With a unique approach of uplifting the experience of everyday essentials, Vicky Ann Fourie and Beth Walkemeyer have built their brand Gym Sox, where each sock has a unique story to tell. Be it a daily dose of laughter, positive affirmations for self, or awareness messages, their socks have it all.
With a collective goal of creating a difference and bringing positive change, the company is among the fastest-growing brands in the region.
The Beginning Of Vicky And Beth’s Journey
The Founders of Gym Sox, Vicky Ann Fourie and Beth Walkemeyer, both share incredible journeys on their career trajectory and how they started in this industry and are passionately working towards bringing a positive change through their work.
After passing High School, Vicky pursued Financial Science for 2.5 years alongside several part-time jobs. However, she ceased her full-time studies to move abroad. Instead, she engaged in online courses and devoured up to 50 books annually. This shift in learning approach profoundly influenced Vicky’s desired lifestyle, prioritizing self-directed education over traditional university and exams.
Reflecting on her journey so far, Vicky shares, “Fast forward to today, I’ve never worked for an employer full time and also never will. Starting and working on my businesses will always be a top priority for me career-wise.”
Beth’s journey offers a different viewpoint, but the passion for owning a business is what makes them uniquely similar.
Born and raised in Australia, Beth is half South African. She was homeschooled until the end of grade 7, then attended high school for two years. But she dropped out before grade 10 started and went to college to get a certificate in Retail, along with a Diploma in Youth Work and Religious Studies.
Vicky Ann Fourie and Beth Walkemeyer shares, “I have always had a love for helping others, so I went on to study Paramedical Science. However, after my first semester, I felt this wasn’t the best direction and dropped out. I worked for the rest of that year, and at 20 years old, I left Australia to travel to Thailand and the Philippines, where I spent the next three months of my life in some of the poorest and neediest areas.
During this time, I worked in orphanages, teaching English, providing nutrition in slums, creating content to raise donations for school supplies, and building clean water wells in remote villages. This experience made me realize I couldn’t settle for a 9-5 job, as I felt a bigger calling in life. Witnessing the impact of money in the right hands motivated me to become part of the solution to alleviate suffering.”
After her trip, Beth started an online business that impacted thousands of people’s lives with their health and business goals. She balanced her business with a successful modeling career, traveling the world for six years and gaining recognition in international magazines and Fashion Week shows. Beth achieved many of her dreams in modeling and then shifted her focus back to growing her business and helping others.
Teaming up with her best friend Vicky, they gradually created Gym Sox, a brand that motivates and brings laughter through messages on socks. One of their recent sock designs written – NOT FOR SALE, supports the fight against human trafficking by donating profits to rescue and rehabilitation efforts. This is just the beginning of their mission to make a positive impact.
More About Gym Sox
Gym Sox is a UAE-based sock brand founded in October 2022, that aims to inspire and uplift by providing everyday essentials. Undoubtedly, Vicky and Beth’s exceptional communication skills have led to the successful establishment of a brand.
Gym Sox is, in fact, the fastest-growing sock brand in the UAE and plans on expanding into other markets just as rapidly shortly. The company has established a strong presence, for its unique and positive clothing options, appealing to those who want to express themselves. With over 60 ranges to choose from, customers can showcase their personality and affirmations through Gym Sox’s socks. The brand is known for its commitment to quality and customer satisfaction in the GCC region, offering fashionable and inspiring socks.
The founders share, “Our website, www.gymsox.co, serves as a hub for customers to explore the full range of offerings and stay updated on the latest styles and collections. Through strategic partnerships and a focus on expanding our reach, Gym Sox aims to become a household name across the GCC region and the globe, bringing smiles and motivation to feet everywhere.”
Effective Team Management Approaches
Building a business and carrying it forward successfully demands effective leadership and management approaches. The founders of Gym Sox regard the fact that while leading a business, offering unique value to customers, managing costs, and following one’s intuition is extremely essential.
They share, “To satisfy customers, you need to prioritize excellent service and innovation. Stay attentive to customer needs and feedback, ensuring you fulfill your promises. Adopt a lasting strategy and remain committed to it.”
Vicky Ann Fourie and Beth Walkemeyer unwavering vision for Gym Sox has served as a solid foundation through challenging times.
They further share, “Effectively manage your supply chain to ensure timely delivery and reduce costs. When starting a business, establish tailored systems to ensure productivity and scalability. Differentiate yourself with effective marketing, giving attention to product presentation. Remember to maintain a data-driven approach, adapting strategies as necessary. To achieve global recognition, maintain confidentiality in your operations.”
Idea thefts are very common in businesses as there are copycats who do not hesitate to steal a unique and brilliant idea. In such cases, Vicky and Beth suggest getting a trustworthy lawyer to handle all such cases.
They add, “Lastly, the most important quality of being a successful leader is to listen to your gut feeling when it comes to collaborating with other brands, people, or making serious business decisions. There have been many times when a decision seemed logical, but our gut feeling told us otherwise or to wait. Trust that feeling because it has often saved us from risks that could have been very damaging to our business.”
Adaptability Amidst Market Transformation
AI has taken a toll on every industry and is significantly influencing how they operate.
The beauty of having an e-commerce brand is that it’s both fairly traditional and new at the same time. Online shopping’s convenience and cost savings have allowed our brand to thrive in the digital realm while eliminating the need for physical stores.
They reflect, “AI has revolutionized our business by streamlining tasks like copywriting, SEO, and ad creation. This has saved us significant money and eliminated the need for manual labor. We plan to further leverage technological advancements by adopting crypto and AI-generated ads and marketing. Our focus is on utilizing digital innovations to expand our business in various ways.”
Message To Beginners, We asked: Vicky Ann Fourie and Beth Walkemeyer
Vicky Ann Fourie and Beth Walkemeyer strongly support learning from unconventional methods, as they learned 90% of their skills for free on YouTube. In the beginning, when resources are scarce, they should be spent majorly on marketing and scaling rather than purchasing expensive courses, and rather than dwelling on mistakes, one should be solution-oriented.
A positive mindset teaches others about the importance of small wins in life and business. Also, learning from failures drives faster progress and turns obstacles into breakthrough opportunities.
Vicky Ann Fourie and Beth Walkemeyer say, “Our advice is to do it because you love it and to treat every tiny misstep as an opportunity to grow. A business should always carry good energy, whether that be between partnerships, employees, the working environment, or communication. No matter what aspect of the company you’re looking at, if there’s good energy involved, things will keep flowing.
Essentially, the more good energy involved in running your business, the faster solutions will come to you and the greater chance you have of staying grateful for every tiny success. We all know that the more gratitude you have, the easier it is to manifest what’s in your heart, which is likely to be a success if you’re a business owner.”
Follow Vicky Ann Fourie and Beth Walkemeyer on LinkedIn.
www.gymsox.co
www.instagram.com/gymsox_
Also read: Holistic Health Practices and Online Digital Courses On Aromatherapy: Sunita Teckchand
Mohamed Gaber: Visionary Leader Behind Ironwood Real Estate and Asset Management
