Hi,
I'm Max. I'm 17 years old and I live in Cos Cob, in Fairfield County, Connecticut.
The idea to start moosox came to me last Christmas (2021). My brother and I discovered the traditional pair of socks tucked in the bottom of our stockings, but this year, they were from a company called Bombas, whose sleeve said, “one pair purchased = one pair donated.” I researched their business model and was really impressed by their incredible impact on homeless people.
I also remembered a school service project where I served dinner at a local men’s shelter. As I observed the men limping through the food line, the shelter manager explained that they had sores on their feet because they often walked miles without socks. The men had a desperate need for fresh socks, and while socks are among the most requested items, they are rarely donated. I enjoyed the shelter experience but felt a tug to do something more personal to make a difference in my local community and leave my own lasting footprint. Bombas gave me the inspiration to act.
I decided to create a hyper-local sock business to help the homeless population in my area – with two important drivers:
Our mission is to put fresh, cushioned socks on the feet of the local homeless population and to create constant awareness of their plight and needs.
Our target market is people who want simple affordable crew socks rather than more expensive fashion socks. Everybody can do with an extra pair of white crew socks - right?
As a result, I want my paying customers to proudly wear the exact same socks as the shelter population. A simple crew sock whose design reminds us all of the plight of homeless people every time we wear it - and at a price point that is accessible. My local shelter’s motto is “...donate clothing that you would be proud to wear,” and I wanted my socks to be just that.
A lofty goal – but I had zero knowledge of how to create such a business, so I turned to my dad, and together we founded “moosox”. My childhood nickname was “Moo-Moo” (who knows why!!!) and, my sock design was white with black accents. “moosox” seemed perfect and, importantly, the url was available!
Then the hard work began. I contacted suppliers in Asia, WhatsApping them at night. I organized samples and became quite knowledgeable about sock materials, ultimately rejecting bamboo for a more durable and cost-effective cotton blend. I enlisted my entire family for help on my mission. Mom tested them over long walks in the snow, with our dog. Dad wore them to work, and I wore them 24/7 for over a week, including during workouts and on the tennis and basketball court! We brainstormed for hours to create an instantly recognizable logo because it was important that buyers thought about our mission, every single time they wore our socks.
In parallel, I built relationships with local shelters. Eventually, I received the call I was waiting for: a local non-profit, OpenDoors, committed to distributing as many pairs of moosox as I could deliver to the 1,500+ people they serve. I am proud to say that my first order of 2,500 pairs of custom-made socks has arrived! I have already pre-sold 500+.
I have learned so much about the intersection of profit (well, not so much), passion, and purpose – and most excitingly, think I can make a mini-dent in fulfilling an important need in my local community. So can you!
First, please support the initiative, and buy/donate as many pairs of moosox as you can – we will fill pre-orders as soon as the socks arrive.
Second, you can Donate, Advocate, Organize, Volunteer, and even build your own social impact business.
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