A truly inspiring sustainable startup – Marc Bucci from Social Socks (episode 407)
Marc Bucci launched his Shopify store, Social Socks, this summer with a BIG goal… to improve sustainability globally and raise £1million for charity.
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Marc’s eCommerce Journey
Marc began his eCommerce journey because of his two daughters and his realization that climate change is already upon us. He wanted to raise awareness about it while also providing an opportunity to change one’s lifestyle and give back.
With sustainability in mind, Marc did the research and planning and started Social Socks a few months ago. Currently, it’s just him running the business, but he does outsource his marketing to a company called The Creative Comms.
Focusing on Sustainability from Day 1
For Marc, it’s important to be transparent about what the brand is trying to achieve in terms of sustainability and why.
This focus might slow down the growth of the company since it’s just starting. But Marc says Social Socks was founded with the goal of raising awareness and giving back, and that’s what he’s trying to do. On their website and through blogs, he’s made it a point to share what they’ve done for the first month. This includes how many trees they’ve planted and how many climate projects they’ve funded.
And when asked whether the sustainability aspect helps bring in sales or hinders it, Marc says it’s a benefit, especially when it comes to engaging with customers.
Maximising Online & Offline Platforms
Marc says social media presence is crucial, but he also values face-to-face interactions with Social Socks customers. The latter gives people a chance to actually check out the product and get to know the brand, which in turn helps customers understand its message and goal.
But regardless of channel, connecting with the customer and getting their feedback is important to Marc as he is at the beginning stages of building his brand and creating awareness for it.
Building a Social Community
Marc has big plans for Social Socks’ future.
Aside from coming out with new colors, he’s also partnering with different charities supporting various social issues such as baby loss awareness and mental health, as well as the Armed Forces.
This way, Social Socks becomes not just a product, but a social community that’s on a mission to make an impact on climate change and other major social issues.
eCommerce Book Top Tip
Marc recommends a podcast and has three books on his wish list:
- The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
- 24 Assets: Create a digital, scalable, valuable and fun business that will thrive in a fast changing world by Daniel Priestley
- They Ask You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today’s Digital Consumer by Marcus Sheridan
- Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
eCommerce Traffic Top Tip
- Social media is probably the best out there but do your research or outsource the work to an expert.
Tool Top Tip
Growth Top Tip
- Focus on your customer base and those who bought from you. Reward them and make them feel special because they’re the ones who’ve already invested in your products.
Interview Links
Related episodes
- 375: Want an easy way to work out how sustainable your products are?
- 392: Embedding ethics and sustainability into luxury brand Elvis & Kresse – super inspiring story
- Startup page
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