surefoot.me

We are proud of the long-term partnerships we have with brands like Peak Design, Hydro Flask, Brooklinen, OXO, Made In Cookware and more.

We strive to create a culture where superior service is our primary sales strategy, clients and co-workers are friends and hard work is balanced with play.

Our core tenets:

- Partner with brands and companies we believe in, who give more than they take, whether that’s in the way of charitable giving, happiness or health.

- Win with integrity and put people over profit in a world that often forgets how to do those things.

- Refuse to waiver on doing what is best for our clients, even if it means less upside for us.

- Only do what we can do well, providing strategic AB testing and personalization services, and partnering with others when we veer outside the realm of our core competencies.

- Be happy. As they say, life is too short to be anything else.

If our philosophy resonates, please give me a shout at brian@surefoot.me

CEO & co-founder

CROmetrics

As employee #1, I helped grow the company to $3.5MM in annual recurring revenue and wore many hats, handling everything from client management to data analysis, QA and process implementation for clients like Facebook, 99designs, Trulia, General Assembly, Weight Watchers and more. 

As the company grew from two people to 25, I was promoted to Director of Operations, where I led various initiatives, including implementation of back-end systems and automation that facilitated internal efficiency and client success.

Director Of Operations

Test My Marketing

This was the second company I co-founded, which I spun out of a 3-day startup event, even winning a MSN influential new business contest. True story. I’m still surprised the domain name was available. 

We offered an affordable copywriting solution to help businesses craft crisp, actionable and compelling messages before publishing to their audiences. As co-founder, I led all internal operations and marketing and managed a community of freelance marketers.

Co-Founder

Rockbridge Seminary

Directed technology, online and traditional marketing, and finance.

Vice President of Operations

Director of Operations

Operations Manager

Watch Dog Time

This was my first foray into the world of business ownership, an online luxury watch repair business. If you had a broken Rolex, Tag Heuer or Breitling, I had a fix for it.

• directed all matters of finance, marketing, and daily operations 
• handled all customer service inquiries, ensuring timely responses (see what I did there?) 
• bootstrapped company and reached profitability and positive cash flow within 5 months of launch

President & Co-founder

Justice Jewelers

In this role, I found diamonds in the rough (literally and figuratively), as I was responsible for directing the buying team, small diamond buying and jewelry appraising. This is where I got my first taste of the World Wide Web (as it was referred to then), as I  managed our company websites and the Inventory Management System. 

• responsible for planned merchandise spend of $6MM annually
• directed outsourced marketing activities with ad agency
• designed and implemented a system to control purchasing budgets 
• designed and implemented a website for sale of slow moving inventory, which led to increased profitability and faster turn
• designed and implemented a purchasing process to increase inventory turn; turn exceeded industry average by 186%
• earned Graduate Gemology degree from the G.I.A.

Buying Team Manager/Marketing Coordinator/Merchandiser

Growing ecommerce businesses through CRO, UX research, and data analytics.

We're a conversion rate optimization agency for eCommerce brands looking to grow to the next level, but know they need to a better job converting traffic. 

We talk to your potential customers, find out why they're not buying, and fix those issues through a/b testing, personalization, and data-informed UX/UI design.

We help you grow by leveraging: 
-> Full-website conversion optimization
-> Landing page optimization
-> Personalization and segmentation
-> Conversion-focused web design
-> User experience research
-> Website analytics and reporting

We’ve worked with brands you know, like JensonUSA, Osprey, PENN Fishing, and The Shade Store. We’re also fired up about helping growing brands reach the next level. Some brands we've helped make this jump include Hydro Flask, Made In, Mizzen and Main, and Peak Design.

Brian Schmitt

The CRO industry is full of 25-year-olds teaching "masterclasses" after running 10 tests.

I've been doing this since 2001. And honestly, almost all of what I see from newer operators today is straight trash.

Can someone be good at CRO in two years? 

"Good" is a loose term. Can someone do it? For sure.

But if you're coming in fresh at 25 with no business experience, you're not going to be proficient.

You'll end up copycatting wins you see posted online with no strategic thought and zero customer empathy.

I've stepped in for clients after they left younger agencies. Their biggest complaint is always:

"Our tests would win, but we wouldn't see revenue translate."

When I examine their "winning" tests, I find they hit significance in 3-4 days when the sample size wasn't big enough, creating false positives everywhere.

We've found "losses" that were actually wins when re-run correctly and "wins" that were flat or actual losses.

Real experience teaches principles, not tactics.

CEO at Surefoot.me | Driving ecom growth w/ CRO, Analytics, UX Research, and Site Design

The most expensive mistake $10M+ ecommerce brands make:

They spend millions on traffic.
But 98% of those visitors leave without buying.

CRO is the lever they ignore.

Acquisition builds reach.
Optimization builds revenue.

Without CRO, your ad budget is a leaky bucket.

Recent wins from Surefoot clients:

 • Free Shipping Threshold → +$516K annual revenue
 • Centaur LP → +8.3% cart adds
 • Category Clarity in the Nav → +$149K annual lift

Different brands. 

Same pattern:
Disciplined experimentation beats design trends.

The most expensive phrase in eCommerce?

“We want to redesign the website.”

Full redesigns do not deliver the ROI you think it will, and it is almost always a waste of time and resources that brands could be putting towards what ACTUALLY drives a substantial impact: 

→ Removing friction where it counts
→ Fixing leaks in the customer journey
→ Tapping into buying psychology
→ Running smart, strategic A/B tests

Chasing shiny new designs is looking for gold at the end of the rainbow. 

Double down on what works and optimize the rest.

Most people think CRO is about button colors and call-to-actions.
It’s not.

It’s about truth.

When we run a test, we’re asking:
“What actually drives buying behavior, not what we think drives it?”

Sometimes that truth hurts.
It shows your $82k redesign was vanity.
It proves your CEO’s favorite headline does nothing.
It humbles teams who “knew” their customer.

But that’s why it works.

CRO turns “we believe” into “we know.”

And once you operate from truth, every other part of your business compounds faster.

When a brand tells me “it should be working,” I know we’re about to find revenue.

“Our PDP should convert better.”
“Our new landing page should outperform the old one.”
“Our loyalty program should increase retention.”

The problem?
None of those sentences include proof.

We’ve run over 9,000 tests across ecommerce brands.
Roughly half the time, the “better” version loses.

That’s not failure.
That’s the tuition you pay for certainty.

You can either spend millions building what should work…
Or a fraction testing what actually does.

If everyone follows “best practices,” who’s left to stand out?


So many CRO audits start with the same sentence:


“We follow best practices.”


And that’s usually the problem.


Because “best practices” mean “what everyone else already tried.”
They’re safe. Predictable. Easy to copy.


But optimization isn’t about copying. It’s about discovery.


Your audience, product, and price point are unique.
Your winning version probably breaks at least five “rules.”


If your pages look like your competitors’, you’re fighting for scraps.


CRO is how you break away, safely.
You earn permission to zig while they all zag.

How's it going today? 

Feeling the anticipation or feeling the heartburn?

Every brand has one assumption about its customers that has never been tested.

What’s yours?
(Serious question.)

Building in stealth (for now). If you want a peek behind the curtain, DM me and I’ll show you.

Blaine Davis

Thanksgiving hit a little differently this year.

It wasn’t a big trip or a huge family gathering – just a small group: my grandma, my mom, Lauren, and me.

Simple, low-key, and exactly what I needed.

There’s something grounding about stepping out of the day-to-day chaos and hearing how everyone’s really doing. Just being present with the people who knew you long before titles or deadlines ever existed.

It also feels like the unofficial start of the holiday stretch – that window where you finally pause long enough to ask:

– How did this year actually go?
– What changed?
– What mattered?

For me, Thanksgiving always kicks off that reflection.

It makes the rest of the season feel more intentional – finishing the year strong, closing the loop on lingering goals, and getting excited about what’s ahead.

Back to work now, but still carrying that feeling with me.

A little perspective goes a long way.

Lately, I’ve been working on being more concise when I talk.

When I’m passionate about something…I tend to yap.
I’ll go on and on instead of slowing down and articulating what I mean.

It comes from a good place – excitement, energy, conviction.
But I’ve realized it makes communication less effective.

So I’ve been focusing on being more clear and intentional.
Saying less, but saying it better.

It’s not easy, especially when you care deeply about what you’re talking about.
But I’m learning that clarity is often more powerful than enthusiasm.

Still working on it.
(And still trying to stop the yap.)

Air travel in the U.S. has become a nightmare.

I’ve been on four flights in the last two weeks.
All four flights were delayed.

Two before the government shutdown, two after.

So it’s not just the shutdown – it’s the system.
Everything feels old, inefficient, and held together by duct tape.

Meanwhile in Europe, they’ve got high-speed rail that’s faster, cheaper, and infinitely more reliable. You can go from London to Paris in two hours without ever stepping into an airport.

Here? We’re stuck waiting for gate agents to reboot Windows 95.

It’s wild that in 2025, air travel feels worse than it did a decade ago.
We’re long overdue for real innovation…

That’s why supersonic flight is one thing I keep coming back to.

We had it decades ago (the Concorde was flying in the ‘70s). Now there are startups trying to bring it back.

That’s the kind of bet I’d make:

– Shorten travel times.
– Modernize infrastructure.
– Make the world feel smaller again.

Because at this rate, it might actually be faster to walk.

My wife tells me that I say “yes” too often.

And she’s right.

Founders are asked to do a million things, and every “yes” quietly steals time from something that actually matters.

What I’ve learned (and heard over and over from mentors I respect) is this:

→ Your default answer should always be no.
→ Only say yes when you feel strongly about the yes.

Not “it could be cool.”
Not “I guess I have a free hour.”
Not “maybe there’s something here.”

A real yes should clear a high bar, because every yes has a cost. Whether it costs you time, energy, focus, or momentum. All of those are limited and expensive. 

So these days, my filter is simple:

If it’s not an obvious yes… it’s a no.

That’s the only way to protect your time – instead of drowning in obligations that don’t matter.

Our healthcare system is broken.

I’ve lived it.

As a cancer survivor, I’ve felt the chaos firsthand: the bills, the inefficiencies, the unnecessary friction that shows up at the exact moment you’re already overwhelmed.

And the crazy part is… everyone knows it’s broken.
Patients feel it. Doctors feel it. 

But the piece people don’t talk about enough is this:
We’re finally at a point where meaningful innovation is actually possible.

Over the next five years, I think we’ll see some major shifts:

1️⃣ AI making healthcare more efficient

Not replacing clinicians – but automating the administrative drag that slows them down. 

2️⃣ Remote patient monitoring becoming mainstream

Wearables are getting accurate enough to matter. Continuous data > once-a-year checkups. 

And for rural patients or people with chronic conditions, this could be life-changing.

3️⃣ Personalized care going from buzzword → to reality

Genomics, individual risk profiles, targeted interventions. Medicine that’s actually built for you, not for the average of millions of people.

4️⃣ Care moving closer to home

We’re long overdue for a world where more happens remotely or in-home instead of inpatient by default. It’s better for outcomes – and dramatically better for cost.

As an investor, this is one of the spaces I’m most excited about.

When a system has no choice but to evolve, that’s when founders build companies that reshape generations.

Everyone’s worried about robots replacing service jobs.

But I think it’s the opposite.

If anything, blue-collar workers are the safest – for now.

Elon said it best: the only people who’ll be safe are the ones moving atoms, not bits.

And it’s true.

Plumbers, electricians, farmers, contractors… any job that's physical will exist for a much longer time. Because robotics just isn’t there yet.

It’s the desk jobs that are in trouble.

AI is replacing repetitive, digital work faster than anyone expected. Most of what happens behind a screen can (and will) be automated.

If you’re in the business of physically building, fixing, or maintaining things, you’ll likely outlast a lot of us typing away on keyboards.

Wild to think that the safest jobs of the AI age might be the ones everyone used to overlook.

I’ll be honest – patience has never been my strong suit.

Everyone close to me knows this.
I’ve known it my whole life.

And the truth is… it shows up differently depending on the context.

At work, being impatient actually helps me.

I like to move fast, push hard, raise the bar, and keep momentum. It’s part of what makes me effective. (I doubt that side of me will ever change.)

But in my personal life?
That same impatience can be a problem.

Family, friends, my wife – they don’t need me moving at 100 mph. They need grace, forgiveness, and someone who can slow down long enough to actually listen.

That’s the part I’m actively working on.

So yeah… professionally, I’ll probably always be wired to go fast.

But personally, I’m trying to build more patience into my life, even if it doesn’t come naturally.

It’s a work in progress. But an important one.

The U.S. officially took the penny out of circulation.
And honestly… it says a lot about where we’re headed.

On the surface, it doesn’t change much. 
No one’s financial life hinges on a copper coin that costs more to mint than it’s worth.

But directionally?
It’s a pretty loud signal that we’re inching toward a fully cashless world.

Digital payments, tap-to-pay everything, micro-transactions, maybe even a central bank digital currency down the road – that’s all coming faster than people think.

From a fintech and infrastructure standpoint, it’s interesting.
For the average consumer, nothing really shifts today.

But it is wild to think there’s an entire generation of kids who won’t even know what a penny is.

Small changes like this always point to bigger trends. 
And the long-term trend is clear:

Cash is fading. Digital is default.

The real question is: what does a fully cashless economy unlock – and who’s ready for it?

Saying “yes” to every customer is one of the fastest ways to kill your business.

I’ve seen this as a founder and as an investor.

A customer asks for a “quick” feature tweak. 
Then another one does.
And before you know it…you’re running a services business instead of building a product.

I get it. The temptation is real.
You want to keep every customer happy. But the truth is, you can’t build everything for everyone.

My rule:
→ If one person asks for something, note it.
→ If a third of your customers (or your power users) ask for it, then build it.

Otherwise, you’ll spend your life chasing feature requests instead of building a company.

Some of the smartest teams I’ve backed got stuck in the loop of endless custom work.
They weren’t building products anymore. They were building whatever they heard that week.

Listen to all feedback.
But stick to your guns.

If you haven’t tried Obsidian for note-taking yet, you’re missing out.

I’ve used it for a couple of years, and it just keeps getting better.

Really love how quietly powerful it is.

It has a full plug-in marketplace (kind of like Chrome, but built for note-takers), and the community keeps shipping things that make it even better.

Also has a knowledge graph for visual learners.

I can highlight something I’m writing, and Obsidian instantly shows me every past note, idea, or pattern connected to it.

Years of scattered thoughts all feel organized now, and it’s saved me more time than any productivity app I’ve tried recently.

If you haven’t played around with it yet, it’s worth a shot.

Everywhere you go, there’s an app for something:
Parking. Coffee. Your gym. Your dry cleaner.

Half the time I feel like I’m downloading an app just to open the door.

We’ve seen this movie before.
First in the dot-com era, then again in the mobile boom – an explosion of tiny, niche products that eventually hit a wall.

Well, we’re at that wall again.

Customers are overwhelmed.
The market is fragmented.
And the sheer volume of apps is finally starting to feel like noise.

Now here’s the interesting part:
This is exactly when consolidation starts.

You’re already seeing it:

– Tech M&A is picking up.
– Early-stage app acquisitions are increasing.
– AI infra, cybersecurity, and point-solution rollups are accelerating.
– Lower middle-market PE is getting aggressive again.

Everything is moving earlier and faster than in previous cycles.

This is one of the most exciting parts of the ecosystem:
When the market is oversaturated, the smartest companies stop building more – and start building bigger.

✅ Consolidation brings clarity.
✅ Clarity brings better products.
✅ And better products are exactly what consumers want right now.

We’re heading into a cycle where the winners won’t be the 27th app in a niche…

They’ll be the ones who put the pieces together.

Personally? I think this shift is long overdue.

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Brian Schmitt

Blaine Davis

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The Battle

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Brian Schmitt's LinkedIn Performance

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