These Entrepreneurs Raised Almost $40,000 for Their 'No-Sock' Socks

Two brothers from Idaho have come up with an alternative to the sock that prevents your shoes from stinking and still gives you a stylish, no-sock look.

learn more about Catherine Clifford

By Catherine Clifford

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

There is nothing more satisfying than a simple solution to a pervasive and universally annoying problem. Which is why Sole Socks makes us grin.

Apparently, we aren't alone. With more than a week left in its Kickstarter campaign, Sole Socks has raised almost $40,000.That's more than eight times the $4,500 that the Boise, Idaho-based entrepreneur-brother duo set out to raise.

Sole Socks were designed for people who want to pull off the stylish "no-socks" look without smelling up their shoes. The product is a flat shoe insert that absorbs sweat, provides extra padding for your feet and is machine washable. That means that when your shoes stink, you can throw the Sole Socks through the wash.

Related: This Site Allows Celebrities to Crowdfund for Causes in Real Time

"The idea for Sole Socks came about when we were trying to get that no-sock look. We wanted to pull off that look, but really, the alternatives out there were not really very good," says creator Tanner Dame in the Kickstarter video introducing the product (below). Little half socks slip off your feet; thin half socks can be folded down to be invisible, but then they develop holes, explains Tanner.

The top layer of Sole Socks is terry cloth to absorb sweat and odor and the bottom layer is a breathable latex that grips your shoe to prevent slipping. They are absorbent, invisible and convenient.

Tanner and his brother Taylor are launching the company together. Tanner and Taylor have worked together before, starting way back with their neighborhood lemonade stand. The brothers have complimentary talents: Tanner knows about manufacturing and product development and Taylor is a marketing and advertising guy.

From believing that a problem can have a solution to reaching out to the crowd for access to capital, Tanner and Taylor epitomize the entrepreneurial spirit.

Related: Your Crowdfunding Cheat Sheet (Infographic)

Catherine Clifford

Senior Entrepreneurship Writer at CNBC

Catherine Clifford is senior entrepreneurship writer at CNBC. She was formerly a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com, the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Clifford attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.

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