George Sullivan

Sullivan began his career in recruitment. He said his goal had always been to own a business and work for himself, and that from a young age he read books on business, self-development, and psychology; after he began collecting trainers, he wanted to turn his sneaker knowledge into more than a hobby. Describing himself as a self-confessed trainer geek, he was frustrated by the lack of information about UK release dates and where to buy, and by queuing outside stores every weekend.⁠[1][1][1][1][2][2]

In late 2013, Sullivan started The Sole Supplier as a blog, aiming to provide accurate trainer news and release information for the UK and European market. Talking with other collectors on social media, he realized there was a gap in the market for such a company. He said the site hardly made any money in its first six months and that he felt like giving up; just then it landed a number one Google ranking for that summer’s most popular shoe, and things changed immediately.⁠[2][1][1][1]

THE SOLE SUPPLIER LIMITED was incorporated in the United Kingdom on June 23, 2014, with Sullivan as a director from that day; as of October 2026 he remained the company’s only active director, and its registered nature of business was internet retail and other information technology services.⁠[3][4][4][4][3]

By November 2018, The Sole Supplier had grown into a platform aggregating trainers from more than 50 online retailers, publishing the latest releases, launch dates, and confirmed stockists through its website and app so that readers could buy directly from retailers. Sullivan said the website had more than 2 million visitors a month and more than 1.1 million followers across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry, and that the platform had worked closely with Nike and adidas to reveal information on exclusive releases, including Yeezy and Jordan products, first.⁠[2][2][2][2]

In December 2018, Sullivan said the company had just relaunched The Sole Supplier app, which recommends shoes based on the brands, styles, and sizes users select and sends push notifications when a model is restocked or launched; the company was also about to relaunch an authenticated marketplace, 12 months in development, to let buyers shop for genuine footwear with confidence. He said the goal over the next five years was to become the home of footwear searches, “almost like what Amazon is for everyday products, but with trainers.”⁠[5][5][5][5][5]

Interviewed by FashionUnited as founder and chief executive in December 2019, Sullivan said the company employed more than 20 people. He said limited-edition sneakers had come to be seen as investments because consumers seek mass-market recognition rather than mass-market supply; he advised would-be resellers to become a fountain of knowledge on sneakers, always to check certifications and receipts before paying on the resale market, and to make full use of collectors’ communities on social media.⁠[1][1][1][1][1][1]

On July 10, 2023, The Venture RoomThe Venture RoomThe Venture Room is a UK entrepreneurial media brand centered on the YouTube channel @theventureroom. Through long-form interviews with founders and street interviews such as “Asking Millionaires How They Got Rich?”, it presents entrepreneurs’ stories and advice to aspiring business owners, and runs an entrepreneur community and brand partnerships.Open the full entry released a full-length podcast interview with Sullivan. He recalled growing up in South London and having 10 jobs between the ages of 17 and 24, mostly in sales (including a search engine optimization agency, Yellow Pages and magazine advertising sales, and recruitment); while working in recruitment he taught himself to build WordPress websites in the evenings, and he decided to start The Sole Supplier after reading in a book that “most ideas don’t get off the ground because people don’t start the ideas.” In the early days he used his salary to hire a freelance developer in India and freelance writers, and the site made no money for its first nine months.⁠[6][6][6][6][6][6][6][6][6][6]

He said the company mainly uses an affiliate marketing model, working with about 40 retailers and brands such as Nike, adidas, Foot Locker, ASOS, and New Balance and driving more than 60 million in annual revenue to them, with about 20% of the company’s revenue coming from organic Google search traffic. He said that in the year before the episode the company had launched Sole Market, a secondary marketplace that verifies its sellers; the team then had about 40 people with offices in Shoreditch, he reinvested everything into the company, and it had grown year on year for nine years before its first slowdown in 2023, with its best month bringing in just over 800,000 in turnover.⁠[6][6][6][6][6][6][6][6][6][6][6]

The Sole Supplier has been self-funded since its founding, with no external investment; Sullivan said this matters for keeping the platform unbiased and authentic as a news and educational resource. The platform rarely promotes shoes for retailers or brands on fixed fees; most partner retailers pay it a small commission on sales generated from its website, at no additional cost to customers.⁠[2][2][2]

On getting started: “Most businesses don’t start because people don’t start; most ideas don’t get off the ground because people don’t start the ideas — that is the biggest barrier to business.” (at 26:35 in the video)⁠[6]

On new technology: “With an opportunity this significant, you have to leave your ego at the door and try it for a while before you pass judgment.” (at 09:40 in the video)⁠[6]

On systems: “To be successful at anything, find the system that works best and repeat it over and over again; everything you do should be something you can systemize and break down. If you don’t know how a system works, find someone great who does.” (at 34:33 in the video)⁠[6][6][6]

On building connections: “You could reach out to 10 people a day on social media whom you admire. Be specific: I saw this video, I liked this tip, it was great. Just do that — what have you got to lose?” (at 51:41 in the video)⁠[6][6]

On focus: “For me, the biggest thing in business is extreme focus on what works and going after it; the people who truly succeed are the ones who know their craft and keep repeating and iterating to make it better.” (at 01:10:39 in the video)⁠[6][6]

The Sole Supplier: Official website: https://thesolesupplier.co.uk/ (opens in a new window).⁠[7]