By Natascha Elbech
When David Heath and Randy Goldberg learned that socks were the number one requested item in homeless shelters, they became inspired to create impact for a community in need. Inspired by the buy-one-give-one model of TOMS Shoes, Bombas Socks was launched in 2013 with the idea to donate one pair of socks for each pair purchased. From their mantra “bee better” and with the mission to bring visibility to the widespread homeless issue in the United States, Bombas Socks is an example of a social enterprise with a BOGO model that stays true to their social mission.
Donations are distributed by Bombas workers
Essential to the Bombas business model is understanding the clothing demands of two types of consumers: the commercial market and the homeless population. Bombas offers something stylish and comfortable for any occasion, whether you’re going on a snowboarding trip, heading to the office, or lounging on your couch. But David and Randy knew that they needed to donate a product that was practical and long-lasting for the homeless and took two years volunteering in homeless shelters to learn from the community that they were hoping to serve. From there they engineered their donation socks with their Sock Tech technology, incorporating anti-microbial treatment, reinforced seams for comfort and durability, and dark colors to show less wear.
Bombas was able to scale their impact by utilizing social media and pairing up with over 1,200 homeless shelters, community organizations, non-profits, and corporate partners to distribute their socks in all 50 states. From a successful crowdsourcing campaign and feature on reality television show Shark Tank, Bombas was able to communicate their social mission and sell more and more socks. Bombas’ success comes from their ability to turn an ordinary product into something that can enact social change, and a multi-million-dollar company as a result. To date, Bombas has distribute over 9 million pairs of socks to communities in need across the United States. With your purchase of Bombas Socks, you can feel good with every step.
