Heeling art: the first step toward getting his life back to where he wanted it was getting his shoe business off on the right foot

Entrepreneur, May, 2002 by April Y. Pennington

VITAL STATS: Roger Adams, 47, inventor and president of Heeling Sports Ltd.

COMPANY: Athletic footwear company founded in 1998 that features Heelys, a shoe with a removable wheel in the heel.

2001 SALES: more than $25 million

ROLLER Boy: "I grew up in a roller rink. My claim to fame was being [in the Guinness Book of World Records] as the youngest baby to roller skate. My mom and dad had skating rinks, my sister had a huge skate distributorship, and my nephew manufactured skates. I was the only one who did the unthinkable and [broke from tradition]. But I'm back!"

WHEELS START TURNING: "It was a crazy time in my life; I had gone through a divorce and hated my job. I saw these kids on inline skates, skateboards and bicycles and flashed back to a time when I was happier. I thought, 'There's got to be something new out there.' I started tinkering in my garage, got the neighborhood kids involved, and, after a few days, I thought I really I had something."

THE BALL GOT ROLLING: "I started talking to big shoe companies and some other folks. But a call from a VC presented a deal I couldn't refuse, which was to keep the majority of the company, name, management and do it myself."

WHEEL BLISS: "This has been a blessing for me. There's something about being willing to say 'I've had it; I'm going to do something I want to do.' That, coupled with finding something I believe in, is what made Heelys work."