Did you know our community is home to a company that sells socks to support adults with differing abilities? In this episode of The Perfect Balance, I’m going to introduce you to SammySocks Etc., a home business run by the Lyons family and inspired by their son, Samuel. We’ll find out how their unique sock selling business started and show you how to snag a pair of your own.
All About Socks
Mark and Sally Lyons own a house here in Texas. While the outside of their residence may seem like any other typical home, the family business run inside is far from ordinary. The Lyons have sold 500 pairs of socks and simultaneously raised $245 for United Partners since the start of their business in September 2020—and we’re going to find out how they did it.
SammySocks Etc. was started by Mark and Sally to provide their son, Samuel, with meaningful work. While primarily selling a variety of fun sucks in all patterns and colors, the pair hopes to grow bigger and expand to other fashion apparel items. They also hope to offer more employment opportunities for adults with different abilities.
As a strictly online business, the Lyons get an order, print out the packing slip and order form, and pack it up. Before shipping out the order, they include a small baggie with an informational postcard all about the business, a coupon, some candy, and a poem. They also include a “Sammy Sayings,” something that Sammy has said that gives insight into his outlook on life. Once they package everything, the box is sent to the happy customer.
Sammy’s Story
The inspiration for SammySocks Etc. started when Samuel was in high school. He was in the public school system, graduated, and then went to the 18+ Program. When a student reaches age 21, they age out of the program—and the Lyons wanted to make sure they had a plan for their son after graduation.
As the Lyons tell me, there are not a lot of places that hire people with disabilities—or ‘different abilities,’ as they like to say. They thought about the possibility of starting their own business and have Samuel work for them. If the business grew, they could then hire other adults with different abilities as well. They ultimately decide to sell socks as a fun, affordable product that appeals to a lot of people.
The couple researched for a few years before launching to ensure they had a good wholesale source for their products. This all happened while Mark was working full time, so planning had to be done on evenings and weekends. In that time, they also settled on their logo: a sock superimposed over a peacock feather. The feather represents Samuel, as he only tolerates the lightest touch. Finally, in September of 2020, their business officially began.
Giving Back To The Community
In addition to offering great products, SammySocks Etc. also gives 5% of its earnings to United Partners in Pflugerville. This organization allows people with different abilities to come and learn and work for the day. Sammy goes twice a week, all day, and gets to spend time with 10 other people that all have different abilities as he does.
So if you’d like to support this local business located in Hutto, Texas, you can buy online at SammySocks Etc. There, you’ll find a variety of fun socks for men, women, and children that support a great cause and provide Sammy with meaningful work. If you’d like to see more local businesses and points of interest, make sure to subscribe to my channel so you never miss an episode of The Perfect Balance. Stay tuned to see what I feature next!