This Aspect Hustle Highlight Q&A options New York Metropolis-based entrepreneur Josh Turner, 34. Turner is the founding father of Stand4Socks, a sock firm that, for each pair bought, donates one other to somebody in want. The B Company has distributed greater than 750,000 pairs throughout the UK, Europe, and most not too long ago, Ukraine. Stand4Socks now sees greater than $1 million in income a yr. Responses have been edited for size and readability.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Stand4Socks. Josh Turner.
What was your day job or main occupation once you began your aspect hustle?
I have been entrepreneurial because the age of 8, beginning little companies all through my early years of life. After I was nonetheless at school, I did membership nights, eBay, energy promoting, and so forth., and this laid the muse for being a lifetime entrepreneur.
Being dyslexic, I ultimately had the chance to spend so much of time with Richard Branson, some of the well-known British entrepreneurs who additionally has dyslexia, and he has been an actual inspiration all through my life.
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I studied enterprise at college, and after I began my profession, I went to an entrepreneur accelerator program known as NEF (New Entrepreneurs Basis). I used to be positioned in a giant company job and, sadly, fired inside six months on Christmas Eve. I by no means wished to work in a giant firm, however as I seemed for an additional job whereas on welfare advantages, I had the chance to launch this aspect venture. Within the UK, they offer slightly more money to begin an organization on welfare. That was the start line — being near homelessness — however the further time and money I needed to pursue this after I misplaced my job was the launchpad.
When did you begin your aspect hustle, and the place did you discover the inspiration for it?
In 2015, TOMS Sneakers was large on the time for its “purchase one, give one” idea, and I noticed how the mash-up of enterprise and charity was really an attainable and scalable idea. I appreciated the thought of a hybrid mannequin of doing good as you do enterprise, not the old-fashioned definition of “earn cash, then give to charity.” Rubber wristbands like Livestrong have been additionally standard on the time, elevating cash, displaying help and spreading consciousness. Nevertheless, on the finish of the day, they have been simply rubber wristbands, and I figured there needed to be a extra significant and sustainable technique to put on your values. That is when the thought clicked: Why not use colourful socks to indicate what we stand for?
We began in 2015 doing donations linked to the United Nations International Objectives. You put on one sock, and we plant 10 timber. One other sock helps gender equality and educates a baby in Afghanistan. A 3rd reduces youngster mortality; gross sales of the newborn blue sock would assist vaccinate children in opposition to measles. One HIV and AIDS design wasn’t standard in the midst of 2016, so I began donating them to homeless shelters. I used to be fast (and shocked) to study that all through this donation course of, many shelters instructed me nobody ever donates socks — but socks are essentially the most requested merchandise. Homeless folks stroll as much as 10 miles a day, and never having contemporary socks can result in very extreme foot well being points. That is when the penny dropped. I spotted we have been placing a lot effort into supporting causes worldwide, however we had missed one thing near dwelling: homelessness. We nonetheless do 10% of different causes (Ukraine, dyslexia, NHS socks, and so forth.). However now, the vast majority of our “purchase one, give one” mannequin helps folks experiencing homelessness, which we use broadly to assist refugees, folks in Ukraine, kids in poverty, older folks and extra.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Stand4Socks
What have been a number of the first steps you took to get your aspect hustle off the bottom?
On the time, I used to be a 23-year-old millennial who noticed the facility of the web and the way huge of an element that might be on the success of my enterprise. One of many first issues I did was study to code and construct a web site; this was earlier than even having socks or a manufacturing unit. In my thoughts, I believed getting socks could be straightforward (seems it wasn’t) and studying to code could be one of many more durable enterprise challenges to beat. Secondly, I could not afford a graphic designer or actually any exterior experience. So, I took it upon myself to study graphic design utilizing Illustrator and the best way to design socks. I used YouTube to study each issues, not programs, as a result of I could not afford them.
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I saved up my welfare cash to make use of on journey to go to huge commerce exhibits to discover a manufacturing unit for sock manufacturing. I went to Paris, Hong Kong and Turkey for commerce exhibits, staying in hostels and taking low-cost buses (on the time I could not afford direct flights or lodges). I might converse with folks on web site and say, “We’re from Stand4 Socks,” and we might obtain the identical response: That they had by no means heard of us. They knew of the large manufacturers, however not us, as a result of we did not have a manufacturing unit but. Whereas not shocking, it offered a problem for 23-year-old me, because it was a little bit of a chicken-and-egg scenario to get a manufacturing unit to imagine in us. After lots of onerous work, we finally landed a manufacturing unit that believed in us, one which we nonetheless have a longstanding relationship with now. They took an opportunity on us when nobody else did. And now the folks there are like household — they even got here to my marriage ceremony!
Are there any free or paid sources which were particularly useful for you in beginning and working this enterprise?
As I discussed earlier, YouTube was huge for us. I often name it my co-founder. It taught me something I wanted to study. Being dyslexic, I study finest from visuals and at my very own tempo. If I received misplaced, I may rewind or discover one other video on the subject. Shopify has additionally been a game-changer, particularly as we have grown. It allowed us to launch a web site rapidly. As we expanded, we added apps and options to compete with larger firms, which took time however has helped us scale successfully.
Should you may return in your online business journey and alter one course of or method to save lots of you time, vitality or only a headache, what would it not be, and the way do you want you’d completed it in a different way?
To avoid wasting time and vitality, I might get a grip on our monetary numbers earlier. I’ve had mentors who emphasize monetary particulars, and my dad has an accounting background. I’ve had occasions after we practically ran out of cash as a result of we donated socks earlier than gross sales got here in or spent an excessive amount of on inventory with out sufficient money move. Utilizing the accounting software program Xero has been phenomenal for our enterprise. It permits me to see our stability sheet in seconds, evaluate yr on yr and month on month, offering real-time monetary insights and comparisons. As a substitute of getting simply annual enterprise plans and money move forecasts, we are actually in a position to evaluate our numbers on a weekly or month-to-month foundation, empowering us to remain carefully attuned to the numbers. This, in flip, has created alternatives for us to take extra calculated dangers, know when issues are tight and alter technique when wanted.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Stand4Socks
In the case of this particular enterprise, what’s one thing you have discovered significantly difficult and/or shocking that individuals who get into one of these work ought to be ready for, however possible aren’t?
We have been lucky sufficient to pitch on the UK’s model of Shark Tank known as Dragon’s Den. One of many largest obstacles we discovered was how we offered and understood our monetary numbers. As somebody with dyslexia, dealing with many various numbers below strain was troublesome, particularly after we have been thrown a ton of questions suddenly. Since filming in 2019, we have grown considerably and acknowledged the worth of getting a grip on our numbers year-round versus ready till year-end. That is one thing we weren’t conscious about within the earlier phases of our enterprise, however have grown to acknowledge how large a distinction it could possibly make.
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Are you able to recall a selected occasion when one thing went very fallacious? How did you repair it?
Given how surprising the pandemic was, challenges in our enterprise escalated rapidly, regardless of being a web based enterprise. Our manufacturing unit shut down, and our provide chain was severely disrupted. We got here up with the thought of launching a particular “Assist for Well being Heroes” sock to help frontline staff and to deal with the PPE hole with high quality socks. We began by launching a pre-sale as a technique to help frontline staff and maintain our lights on, with the caveat to clients that they possible would not get the socks for 3 months. We bought over 30,000 pairs of socks in that interval, which helped maintain our enterprise alive and help a worthy trigger. It actually taught us the energy of our clients and mission and confirmed that slightly creativity can go a good distance.
How lengthy did it take you to see constant month-to-month income? How a lot did the aspect hustle earn?
It took about 5 years earlier than we had constant month-to-month income. For the primary 5 years, I put a majority of my time into this enterprise, however my earnings got here from freelance work with digital advertising consulting for manufacturers and different huge firms. I really realized these expertise from constructing my enterprise, and that is how I used to be in a position to maintain myself and the enterprise within the early days. I labored from my mother’s shed for the primary 5 years, which helped me maintain prices low and save as much as finally transfer out and proceed to develop the enterprise. This time interval was invaluable for studying how the enterprise operates, enabling extra speedy and sustainable progress within the subsequent 5 years.
What does progress and income appear like now?
We’re now a persistently seven-figure enterprise yearly and worthwhile. We have remained bootstrapped, although, and have not taken any exterior funding. Our focus is to prioritize sustainable progress, our backside line and profitability. With our enlargement to the U.S. market, we count on 3x progress of the entire international enterprise, and 10x within the subsequent 5 years is what we’re working in direction of.
What do you get pleasure from most about working this enterprise?
What I get pleasure from most about my enterprise can be what makes it the toughest: Nobody tells you what to do. On one hand, it’s a must to determine all the pieces your self. There is not a playbook; nobody is handing you a to-do listing. However then again, that is precisely what makes it so rewarding. You get to set the course, belief your intestine and comply with your instincts, rightly or wrongly. When working for a big company, I typically noticed inefficient decision-making. At this stage in my profession, being so junior, I had no say, regardless that my intestine was telling me there was a greater manner. Operating my very own enterprise offers me a chance to take dangers and course appropriate in actual time. Typically these dangers result in flops, however different occasions, they’ve led to nice success. The sense of freedom to construct one thing your manner is what retains me going.
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What’s your finest piece of particular, actionable enterprise recommendation?
Benefit from the journey. It should be manner more durable than you suppose once you set out, but in addition far more rewarding than you’d ever count on. Do not get overly caught up in milestones — admire the method.
Additionally, the reply is at all times “no” in the event you do not ask the query. So many individuals cease themselves from reaching out due to the concern of being rejected. But when the reply is already “no” in your head, and also you attain out and get a “no,” then nothing’s modified. Do not be afraid to achieve out to folks since you may simply get a sure.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Stand4Socks
That mindset has taken me to some wild locations. One of the vital surreal examples? I ended up spending per week with Sir Richard Branson on his non-public Necker Island. That have did not come from deep connections or privilege: It got here from asking daring, typically unreasonable questions and strolling by way of doorways some might have felt that they had no enterprise knocking on.
Richard gave me a chunk of recommendation that has caught with me: “Rent folks smarter than you, after which get out of their manner.” It is sensible in idea, however once you bootstrap and reside in locations like New York Metropolis, you typically cannot afford to rent these folks. So my method has been to study simply the fundamentals — whether or not improvement, sock design, advertising, and so forth. — after which delegate successfully. Do not attempt to be an skilled in all the pieces, however have sufficient foundational data to information somebody who’s.
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