KID HEROES:

Meet Kid Inventor, Sofia

Right here in Northwest Arkansas, a 14-yearold used her imagination to create something she thought kids could use. Sofia Overton, of Bentonville, is the founder of Wise Pocket Products. Her company produces a line of clothing made for active kids, with built-in pockets to put stuff in. She came up with the idea when she was 11 years old. “I started my company, Wise Pocket Products, at 11 years old because I wanted to make life easier for active kids and better for kids in need,” Sofia explains on her website. “One day, I saw my older cousin put her phone in her boot because she did not have any pockets in the leggings she was wearing. I never had pockets big enough to hold my phone either, so I tried it too. It was SO uncomfortable because it kept slipping down to my ankle. This gave me the idea for my first product, socks with a wise pocket!” Every inventor will tell you that an invention starts with the spark of an idea. And that day, Sofia got her spark and she was on her way. “I created my first prototype by adding a wisely placed inside pocket at the top of the sock,” she says. “The pocket was big enough to hold her phone and it worked great.”

Sofia had her idea, but then she had to find a way to manufacture and sell her socks. She decided she needed $10,000. To get the money she launched a crowd funding campaign in January 2018. She was able to reach her goal in one month. The next year Sofia was selected to be on the ABC reality show Shark Tank. She has wanted to be on the show since she was six years old. The show features budding entrepreneurs who get the chance to make their dreams come true. They present their ideas to five investors or “sharks,” who made their own dreams a reality. Sofia’s episode aired earlier this year in January. She got two sharks to invest in her company for $35,000. Sofia also believes that giving back goes hand-in-hand with success. “We are Generation Z kids who want their purchases to make a difference,” Sofia says. “There are so many kids across the country that are in need. In my school district alone there are 627 considered to be homeless. So, we give a new pair of socks to a kid in need for every pair of socks sold. Wise Pocket Products believes that if you make sure a child has warm feet they will always have a warm heart knowing that their community cares for them.”