Dad makes £20,000 selling socks from his spare room during lockdown

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David Archer, who started trading in October 2020, spent around £4,000 of his own cash getting the business up and running after being inspired to “do something fun” in lockdown

A dad who runs a side hustle business selling socks in his spare room is on track to turn over £20,000 this year.

David Archer, 39, who lives in Cobham, Surrey, started his Sock Subs business during lockdown and spends his evenings and weekends creating funky designs.

Sock Subs is a subscription service where shoppers can sign up to receive different socks sent to them every month.

David, who started trading in October 2020, spent around £4,000 of his own cash getting the business up and running after being inspired to “do something fun” in lockdown.

A branding and marketing manager by day, the entrepreneurial father has dabbled in the fashion industry before and used to run a small online men’s fashion business.

“We sold some socks there and they were really popular,” he said.

“The website for my old business is still live but I don’t really do anything with it now. But people loved the fun aspect of it and I realised there was a gap in the market.

“Then when lockdown hit, I thought we needed to create something with a bit of fun around it. Sock Subs basically grew from there.”

David, who lives with wife Claire, son Finn, 6, and daughter Alba, 4, started by working with a supplier to sell some initial socks and designs.

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But when his supplier decided to sell up, David took the opportunity to take on his stock and acquired his small subscription business.

He said: “The supplier I was using was selling up and asked if I’d be interested in buying it and I thought, this is too good of an opportunity to miss.

“I acquired this really small subscription business and created Sock Subs around it. It’s a play on words as Sock Subs is all about sock subscriptions and subbing your old, boring socks.

“I spent roughly £4,000 of my personal savings setting it all up. That was buying initial sock supplies and website development costs. I haven’t invested anything in marketing.”

David says he is on track to turn over £20,000 in sales this year and says any profit from that is being reinvested back into the business.

As well as offering one month, three month and six month subscriptions, customers can also buy single pairs of socks.

Prices start from £10 and the packaging can be customised with a personal message.

You get a choice of designs, with patterns including lightning bolts, hearts, polka dots and stripes – or you can ask for your socks to be a surprise.

David also pledges to donate one pair of socks for every three pairs he sells, with shoppers able to choose which charity they donate to.

Charities he works with include Shelter, NHS Charities Together, Heads Together and Teenage Cancer Trust.

Since starting up just one year ago, David says he has sold around 2,000 socks and has had 500 orders from the UK, US, Canada and Australia.

Over the next 12 months, the entrepreneur has plans to grow his subscription base to 1,000 subscribers each month and wants Sock Subs to be sold in major retailers.

“The feedback we’ve had since launching has been amazing,“ said David.

“We aim to grow in the corporate space supporting businesses at events, for employee perks and much more.

“We are on a mission to build a sock brand that makes a difference.“