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SPOTLIGHT
How did your company get its start?
Supplier Sock Club (PPAI 692671) was
founded in May 2012 in Austin, Texas.
My business partner and I stumbled upon a
Forbes
article about a sock
subscription service sending black Italian dress socks to customers
monthly. We thought everything about the service was great … except
for the plain socks being sent. So, we decided to create a similar
service, but with more interesting socks.
Two years into running the business, we had assumed strong
control over our supply chain, remaining focused on our mission
to provide the world with the greatest socks possible. One of our
customers asked if we could help them design custom socks for
an event after they had a terrible experience with another vendor.
We made it happen, providing excellent service and a superior
product, and just like that––a new sales channel was born. That
first custom order led to three additional new clients asking for the
same thing, eventually building into a steady stream of custom
business opportunities.
Since that first custom client, we’ve developed an expertise in
short-run sock production and design. Sock Club provides a turn-key
solution, providing customers a platform for developing quality, fully
custom socks to use as promotional products and gifts. We’ve invested
greatly in improving every part of the Sock Club experience, and we
proudly offer the shortest lead times in the industry with the industry’s
best sock design team.
What led your company to enter the promotional products
market?
Entering the promotional products market was not initially a
part of our plan, and we consider it a happy accident-turned-strategic
decision for our company. Our mission to make quality, well-designed
socks combined with our experience in running a subscription
business helped us develop a core competency in textile design and
short-run sock production. The success of that first custom order was
the catalyst that led us into the promotional products market.
As we got further into the custom sock business, we learned a
few key facts from our clients: most sock vendors are not easy to work
with, lack a consistent customer service experience, and produce
sub-par products using cheap materials. We saw an opportunity to
bring our quality American-made socks, with the finest materials and
impeccable customer service to a market that was in desperate need of
an alternative provider. We feel that we fill that gap in the marketplace
by providing a superior product, the best sock design team available,
and the fastest lead times in the industry.
What’s your favorite thing about being in the promotional
products industry?
The clients we have met in the promotional
products industry have presented us with many different use cases
and scenarios where we can get creative within the knitted medium.
We enjoy opportunities to push the boundaries of textile design to
create truly unique products that would not typically be produced in a
traditional retail fashion environment. The products and experiences
we create for our clients are unique, and we regularly delight our clients
with unexpected solutions to their promotional product problems.
Additionally, there’s creativity involved on the operations side, and
we’re regularly required to think innovatively to improve our processes,
provide faster turnaround times, and meet every client’s specific needs.
Why did you join PPAI?
We joined PPAI to immerse ourselves in
the promotional products community. As the custom sock part of
our business has grown, we’ve found ourselves working more and
more with distributors and other PPAI members. We feel being
part of the strong PPAI community will only further our mission to
provide excellent products and experiences for our clients. We look
forward to learning from others in this industry, as well as making
valuable connections that we hope will lead to future opportunities
for collaboration.
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Noah Lee
Co-Founder
Sock Club
Austin, Texas