Owned by Carrie Atkinson, Sock It to Me was started after she graduated from college in the early 2000\u2019s and found that once she returned from teaching English in South Korea, she couldn\u2019t find the dream job that she always wanted so she started her own company instead.<\/span><\/p>\n In today\u2019s world where just about everyone has a tattoo and views their body art or piercings as a form of self-expression, Carrie Atkinson and Sock It to Me are one of a kind because they\u2019ve taken socks and transformed them from the drab, colorless piece of clothing that everyone wears into something that can no be used for someone to express themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n Carrie has built her company in Portland<\/a> and is seemingly at the right place and right time in history as more people both young and old want to express themselves in every day life and are turning to socks, body art and makeup to find that venue that they can use for self-expression in the everyday world.<\/span><\/p>\n During a recent interview with Forbes, Carrie had this to say about her company:<\/span><\/p>\n Why did you start your own company?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n I was in Portland, Oregon with a college degree and not able to find a “real job” after two years of looking. \u00a0I decided to start a business since I wasn’t getting handed that dream job.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Why socks?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n I taught English in South Korea for one year and loved their colorful and well-made socks.\u00a0 I wanted to introduce American customers to these styles, so I started importing them.\u00a0 Eventually, we started designing our own and working directly with the manufacturers in Korea.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n What was your first sale like?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n I went to Korea and brought back a few samples and started selling them at the Portland Saturday Market out of my little tent back in 2004.\u00a0 I realized that I was on to something because we moved a lot of product.\u00a0 In 2005, I saved up my money and went to some apparel trade shows and started selling wholesale.\u00a0 It just snowballed since then and we\u2019ve been in that cycle of bringing on more people, getting better at data analysis, and selling more product.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n How does Sock It to Me make money?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Our business is 90% wholesale, so we sell to retailers that then resell the product. We go to trade shows where buyers of stores come and look for products to fill their stores. We also have sales reps who are independent contractors that have different territories all over the world.\u00a0 Then we have an in-house sales team that are the ones that do the calling and\/or showing up at the trade shows. \u00a010%\u00a0of our business is direct consumer online.<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n To learn more about Carrie Atkinson and Sock It to Me, visit their website at https:\/\/www.sockittome.com\/<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pdxpeople.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/F0275-300x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nNot Just Socks, Self-Empowerment and Self Expression<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
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<\/p>\nLearn More About Carrie Atkinson<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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