencing some of the most amazing success stories of people whose lives were completely changed.”

McNeill also witnessed a success story from The Good Feet Store in his wife’s own experience.

He said his wife, Joella McNeill, was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, a common cause of foot pain. After trying multiple methods for pain relief, Joella visited a Good Feet Store location and was fitted for arch supports.

Within a few weeks of wearing her inserts, McNeill said his wife’s pain disappeared and hasn’t come back. The experience inspired him to get involved in the business.

“I loved The Good Feet Store so much I decided to become a store owner,” said McNeill, who called the transition to business ownership a “leap of faith.”

The Grand Rapids store opened in 2018, and McNeill now owns other franchise locations in Kalamazoo; Fort Wayne, Indiana; South Bend, Indiana; and Toledo, Ohio.

For McNeill, taking on a business venture as an owner was a learning curve.

“Regardless of what you learn in theory, it’s all different when it’s real and it’s your own decisions, your own risk, your own potential for success and possibility of failure,” he said.

However, McNeill said he is fortunate to have been associated with many people over the years who taught him what’s necessary for success — things like accepting risk as a part of the process or a willingness to keep learning.

His recommendation for newer business owners is to draw on help and inspiration from others, just as he has throughout his career.

“Surround yourself with people who you can learn from because so much of what you need to know just isn’t taught anywhere else,” McNeill said.

He continues to be inspired by customers and the success stories he has seen at his stores.

“We have customers who have lived in pain for five, 10, 15, 20 years, and they come in the store with maybe a little hope, but that’s about it,” he said. “In some cases, we can get them relief right there in the store, and they break down crying because they didn’t believe they’d ever be out of pain.”

McNeill emphasized chronic foot pain is more than an inconvenience — it can negatively impact a person’s quality of life. Because people aren’t able to move around easily, exercise or even do their jobs sometimes, providing relief solves a problem and brings transformation.

In addition to the inspiring stories of his customers, McNeill is grateful for his employees and the opportunities he has had to see them flourish.

“Employees come from a lot of different backgrounds … some employees don’t necessarily have retail experience or sales experience,” he said. “It’s great to see them come in and flourish and even love their job.”

The proof is in the pudding, or baked goods, in this case. McNeill said some customers have brought in homemade cookies out of gratitude to his employees at The Good Feet Stores.

His goal is for 100% of his employees to go home every night and feel great about what they do for a living, he said.

Along with helping customers, McNeill’s Good Feet stores also entered into a relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. His stores contributed money in 2021 to help a child in Grand Rapids and a child in Fort Wayne. 

“We were really excited to be a part of it and to see that happen,” he said.

Outside of work, McNeill looks for opportunities through his church to serve others and enjoys golf and pool. He was part of a pool team that competed and made it to the final stage in the American Poolplayers Association championships in 2021.

Throughout his career and life experiences, McNeill has recognized the importance of positive influence from other people.

“Surround yourself with people who have a good attitude and a positive outlook and can develop your mentality and skillset,” he said. “Once you get into business ownership, all the learning and the attitude and skills will suddenly become real. That’s where it bears fruit.”