Private Schools: Matt Stauffer Socks It To 'Em
The 17-year-old Benedictine High School junior started 21sox, a custom sock company.
Entrepreneurial Spirit: What started off as a hobby in summer 2016, turned into a full-blown business in less than six months. “I would show my friends that I could make a couple pairs of socks and that I could put your face on them,” he says. “Everyone just thought it was pretty funny.” Today, he has screen-printed more than 120 original patterns and designs onto Nike Elite and And1 socks.
Business Buddies: Once Stauffer priced out materials and came up with a business plan, he pitched the idea to his dad. “He is the guy who helps me,” he says. “It’s like 11 o’clock at night, and he says, ‘You need to get these socks done.’ He’s helped me with my website — he’s put in just as many hours to this business as I have.” His mom has filmed videos, and his friends have even pressed socks while he studies.
Foot Ball: He’s designed socks with ice cream motifs, stars and stripes patterns, and even Ohio State University-themed colors. Each pair can be customized with a name and jersey number. “My favorite part is seeing how people think it’s so cool when they get a pair of socks with their name on it, their number on it, their dogs on it,” he says, “just something that’s personal to them.”
Down Time: As a businessman, baseball player, wrestler and football player, Stauffer doesn’t have much free time. But when he does, he can be found playing pingpong and basketball with his friends. He especially loves basketball, even going as far as trying to quit wrestling to play it his freshman year of high school. “I’m not the best player but since I’m a rec player, I never really got my shot,” he says.
Numbers Gain: Stauffer’s favorite class is math.He believes that the lessons you learn there can be applied to anything in life. “There’s just something about finishing a math problem that makes me feel accomplished like, Yeah I just did that,” he says. “I think that to be successful, you have to be a good problem-solver.”
