The power of socks | Matthew Siracusa | TEDxTheCountrySchool
## Speaker Context - Matt Serra: Founder of "We Won't," a company that sells socks and donates a pair for every pair sold. - Framing: To discuss his experience as a "serial dreamer," emphasizing thinking beyond the present moment and finding ways to make things better, and realizing that other people can be helped. ## People - Matt Serra: Founder of "We Won't," teller of the story. - Father: Participated with Matt on the first morning cooking breakfast at the ministry. - Friend: Kept socks and underwear in a bag in his car during a blizzard. - Wife: Shared a miscarriage with Matt during the sock business struggle. - Investor (unnamed): Told Matt a follow-up meeting was scheduled for Monday after a Friday call. ## Organizations - We Won't: A company that sells socks and donates a pair for every pair sold. - Sparrow Ministries: Ministry started by Matt Serra in Hartford, Connecticut, serving breakfast to the homeless every Saturday morning. - Urban Alliance churches: Partnering organization helping with the ministry. - World Vision: A major nonprofit with a global footprint, receiving donations from "We Won't" for distribution in the US and worldwide. ## Places - Hartford, Connecticut: Location where Matt Serra started the ministry. - Main Street, downtown Hartford: Location where Matt Serra operated the ministry serving breakfast. - Pullman camping grill: Equipment used for cooking breakfast. ## Tools, Tech & Products - Socks: Product sold by "We Won't"; the item that triggers a donation. - Cooler: Used to transport supplies for cooking breakfast. - Facebook: Used by Sparrow Ministries for positive and negative aspects, specifically for issuing a "cry for help." ## Concepts & Definitions - Serial dreamer: A descriptor used for Matt Serra, relating to always thinking beyond the current state. - Synergy: The cooperation of two or more organizations to produce a combined effect that is better than what can be accomplished alone. - Homeless: The population receiving aid at the ministry. ## Numbers & Data - Two: Mentioned in relation to the number of people who are present in a specific context. - Twenty: Number of people initially estimated in the funeral service room that were not part of the homeless population. - 5: Number of days per week Matt Serra was playing hockey or working on other things. - One: Number of Saturdays the ministry has been running for the past four years (implied: "every single Saturday"). - 500: Number of people served on a Saturday (upwards of, in the present). - Four: Number of years the ministry has been serving breakfast every Saturday. - 20: Number of volunteers on a Saturday after the "cry for help." - 7,000 plus: Number of pairs of socks Matt Serra purchased. ## Claims & Theses - The focus of the discussion should be on synergy. - Matt Serra initially thought he was only going to serve people sandwiches. - The problem is that people need socks, and they are the least donated item because they have to be brand new. - It was not possible for Matt Serra to do on his own, but it was possible with his friends and World Vision's help. - "Your dream is for them." ## Mechanisms & Processes - "Serial dreamer" process: 1. Experience life, 2. Recognize a problem, 3. Dream up a solution, 4. Fight the fear of failure, 5. Put the dream into action, 6. Fine-tune the plan, 7. Repeat. - Ministry operations: Serving breakfast to the homeless every Saturday morning. - Marketing/Outreach: Using Facebook to put out a "cry for help" and securing volunteers/donations. ## Timeline & Events - Before the current discussion: Matt Serra was playing hockey and in the army, doing these things at once. - First ministry event: Matt Serra was at a funeral service for the homeless in downtown Hartford. - Five months later: Matt Serra decided to act on the plan and called the group on a Friday night to set up. - Today (as of the talk): Sparrow Ministries still runs every Saturday. - Last few weeks: The ministry moved from outside to inside, allowing for a proper discussion and breakfast. ## Examples & Cases - Funeral service for the homeless: An annual event in downtown Hartford where those without a formal funeral are honored. - First outreach: Matt Serra asking a man in camouflage where he lived, leading to offering cooked breakfast. - Initial setup: Matt Serra and buddies setting up on a sidewalk in Main Street with 50 eggs, milk, orange juice, and a box of Joke. - Blizzard experience: Matt Serra giving socks to a crying man while driving around because warming centers were full. - We Won't founding: Matt Serra's wife having a miscarriage while they were struggling with the sock purchase. - Ministry expansion: Pairing with Urban Alliance churches and other nonprofits to help with resumes and purchasing suits for interviews. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - Potential initial offering: Serving sandwiches (which he kept mentioning). - Potential donation recipient (initial thought): Just having one sandwich. - Initial operational location: Outside (on a sidewalk). - Alternative service location: Inside a church with a state-of-the-art kitchen. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - Acknowledging that the initial group for the funeral service was very small (probably only 20 people). - Caveat about the initial plan: The fear of failure (What if I get attacked? What if I fail? What if nobody shows up?). - Qualification regarding the initial ministry efforts: He wasn't saying "great laws" about camping in streets. - Qualification about the process: Recognizing that the ability to do something was constrained by external factors (e.g., couldn't secure a loan, but could rely on friends). ## Methodology - Personal narrative recounting experiences: Used to structure the understanding of problem-solving and business building. ## References Cited - TOMS shoes: Used as a comparison model for "We Won't" (one-for-one donation). ## Conclusions & Recommendations - If you have a dream or a business, encourage fighting through those life moments that feel like they are going to drag you down. - You may have a dream, but it might not be you who's going to benefit from it; someone else might need you. - If you have a dream, it is to help other people. ## Implications & Consequences - If a dream is not acted upon, it might die. - If one continues to work together, it can lead to big and amazing things. ## Open Questions - Not explicitly stated. ## Verbatim Moments - "I'm going to talk about how a lot of people know me as the serial dreamer." - "We sell socks so every time somebody buys a pair of our socks we donate a pair." - "The real people that are gonna support you are going to be there no matter what." - "Just think you're dreaming about something and you're thinking it's not possible in my case I was right it wasn't possible but it was possible to do with my friends." - "My dream is for them." - "I can't do this alone."