Senior practitioners. No exceptions.
We keep the roster small so every client gets the A-team. The people who pitched you are still the ones running your experiments in year three.
Talk to an ExpertThe team
Meet the people on your account.
A small roster of senior practitioners. Filter by team, then flip through.
CEO
Brian Schmitt
His entrepreneurial spirit and work ethic were nurtured from a young age when he began hauling hay for hire in his rural Missouri community. He ran his first A/B test in 2003 by hardcoding the randomizer into the page and sending the data to Webtrends, because GA didn't yet exist. As CEO, you'll find him doing everything from leading client strategy to connecting with partners and managing the daily operations of surefoot.
Outside of work
As a pre-vet major in college Brian worked a summer job in a research lab with duties (or doodies) including shoveling irradiated sheep shit.
CEO
Brian Schmitt
Outside of work
As a pre-vet major in college Brian worked a summer job in a research lab with duties (or doodies) including shoveling irradiated sheep shit.
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How we work
A few things we won't negotiate on.
Five commitments that hold on every engagement, whatever the brand, the stack, or the quarter. They are how we decide what to take on and how we run it.
Senior in, senior out.
The person who pitches you is the person who runs your experiments. We've never handed a client to a junior. We never will.
AI as leverage, not theater.
We bring AI into research, analysis, and experimentation where it actually compounds: synthesizing qualitative data, surfacing patterns, accelerating the work senior strategists are already doing. Not chatbot demos. Not tools that need babysitting.
Data wins every argument.
Not opinion. Not what worked for your competitor. We run the experiment so you have proof: the kind that moves internal stakeholders.
We work with what you have.
Your stack, your team, your roadmap. We don't arrive with a template and try to make you fit inside it.
Clients, not accounts.
Some of our relationships are measured in years, not quarters. That's not luck. It's what happens when you treat a client like a partner, and turn down work that wouldn't end up there.
Since before CRO was a thing
From 2001 to now.
2001
Learned from the people who coined the term "CRO".
Took "The Wizards of Web" course from Brian and Jeffrey Eisenberg, who coined the term "conversion rate optimization" in the late 90s. This shaped the data-over-opinion philosophy that would define the next 25 years.
2003
Ran his first A/B test before the tools existed.
No GA4. No Optimizely. Hardcoded the randomizer into the page and piped data to WebTrends. The experiment worked, and set the pattern.
2012
Thousands of experiments, Fortune 500 scale.
Joined a San Francisco agency doing growth consulting, then helped niche the practice into pure CRO. Built the systems and processes from scratch. Over the next five years, was responsible for 3,000+ experiments across e-commerce, SaaS, and lead generation for brands including Trulia, Weight Watchers, Ring, Facebook, and more.
2017
Surefoot launches.
Founded the agency with Laura Stude, anchored on a simple conviction: do the work at a senior level, build long relationships, and turn down clients who don't fit.
2018
A client relationship that's still running.
Hydro Flask became Surefoot's second client. Eight-plus years later, they still are.
2020
Automation consulting takes shape.
Brian's reputation for building efficient, repeatable processes led to dedicated automation consulting for brands like Peak Design and Gusto, layering operational leverage on top of CRO.
2021
AI enters the workflow, years ahead of the hype.
Well before ChatGPT, Brian was using machine learning and early RAG (through BundleIQ) to surface insights across Surefoot's entire testing history, UX research archives, and third-party research reports. Turning years of accumulated data into an always-on strategic asset.
2023
Sharing what works.
Spoke at the Outdoor Retailer conference on experimentation and conversion optimization strategy.
2024
Doubling down.
Brian became the sole owner of Surefoot and began shifting the agency's focus toward AI and automation implementation. Named an Inc. 2024 Power Partner.
2025
The Conversion Ledger.
Launched a weekly newsletter delivering raw insights from real CRO engagements. No fluff, no recycled tips.
2026
CRO credibility, AI capability.
Surefoot is a leading CRO partner and an AI and automation implementation partner, not just for e-commerce brands but for any company looking to achieve greater efficiency and productivity across their team.
Community giving
1% for the Planet, in practice.
One Girl
0Girls funded for a full year of school, lunch, transport, and solar lights (Sierra Leone & Uganda)
Wings Guatemala
0Women provided cervical cancer screenings and on-the-spot treatment
Thrive Youth Center
$0Matched for LGBTQIA+ homeless young adults in San Antonio, Texas
Think we might be a fit?
We open up a limited number of new client relationships each year. If you're serious about conversion and ready to run real experiments, let's talk.
Let's TalkTalk to an Expert