Fans of the BBC TV show Dragons’ Den will definitely remember the successful pitch by Standout Socks – and in particular, their charismatic employee, Ross.
Able Magazine editor, Tom Jamison, caught up with one of the founders, Natalie, and her colleague Christian, to find out more about how they involve staff with learning disabilities, like Christian’s brother, Ross, in the business.
During the Dragons’ Den pitch, you mentioned some of the struggles Ross has had in finding work. What has his experience been like?
Christian – Ross has always struggled to find any sort of work. Just finding volunteer work is difficult. He has had roles in cafes, and he had one paid role because my mum used to run a restaurant at Liverpool Airport.
Mum tried to get him volunteering work in charity shops. Ross lives independently, so there was always a struggle with taxes and supervision and funding. There was always something getting in the way of Ross finding a role.
What must be frustrating is that Ross has obviously got gifts; he’s charming and engaging…
C – Employers and companies need to see the value in what a person can bring. We’ve got five people with Down’s syndrome in our company and they’re all full of character. They’re all unique and they all bring so much to the table.
The business was built around Ross’ abilities. There’s always been a connection with Down’s syndrome and socks because if you look at chromosomes under a microscope, they look like a pair of socks. That’s why socks are used to celebrate Down’s syndrome.
We needed something for Ross. During the pandemic he’d spent 12 months living with Mum and Dad and he was really struggling with his social skills. His confidence was low. Natalie and I were furloughed. We’d buy vintage clothes and then sell them on eBay and I said, let’s get him out of the house. He can come and help us pack some clothes, just for a couple of hours. We immediately saw a massive change in him.
He became very talkative, very personable. I couldn’t let it slide backwards. Both Natalie and I had decent jobs but to be honest, we love being with family. We love being with Ross. So, the socks started; we ordered three different styles originally, just to see how it went and everyone loved it. Ross was packing the socks. We’ve seen nothing but positivity. It’s been amazing.
I’ll pass Ross an order and he’ll get the socks. He does some of the design work with us and the networking, which is his speciality.
When we go networking, it’s usually just Ross and I that go. I just leave him to it, he doesn’t buy a pint, but he finds his way to every free pint in there. He has a good time and he enjoys it. That’s what he likes doing. The packing is not long term for Ross. We’d love to do a bit of public speaking, perhaps going into schools and educating people.
I didn’t realise the ability Ross had. Being completely honest, he has a lot of ability that I was unaware of.
The Dragons’ Den pitch was amazing. How did you prepare Ross?
C -There’s a lovely video on our Instagram feed. We put pictures of the dragons on the wall. Ross knew which sock was in which box and there was a reason why each dragon got the sock and what he would tell them. Ross would go up and give the sock to them and then have a brief conversation around the sock.
Natalie – It took hours and hours of practise and redoing it and trying to perfect it as much as we could.
C -The charm offensive was Ross but he had a favourite dragon going in. So, Ross really focused all his efforts on one particular dragon. Because he’s got no filter, he told everyone. He said “You’re my favourite” to Steven. He’s probably one of the only people that would ever get away with that in the Den.
N – We didn’t want to take over. We wanted everybody to have their fair share of the pitch. And so it was a case of trying to work all that out between the three of us.
Did you find skills you didn’t realise you had – as an employer taking in people with different skill sets and different abilities, for instance?
C – It was scary when we took on Martha and Oliver. Taking on your brother is one thing but then starting to introduce other people with additional needs was quite scary. People think that just because you’ve got a brother with Down’s syndrome, you can deal with every person with Down’s syndrome. That’s simply not the case. They’re all different. They all have their own quirks, and they all learn in different ways. They all have different ranges of ability.
Given your recent experiences and particularly Ross’s career so far, what’s your best advice for people facing the jobs market?
N – It’s difficult. There are so many things that people might struggle with, but there’s quite a lot of help out there. For people with Down’s syndrome, there are programmes; for instance, we work with a local charity called Down Syndrome Cheshire. They have a programme where they help people into employment and can help prepare people for things like interviews.
There’s also Mencap for people with other types of learning disabilities and there are a lot of services out there that can help people take the first initial step in employment. The Down’s Syndrome Association has its Workfit programme.
C – I think for now, that’s the way forward but I think that the tide’s changing, and I feel like companies are beginning to see the value in having a more diverse workforce. It’s better for everybody, not just the individual that is gaining employment but for the people around them because they learn so much that they would never be exposed to. It’s slowly getting there. We’re great believers in ‘If you see it, you’ll start believing it’.
What kind of support have you had from the dragons, Peter Jones and Steven Bartlett?
N– Steven and his team have been really supportive. We’ve been down to London, and we’ve met with Steven and his team. We have a business WhatsApp group, so we could literally send a message right now to Steven and his team.
They’ve given us some great advice. Obviously, marketing was where we struggled. So, they give us advice on things like that. And we’ve been down to see Peter and his team.
They’re so different. Peter’s more about the business side of things, whereas Steven and his team are more about the marketing side of things.
Where does the artistic side come in when you’re busy thinking about business?
C – The wearer of the socks can be an advocate. Somebody will say, ‘They’re mad socks, where did you get them from?’ and then the wearer who’s bought the socks will advocate for Standout, for inclusion and for Down’s syndrome awareness.
N – We’ve kind of learned how to design on the way. We try to get Ross involved as well, as much as we can. Ross’s design input will be ‘Should we have rabbits on them, or should we have pineapples?’ And then we get to work. We also get a lot of ideas from our customers.
We’ve had some socks that have sat on shelves for two years, so those are discontinued. Then you get ones that as soon as you launch them, they’re gone in a matter of weeks.
C – Because people are starting to see Oliver and Martha online – and they are characters – we have gift boxes. People buy into Martha and Oliver, who each have their own boxes of [their favourite] socks.
N – We have a big LinkedIn presence. It’s important for us to show people with Down’s syndrome in the workplace. People can get involved through LinkedIn and they can email us at: admin@standoutsocks.co.uk
C – The socks are quality products, it’s not just a gimmick or a novelty sock. There’s a real emphasis for Standout on the quality of product and our fantastic staff. We’re a business at the end of the day. We don’t take any donations. We don’t have any volunteers. We don’t have anyone raising funds for us.
N– Companies like to give them out if they’re going to an event, maybe at trade shows, as corporate gifts. They make a really memorable gift; better than a pen or a mug!
Visit: www.standoutsocks.co.uk
