You only need a few hundred dollars to kickstart your startup project. Today, we’re excited to share how we helped our client Eric bring his custom sock to life. Here’s a quick look at the basics:
Five years ago, Eric came to us with an idea for his brand Sokette, built on a superhero concept. He found most socks on the market were too plain and boring. So he hand-drew a lot of fun and creative designs to spice up the ordinary. As for materials, Eric wanted to use bamboo fibers for their softness, eco-friendliness, and antibacterial.
Eric’s idea was amazing and seemed easy to realize. But when he started looking for suppliers, things got tough. Let our agent Annie tell the case.
Bamboo fiber is different from common materials like cotton, which you can easily choose colors from factory’s color card. It needs specially customization. Eric’s order requires many different colors of bamboo fiber. This means the factory has to source new raw materials. The usual MOQ is 2,000 pairs. But Eric’s socks have dozens of different designs, each with two sizes, and he only needs a few hundred pairs in total. So, no factory was willing to do it for him.
When Eric came to me, I took the time to fully understand what he needed. Honestly, his project seemed quite difficult at first because quantity was so small. But by chance, I was already working with a factory on another project, and they just happened to have bamboo fiber in stock. So I convinced them to add Eric’s order to the production. The factory is one of the top five sock manufacturers in China, and we’ve been working with them for over 10 years. Thanks to that relationship, they agreed to take it on.
Annie: I also want to mention that it’s true many suppliers don’t like small orders. But Eric’s order was an objective challenge for the factory. Because when factory buy raw materials, they also have MOQ. For example, the bamboo fiber quantity for 500 pairs of socks is far from the MOQ, so the factory couldn’t handle the order.
Once the factory agreed, everything got much easier. When the samples arrived, I did a thorough check on the printing, fabric flaws, and any other quality issues. I kept Eric updated with my feedback. After 45 days of mass production, Eric’s first batch was ready. From start to finish, the whole process took less than three months. Eric’s idea was finally a reality.
Like many small businesses, Eric’s been sharing his products on social media for years and cooking up more funky sock themes, such as food and animal designs.
With years of dedication, Eric’s sock business is thriving. His orders have jumped from just a few hundred pairs to tens of thousands. Now, he’s taking Sokette to market events, launching co-branded products and collaborating with distributors.
Actually, with his growing sales, he could work directly with other suppliers now. But we’ve built a strong relationship over the years. So we’ve continued working together. It’s been amazing to see his success and be part of his journey.
If you have a product idea you’re not sure, feel free to have a chat anytime. Don’t miss a chance for success!
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