Plymouth’s brightest young entrepreneur is hot-footing it to business success with his latest venture – bespoke coloured socks.
David Rixon is still only aged 18 but the business studies student has and is now getting his toe in the retail door by launching Custom Tie Dye Socks.
David, who is studying at Plymouth’s Achievement Training, set up the venture in December 2020 and is now seeing it taking off, with marketing help from Toby Gorniak, of Plymouth CIC Street Factory.
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With and Instagram pages, Custom Tie Dye Socks is now taking orders from across Plymouth and David is looking at selling further afield.
The teen buys socks in bulk from leading brands such as Nike, Adidas and Champion and then dyes them bright, dayglo colours to the exact specification of the customer.
“I’m doing it all from my bedroom,” he said. “You have to start off small. People order what colour they want and it takes two days. I’m selling them for £10 a pair, more expensive than the average but they get the colour they want.”
He added: “The lockdown has not stopped me from doing the business, as it’s all online and I have no actual store. But when Plymouth Market opens I want to run a stall there and expand.”
And expansion is definitely in David’s mind. He said: “I’m mainly sticking to the Plymouth area at the moment, but have had one person order from London.”
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David is only supplying in the Plymouth area for now, due to the expense of posting items further but said that if demand is proven he would go national.
“I want to expand but not too early,” he said.
The teenager has amassed plenty of business experience already used his financial nous to help his mother with her nail beauty business and saved her so much cash she was able to book a holiday.
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He also has had his own clothing company, called Real Trends, enterprises selling vape and tobacco products – oh, and he’s a professional magician too.
In early 2020 he ran a series of free advice sessions for aspiring business people and those just wanting financial help, at the Santander bank branch in Armada Way, Plymouth, where he was given use of a meeting room.
David, from Keyham, set up Real Trends in November 2019, and also had a business teaching magic tricks, being an accomplished magician, able to pull off dozens of stunning close-up tricks using playing cards, rings and coins.
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After 10 years of daily practise, he became so good he took the leap from just performing for family and friends .
David has considered a career in banking but said: “My ambition is to be an entrepreneur. I have other businesses to do with clothes, and now I have Custom Tie Dye Socks, so I am building it up.”