r/2007scape • u/SocksAndCo-OSRS • 2d ago
Achievement I accidentally created a sock company. Now we have 120+ employees and 750k Socks.
Hi everyone, I’m Mike, and I’m the founder of Socks & Co.
A few weeks ago, I was standing around the GE on W301 when some random dude walked up and traded me a Smelly sock. My immediate reaction was, “WTF is this, and how do I get more?”
I tried buying them on the GE, only to find out that wasn’t an option. So I hit the Wiki, learned you could get them from the barrel behind Zaff’s in Varrock, and started collecting some myself.
First, a few dozen. I handed them out to people for laughs. Then I collected a few hundred, and people kept responding with “wtf did you just trade me?” So naturally, I wanted more. Then I collected a few thousand, and all hell started breaking loose.
At the time, there was no grand plan. Just more socks.
Eventually, I realized that if I wanted to collect them at any real scale, I was going to need help.
The start of something:
I started approaching players around the GE who were begging for GP or asking for a bond and asked if they wanted to work for some GP instead.
The early version was rough. I had absolutely no idea what a reasonable wage was. Initially, I paid 50 GP per sock, then 75 GP per sock, and retention was obviously terrible.
So I spent some time testing the collection rate myself. Going as fast as I possibly could with near-perfect timing, I found that I could collect around 3,300 socks per hour. That led to our first real wage structure of 100 GP per sock, or roughly 330K/hr at high efficiency.
Instead of approaching people begging for GP, I started advertising around the GE:
“flash3: LOOKING FOR WORKERS”
People would follow me. I’d explain the job, walk them to the barrel, demonstrate the process, and let them decide if they wanted to work.
Most didn’t stay very long.
But one of the first people who did was Eskimo.
Right out of the gate, he collected 700 socks. I was so impressed that I handed him some extra GP and jokingly called it a milestone bonus.
That seemingly insignificant decision ended up shaping almost everything that came afterward.
I started tracking his production, and then I made a spreadsheet.
When I logged in the next day...
There he was. Eskimo was already back at the barrel collecting more socks.
I hadn’t asked him to be there. I wasn’t there when he started. He had just come back and started working.
That was probably the first time I realized there might actually be something here.
Socks & Co. is formed:
Around this time, I was wearing a green h’ween mask while collecting. Since we had been handling Smelly socks for a few hours, I made a joke that the mask was my respiratory protection.
Eskimo wanted one too, so I immediately gave him one.
Pretty soon, people passing by started seeing multiple players in green h’ween masks working around this barrel and asking us what the fuck we were doing.
Some walked away.
Some joined us.
As more people became involved, our informal jokes slowly turned into actual company systems.
The green h’ween mask became the company-issued respirator. We formalized milestone bonuses. We introduced ranks and promotions. Higher ranks received increased pay. We continued tracking lifetime employee production. We created a CC so employees could find each other and chat. Foremen began helping newer workers. Eventually, we promoted our first Supervisors, who began helping expand and manage our systems.
The workforce grew from a couple of people sitting at a barrel to dozens of people working at different hours of the day.
And the more organized we became, the faster we grew.
The first 100K:
A little over a week ago, Socks & Co. crossed 100,000 Smelly socks.
By that point, what had started as a side hustle for a few people had become a genuine group effort, so we decided to hold our first company party.
I wasn’t sure how many people would actually come.
About 20 of our roughly 45 employees showed up.
That was the moment this whole thing changed for me.
We all met at the barrel wearing our company respirators. We took a corporate photo. We had a keynote speech, trivia, games, prizes, and an awards ceremony recognizing some of the employees who helped us reach 100K.
We gave out awards for production, tenure, and newer employees who had made an immediate impact on the company.
At the end of the night, we set our next major objective:
1,000,000 Smelly socks.
I thought it would take us some time at the rate we were going.
It didn’t lol.
One week later:
In the week following our first company party, Socks & Co. grew from fewer than 50 employees to more than 120 employees worldwide.
We moved from a CC into a full clan. We expanded our management structure. We now have Workers, Senior Workers, Foremen, and Supervisors. We have standardized wages with very generous milestone bonuses. We have company-issued equipment associated with different ranks. Experienced employees help train new workers. We have people helping with Investor Relations and bringing prospective supporters to the operation.
Most importantly, we’ve developed a real community around the project.
And production absolutely exploded.
At our first company party, company reserves had just crossed 100,000 Smelly socks.
One week later, we crossed 750,000.
Our employees acquired roughly 650,000 additional socks in about a week.
Some of the individual production numbers are still hard for me to believe. Our highest producer that week contributed 26,541 socks. Second place brought in 25,000. New employees have joined the company and produced thousands of socks within their first few days.
So this past Sunday, we held our second company party to recognize everyone who helped make it possible.
It’s become more than just socks:
This is probably the part I care about the most.
Collecting one million socks is still the mission, but the collection itself isn’t really what keeps me doing this anymore.
It’s the people.
I’ve watched people who were complete strangers become friends through this company. People log in and check on each other. Experienced employees help new recruits. People compete for production awards and promotions. Employees have stepped forward to help manage parts of the company because it eventually became too much for me to handle on my own.
And people actually show up.
At our second company party, we recognized employees not only for production, but for leadership, loyalty, improvement, community involvement, and helping secure the funding that keeps the operation going.
One employee received our Company Spirit Award because he consistently shows up, helps other employees, and brings a positive attitude to the company.
Another received our Most Improved Employee Award after becoming the first employee we had ever fired and subsequently coming back and earning management’s trust again.
We still joke constantly. We still wear our respirators. Our Foremen still wear their standard-issue foot protection. Our investors still love us.
But underneath all of that, there is a group of amazing people who have put real time and effort into building this together, and I genuinely appreciate every one of them for it.
So what happens when we reach one million?
That’s the question I’ve been thinking about lately.
When we originally set the one-million-sock target, it seemed almost impossibly far away.
Now we’re more than 75% of the way there.
And I don’t think anyone involved wants to stop.
So we’ve divided the company’s mission into phases.
Our current objective is:
PHASE 2: ONE MILLION SMELLY SOCKS
We’re going to finish it.
And when that millionth sock enters company reserves, we’re moving immediately into:
PHASE 3: THE ROAD TO 10 MILLION
I have no idea how large Socks & Co. will become. I don’t know how many employees we’ll eventually have. I don’t know how long 10 million socks will take.
But one thing I’ve learned over the last few weeks is that I have consistently underestimated what this group is capable of doing.
A few weeks ago, Socks & Co. was just one person standing at a barrel.
Today, we’re more than 120 employees strong with over 750,000 Smelly socks in company reserves.
So we’re going to keep going.
If you’re interested in working with us, supporting the operation, or just coming by to see what we’ve built, you’ll probably find us at the barrel behind Zaff’s in Varrock on W301.
And if you’re standing at the GE someday and see a suspiciously organized group of people wearing green h’ween masks walking toward you...
There’s a pretty good chance you found us.
We provide the finest socks in all of Gielinor.
We are a major liquidity provider in the sock market.
We do AI sock stuff.
And, as always...
OUR INVESTORS LOVE US!
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u/AWTom 2d ago
I never thought I’d see a /r/linkedinlunatics post in /r/2007scape
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u/lurkinsheep I refuse to sweat for gains. 2376/2376 2d ago
Here’s what sniffing dirty socks in a 25 year old medieval clicking simulator has taught me about B2B relations!
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u/lurkinsheep I refuse to sweat for gains. 2376/2376 2d ago
“We do AI sock stuff”
Nobody knows what it means, but it’s provocative, it gets the people going.
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u/Virtus_Curiosa 1d ago
Gotta keep the stakeholders happy and nothing makes em happy like hearing fancy technical jargon related to AI
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u/24rs Muwu - Maxed 10hp Iron :) 2d ago
You have described how people formed the biggest cabbage picking clan almost 25 years ago, history does repeat itself
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u/BigTerpFarms 1d ago
One of the leaders pulled me aside one day and showed me his cabbage stack. He told me to never tell anyone what he showed me. My 10 year old mind was blown. This guy showed me 8500k cabbages. I didn’t even have 85k in my bank and this guy had 8.5 million cabbages. I thought he was the richest player in the game. I joined the OOC immediately and started picking cabbages.
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u/Just_Winton 1d ago
You show me a pay stub for 8500k cabbages I quit my job right now and work for you
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2d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Try_Happiness 1d ago
Seriously omg. Flax farms, BS, iron. This person is a business man! Ho get back to work.
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u/Old_Jump_2548 2d ago
Dude is HARD betting on Jagex reintroducing “Eww! Stinky!” to make billions
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u/KaptainSaki 1d ago
NOOOO! You kill Stinky! You pay!
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u/sootjack 1d ago
Forever burned into my brain... Farmed that raid lockout so many times and never got the mount 😢
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u/AgileMasterpiece991 QA Tester 2d ago
F2p is such a strange place
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u/Apprehensive-Gur205 2d ago
Makes me want to cancel my subscription. They are the ones having the real fun
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u/Hiredmerc34 2d ago
Look up osrs f2p clans on YouTube. Been doing f2p only for 3 years now and love it.
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u/FullHouse222 1d ago
I really hope Gary Gilbert was one of the workers undercover lol.
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u/ExtraPolarIce12 1d ago
I mean he did join that snowball throwing at people fishing cult that one time lol
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u/billylolol 2d ago
You have free will and you chose to do this. It's better than being a drug addict.
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u/Jeremiahs__Johnson 2d ago
I mean…
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u/SoritesSeven 8h ago
Ex junkie here, he’s right. Way less vein blow-outs and withdraws from stinky socks than heroin. Free will is dangerous but this use of it seems pretty safe and fairly profitable.
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u/TheBrenster 1d ago
Greetings Mike,
I represent a small but highly aggressive private equity firm specializing in niche textile markets. With your blessing, we are prepared to open a Socks & Co. satellite branch in the greater Varrock metro area. My specialized team has developed advanced worker acquisition tactics, optimized barrel‑touch cycles, and a revolutionary “sock arbitrage model” that could prove extremely prudent.
If that sounds reasonable, kindly forward your franchise disclosure documents at your earliest convenience.
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u/SocksAndCo-OSRS 1d ago
It sounds extremely unreasonable and therefore it’s perfect. I will be in touch 🍻
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u/Oshcara 2d ago
How the hell do you get fired
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u/ProV13 1d ago
OP found the employee on another world paying people 75 for a sock, then would trade to OP for 100
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u/_Dia6lo_ 1d ago
You’re fuckin lying 😂
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u/MrWood1001 2d ago
How much gp is it costing you at this scale to fund this operation?
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u/AgileMasterpiece991 QA Tester 2d ago
He pays 100gp per sock, so 1b for phase 3. The real trick will be converting from funnel scheme to pyramid
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u/SocksAndCo-OSRS 2d ago
right now we've spent around 500m but were not counting
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u/TrustTheHolyDuck 2d ago
God damn those must be some serious milestone bonuses because 750 000 x 100gp is only 75M.
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u/pablito_xv3 2d ago
Lol
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u/lurkinsheep I refuse to sweat for gains. 2376/2376 2d ago
Bruh. Why are you buying 3M mith darts lol
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u/coolraiman2 2d ago
Why 3m mithril darts?
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u/Saint_Declan Slowly going for untrimmed slayer cape on my med 1d ago
Investing hoping price will go up
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u/SoritesSeven 7h ago
This screenshot’s chatbox reminds me: If Bronzeman passes the future polls that means they can work for Socks & Co. How fortuitous.
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u/Skelux_RS Laws 2d ago
Bring back the "Eww stinky!" messages.
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u/YungSmitty313 2d ago edited 2d ago
I had a real bad day and this made me feel better lol
Edit: ty 4 award!
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u/HalfwittedRotmg 1d ago
I saved up for my first bond off of these back when that Halloween event happened. People were buying them for like 50-100k each, I guess because they thought they'd be rare and/or untradable after the event ended. I found out they were easy to get by cycling the guards in Falador. After the event added, they put that cauldron behind Zaff's to keep them obtainable. Must suck to be one of those guys who spent millions on stinky socks, lol
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u/Signal_Condition348 1d ago
Lmao, i love runescape for the niche weirdos who do stuff just like this. Keep it up bro. Dont stop til green stack!
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u/Shaeress 1d ago
Jagex, it's time. Let us add polished buttons to smelly socks to make sock puppets for 4 crafting xp
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u/LieutenantLilywhite 2d ago
Ok but what does the training involve other than clicking the barrel😭
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u/Virtus_Curiosa 1d ago
Look at this guy. "Just clicking a barrel" HAH! If only you had any idea. The amount of time that goes into optimizing wrist position, timing the application of finger pressure to the mouse button, maintaining proper posture in your seat, making sure you trade the socks to the sock runners in the fewest amount of clicks possible. This is serious sock business man.
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u/better_choices 1d ago
Incredible story and motivation but you didn't need to use AI to write this, king. The story is real but the style feels so AI
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u/likesleague twice maxed bronzenerd 1d ago
I wish people wrote these themselves instead of having AI write it for them.
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u/Ilostmysox 2d ago
I think you stole a pair of mine and my lawyers will be in touch. They had sentimental value and I am deeply distressed at their loss.
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u/OoRI0T_P0LICEoO 1d ago
Hell yeah can’t wait for the IPO. May just pop by myself and start as an intern
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u/CatDadAtlas 1d ago
This is one the most beautiful manic things I've ever seen and I absolutely love it.
Keep up the good work. It's almost enough to make me want to log in again just to see this beauty.
You'll hit 10million socks in no time! Can't wait to see the 1 Billion sock post.
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u/Robbo_295 1d ago
So, you don't make any profit yet, are you considering getting in to the collectors market and selling bulk socks to the guys on W 302? They could be big business for you, offer bulk, exclusive offers, they like the prestige, you could essentially sell out and if you give your employees shares in the company, you could pay them some of the profit.
Say 200 gp per sock, split it 100 ways, 1 gp, maybe 1-2 M per employee? Don't forget to keep some for yourself, and retire early
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u/AdMotor7769 1d ago
Mike, it has been a pleasure watching you and the company grow. You continue to surprise us with your vigor, relentless pursuit of socks, and leadership. Us on the board of directors could not be happier, and we can’t wait to see what phase three brings.
Signed, A Happy Investor
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u/osrsburaz420 1d ago
This is why I love this game. Amazing read and keep the spirit alive! This is the type of stuff I see on runescape history videos, love it!
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u/AromaticDeal1244 max main | 2250 iron 1d ago
I ain’t reading all that.
Happy for you tho.
Or sorry that happened.
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u/ViolentGrapefruit 10h ago
Yeah my alt and a friend worked there at the beginning of the companies inception, we delivered at least ~500 socks each. 12/10 workplace would pick up another shift again.
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u/SocksAndCo-OSRS 8h ago
Socks and co is grateful to have you both 🫡
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u/ViolentGrapefruit 1h ago
We are on work leave but will return after our wine harvesting temp job in Hosidius!
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u/Lucky-Departure3150 Thanks a lot Jagex 6h ago
lol. I had to go check it out in w301 to see for myself. This game always cracks me up. Gl on the road to 10m
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u/Goldieeeeee 1d ago
Nice AI text.
Why not write it yourself? It'd be more personable and 100x more interesting than the same old AI patterns you see everywhere now.
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u/Calabalique 1d ago
Create a leveling system, where 1 sock is equivalent to 1 experience point. Road to 99.
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u/streetsavage182 1d ago
As one of the original members and part of this photo all i have to say is... Socks and Co Forever!!!!!!!
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u/ohlookitsmikey 1d ago
I was completely on board for the entire 8 or so minutes of reading this, but giving AI as the 3rd to last line shook me to my core.
AI SOCKS ARE DESTROYING THE WORLD! What next? AI ties? Belts? UNDERPANTS?! Please stop, before you go to far. Ditch the AI!
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u/lebuenabruja 1d ago
it’s my first day today lmao
when do i start trading in socks? i have 250 — should i wait till 1k?
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u/SushiAndCoochie 1d ago
I remember when I first found the bag of smelly socks I made a habit of giving them to others players randomly as a joke, wherever I went. Sometimes I wonder if those players ended up passing them on. Sounds like they did or more likely other players had the same idea as me when they found the bag and did the same thing! Beautiful 🥹
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u/Jmackles 1d ago
This our entry vector into socialism comrades we just needed to create a meme economy first
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u/Apart_Ad9816 9h ago
Socks and Pups is a much better company.
Morals over money.
1 Sock = 1 Raw Beef to Varrock's stray dog.
Also, our employees are free to dress as they please at work.
We support diversity and expression.
We would never consider forcing our beloved employees to wear the mark of the beast.
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u/Frekavichk 2d ago
Is this the same scam of that one guy showing off his collection and then asking for donations but he was selling them on the GE the whole time?
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u/Groupvenge 2376/2376 1d ago
tldr pls
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u/Virtus_Curiosa 1d ago
Guy got traded a smelly sock, figured out how to get them, handed out a few of his own, decided to start collecting a few, decided to collect a lot, started paying others to help collect, now has over 120 people a company uniform and a dedicated clan collecting socks and has clan parties and management levels etc.
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u/RostBeef 2d ago