It pains Mike Pratt to see people bending, crouching and struggling to tie their shoes. 

There's a better way. 

It doesn't involve your hands, hence the name HandsFree Labs. With Kizik shoes, you simply slide your feet in, and you're ready to walk, run or jump. 

But the chairman and founder of HandsFree Labs and Kizik said it was more than making shoes easier to put on. 

"We're trying to make footwear work better," he said. "Every once in a while a product comes along that is simply a better way. Wheels on luggage. Key fobs for cars. Smartphone. After awhile, you wonder how you ever lived without it. That's how I think about hands – free footwear." 

Pratt was recently in Coeur d'Alene to thank local investors whose support has helped fuel what he called "a disruption inside the $500 billion global footwear market," and to visit with co-founder and North Idaho native Pat Hogan about his next venture with the Young Family's Foundation, which he has been building since 2024 with co-founder Corina Larabee. 

Hogan, retired from HFL, said YFF reflects the same values that helped build HandsFree Labs: solving problems, investing in people and creating lasting impact. 

YFF, with an office in downtown Coeur d'Alene, helps North Idaho families achieve homeownership through down payment assistance and grants. 

Pratt is not surprised Hogan retired so he could help young families become homeowners. 

"Pat has always been a family man, a community guy, and somebody who genuinely cares about helping people," Pratt said. "Helping young families pursue homeownership feels like a very natural next chapter for him." 

Pratt, a lifelong inventor, entrepreneur and business builder from Salt Lake City, has been patenting ideas since he was 19. 

He believes hands-free footwear is an "irreversible innovation." He said HandsFree Labs is building the technologies, brands and partnerships to lead that movement while staying rooted in people, family, community and invention. 

People have noticed and are lacing up Kiziks, which became a $100 million brand in five years. 

"Not bad for a beta test," Pratt said. "Once we did that, the opportunity became much bigger than one brand." 

While he didn't come from the shoe business, Pratt still found himself asking what seemed like an obvious question: "Why are we still putting shoes on the same way we've been doing it for generations?" 

Pratt said that while the footwear industry had done amazing things with materials, cushioning, performance and design, nobody had solved the problem of getting in and out of shoes without using your hands while still maintaining fit and performance. 

"A lot of people thought it couldn't be done," he said. "I thought it had to be possible. That question turned into a mission." 

The usual trial and error gradually led to the answer. 

"Every prototype got better. Every patent solved another piece of the puzzle. Every time consumers tried it, they wanted more," Pratt said.

Today, HandsFree Labs has more than 250 granted and pending patents in over a dozen countries. He said those patents protect the technologies that make hands-free footwear possible. 

Pratt said it's not just about creating slip-on or slip-in shoes, but is a "step in, lock in experience." 

He said they knew they were on to something when Nike became an early investor and their first major licensee, and Kizik grew far beyond what most thought possible. 

"Consumers kept coming back and saying they didn't want to wear anything else," Pratt said. 

He credited Hogan with changing the trajectory of the company because he understood product creation, sourcing, fit, manufacturing and what consumers wanted.  

"He helped turn an idea into a company and a company into an industry moment," Pratt said.  

Pratt and Hogan are confident that growth is ahead. They said if hands-free footwear eventually represents just 10% of the global footwear market, it would create a category worth more than $50 billion annually.  

This fall, HFL is also launching Blue Ox, the first hands-free work boot brand.  

End of day, the goal remains the same: Make footwear easier to get into and out of without giving up fit, comfort or performance. 

"I believe hands-free footwear is irreversible," Pratt said. "The question isn't whether it grows. The question is how big it gets and how fast." 

North Idaho has been part of the HandsFree Lab story for years through Hogan, his family and the relationships built here, Pratt said. 

He said they were honored to spend time with several local investors in Coeur d'Alene. 

"This community reflects many of the values we care about: hard work, family, entrepreneurship, and helping others succeed. We're grateful for the opportunity to be here," Pratt said.