Socket Shield by Oliver Innovations, LLC
Socket Shield is an innovative product developed by brothers Alex and Austin Oliver of Oliver Innovations, LLC. Socket Shield is a universal, lockable outlet cover that enhances a home’s safety without sacrificing style using an optional locking clip and sliding mechanism.
Though the business officially launched in 2018, the idea started long before, actually in grade school. When Austin’s classmate suffered an electrical injury, his class was asked to come up with an idea to prevent this from happening to others. While many classmates came up with family rules and the like, Austin drew Socket Shield.
Fast forward many years, and Austin and his wife were expecting a baby. Like most new parents, they purchased the common “pesky plugs” as he calls them. Well, an idea long in the making and his frustration with inferior products finally spurred him on to take action. With support from his wife and a willing brother business partner, the business was born.
As with most small business startups, the learning curve has been steep, or as the brothers put it, “It’s been fast and slow all at the same time.”
Moving a product from idea to shelf-ready is no easy task, and for Socket Shield, that process took more than 3 years and a great deal of personal investment. Using the engineering and design talents of family and friends, they were able to keep costs down as much as possible and learned a great deal along the way. “As an entrepreneur, you have to learn to wear many hats or be able to lean on others with expertise,” says Alex. “Doug (Claybourn), our advisor at the Small Business Development Center, was huge in the beginning,” he says. “We had never run a business before. He helped us evaluate funding options and write a business plan.”
As sales have grown, so have their partnerships. Socket Shield is currently made at Service Tool and Plastics in Henderson, and orders will soon be fulfilled at Jasper Industrial Supply. The product is 100% made in the USA and can be purchased on the official Socket Shield website, Amazon, Menards.com, Walmart.com, in local Do It Best and Ace Hardware stores, and soon will be available on shelves at box stores as well.
The brothers hope to begin exporting their product in the near future and have utilized Indiana State Trade and Export Promotion (IN-STEP) funds to help market their product at international trade shows. They have also partnered with the local Southwestern Indiana Builders Association (SIBA) to showcase their product in several Parade of Homes houses.
The brothers attributed their success to hard work, family support, a great idea, and a great partnership. Austin remarks, “We’ve never given ourselves the possibility of giving up. We always focus on the next step. You have to love what you’re doing more than anything else. People ask me if I get tired of talking about Socket Shield, but this is something we made from scratch and is now a part of us.” They also get asked what it’s like working with family, but for them, they couldn’t see success any other way. “We both want Socket Shield to have success and that’s it. We are complete opposites but that’s an advantage,” they remark.
At the end of the day, they truly enjoy the work. “It’s hard to describe the feeling we get when a new mom sees our product,” and for them, that makes it all worth it.
Check out https://socketshieldusa.com/ to watch a short video and see for yourself the ingenuity behind the design. You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram or even at a store near you!