Brothers Christian and Ross Laing are planning to change the world – one sock at a time?
The duo are still on a high after their perfect pitch on BBC One's Dragons' Den where they won the backing of entrepreneur hosts Peter Jones and Steven Bartlett for their Warrington business Stand Out Socks. They secured funding from both business gurus who each invested £15,000 in return for a total of 25 per cent of Stand Out Socks
The Dragons – and the nation –- were won over by the business's ethos, which is to offer employment opportunities to people with learning disabilities. Welcome to Stand Out Socks, co-founded by Ross, an inspiring individual with Down Syndrome, ' says the business website. 'Our socks are more than just fashionable accessories; they are the catalysts for meaningful conversations about disability inclusion and serve as a beacon of awareness for Down Syndrome. But our mission goes even further. When you buy a pair of Stand Out Socks, you're not just getting exceptional quality; you're also directly contributing to the creation of employment opportunities for individuals with learning disabilities. Your purchase empowers these remarkable individuals to achieve financial independence, providing them with the opportunities they truly deserve.'
Christian, 40, is the brother of Ross, 36, who has Down Syndrome. Together with Christian's partner Natalie Dickson, they won a combined investment of £30,000 in their business.
Since their appearance on the Den in January, they have taken on four more employees with Down Syndrome to cope with the order bonanza. The team now includes Mark Pickering, Jodie Fitzpatrick, Martha Hart and Oliver Thomason.
Christian says: 'We started our company in January 2021. This January we made more than we had done in the entire time since we started. And now, orders are up around four times than what they were last year.'
They were also inundated with emails from viewers – almost 2,000 in total – suggesting names for the sock company and its products. 'One person suggested Opportunity Socks,' says Christian with a laugh. Stand Out Socks has a very special tagline: 'Why fit in when you were born to stand out'.
Besides selling their colourful socks online, Christian and Ross have been taking their story about business opportunities into the wider community. And Ross is loving his new-found fame.
'He loves the limelight,' says Christian. 'He very rarely has to buy a pint now wherever he goes. He likes to be on a pedestal. He is the guy everybody wants to speak to. We were speaking at a school recently, and everybody just wanted Ross.
'I am not complaining – nobody is interested in me, they all want to speak to Ross and that is the best part. Ross is at his best when using his networking skills and being a role model and showing what is possible.'
At work, from their base in the centre of Warrington, Ross is now supervising the new employees on how to pack their products.
And Ross is the star of the company's social media, featuring in most of its posts and videos. The firm's Instagram account (@standoutsocksuk) has more than 12,000 followers.
It's a complete flip from four years ago when Covid struck and Ross had to shield because people with Down's were deemed at high risk of having complications from the virus. He had to leave his home, where he had been living independently with the help of support workers, and move back in with his parents.
Christian says: 'Covid had a massive impact on Ross. Mum and Dad pulled him out of shared accommodation to live with them. We took round food – mum would bleach everything.'
Eventually Christian and Natalie joined them to form a 'bubble'. Both furloughed, the couple started selling vintage clothes. Ross got involved with that and Christian could see how much it meant to him to have a job. The idea of working together in a business was born.
Why socks? Christian explained: 'People with Down Syndrome are born with an additional chromosome, which visually resembles a miniature sock under the microscope, so it felt fitting to centre our enterprise around socks.'
The products live up to their name: Stand Out. Bright and colourful, often with fun and funky prints, the socks come in adult and children's sizes. Gift sets are available too, as are bright orange 'Stand Out' hoodies. Everything is sold online at standoutsocks.co.uk. Adult socks with themes such as Down Syndrome Awareness, Manchester Bee, Smiley Faces, Reggae Reggae and even Dragons Den are priced £9.95, and children's, including Dipping Donut and Pineapple Funk, are £4.95. There is a subscription club, and a range of T-shirts on the way.
'We do bright because it is a conversation starter,' explains Christian. 'People will ask wearers: 'Where did you get your socks?' and they can then be an advocate for Down Syndrome awareness. The wearer becomes the spreader.'
The business is receiving regular support from Dragons Steven and Peter, with Steven advising on marketing, and Peter on matters such as cash flow and projections. And with the backing of the duo, Christian is brimming with confidence that the business can be a game-changer. And not just limited to the world of socks.
'The reason we are called Stand Out is you can put that into anything – the brand can become synonymous for giving opportunities to people with learning disabilities by providing paid employment,' he says.
'I am a dreamer. Our focus is on socks for the immediate future but I can't see why the Stand Out brand can't be used for other things, such as beer or even cars.'
He says the two Dragons will be instrumental in getting the business to the next level. 'There is no reason we can't be global and have Stand Out in Australia and Europe.
'It is about creating jobs. I'd love to open a flagship store in London and Manchester and open up opportunities for people with learning disabilities in retail roles.'
And he hopes other businesses will follow suit.
'If people see it, they will believe in it,' he says Christian. I think some businesses would love to offer jobs to people with learning disabilities but are scared to.
'We are not a charity. Our socks are quality. Our staff are amazing. They get paid for every hour they work. From the customer's point of view, our socks are not just about buying something to wear, they are empowering people to work and hopefully have a knock-on effect on society.
'Whatever changes and wherever we expand out from Warrington we will always keep it bright and loud, so it starts a conversation. There is so much doom and gloom – people can do with some brightness in their lives.'
standoutsocks.co.uk
The partnership that didn't see the Dragons' deal through rose-tinted glasses
Dan Barnes and Lina Tejoprayitno are the force behind Pop Specs, a vibrant venture is seeking to revolutionise the way we buy eyewear.
The couple founded POP Specs in 2020 intending to disrupt the high-street spectacle industry by offering affordable and stylish eyewear you can buy in your lunch hour.
Dan, who has worked in the industry for 20 years, spotted a gap in the market for delivering a speedy but professional service for people looking for new glasses – and at a knock-down price.
He says: 'To keep the price down, people bring their prescription along to us and we take it from there.' To date, they have launched POP Specs kiosks at 12 shopping locations across the UK, selling their range of eyewear for £75, with the lenses made in just 20 minutes.
In the North West, you will find Pop Specs in Chester Market, and at the Arndale and Trafford centres, with new kiosks opening at Cheshire Oaks and Broughton Retail Park this year.
But they are expanding at pace, with outlets right across the UK from London to Glasgow and plans to take the model overseas.
The couple's CVs are impressive. Dan's father ran an opticians and as a boy Dan would go into the lab at weekends to help out. He then ran Jonathon Bryan Opticians in Chester for 20 years. He met Lina at the University of Chester, where they were studying for master’s degrees. Lina had a financial background and wanted to have her own business
The Dragons obviously thought the couple were winners because after their pitch, a trio of them – Peter Jones, Touker Suleyman and Sara Davies – each agreed to invest £25,000 for a four per cent stake in POP Specs, to help Lina and Daniel continue with their ambitious growth plans.
So what was it like pitching in front of TV's most famous multimillionaire investors?
'They are called Dragons for a reason,' began Dan. 'You get a roasting. We were actually in the Den for two-and-a-half hours but they edit it down to 12 minutes.
And like many business folk who enter the Den, they had a preference for the Dragon they hoped would support them. 'We wanted Peter, Touker and Sara, so we got the ones we wanted.'
Dan and Lina have since turned down the deal: 'You just have a few minutes to decide whether it is a good investment for us. We decided it was not the deal for us,' says Dan.
So what is their plan for growing the business now, without the help of the Beeb's Dragons? Lina says: 'We will take it one year at a time, but we are hoping to expand into Europe and the US.
'Everybody thought laser eye surgery would wipe out eyewear but the eyewear industry is going from strength to strength. People see glasses as a fashion accessory. Eight per cent of glasses are non-prescription because they are a fashion statement.'
'Our eyewear is an affordable fashion accessory,' says Dan. 'If something costs a couple of hundred pounds then you are going to pick a style that goes with all outfits. Because we are affordable, people can experiment more with colour, shape and style. Seventy-four per cent of our customers come back for another pair.'
Ultimately, the aim is to change the industry in line with other disruptor businesses. Dan says: 'We are trying to change people's habits around buying eyewear in the same way that Netflix has changed how people watch movies.'
pop-specs.com
