28. Inside Rock ’Em: How Rob Starkman Built a Sports Merch Powerhouse

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The Sports Mom Playbook

Official Sports Mom MVP

32 episodes

2 days ago

The Sports Mom Playbook is a podcast that takes you behind the scenes with real moms and industry experts about all things youth sports. Join hosts Rachel Heller and Yaritza Srichaiyan and get ready for this binge-worthy podcast that will help you make more use of your time on and off the field. Laugh along and join us in what we love doing: celebrating the true MVPs of the game—moms!

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-sports-mom-playbook--6315731/support.

All content for The Sports Mom Playbook is the property of Official Sports Mom MVP and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

28. Inside Rock ’Em: How Rob Starkman Built a Sports Merch Powerhouse

The Sports Mom Playbook

42 minutes

1 month ago

28. Inside Rock ’Em: How Rob Starkman Built a Sports Merch Powerhouse

Meet the mastermind behind the boldest socks in sports and pop culture.

In this episode of The Sports Moms Playbook Podcast, hosts Rachel and Yaritza sit down with Rob Starkman, founder of Rock ‘Em (formerly Rock ‘Em Socks). Rob shares how a dorm-room idea at UCF turned into a global brand with licenses spanning the NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA, Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, Broadway, and more—plus why their mantra is “a sock for every story.”

From tie-dyeing team socks in a sink to buying UCF’s actual basketball court for Rock ‘Em HQ, Rob takes us behind the scenes of product creation, licensing wins, athlete collabs (hello, Travis Hunter), building a 30,000 sq ft facility in Orlando, and why business is “the best and worst day” all at once. We also get into travel hacks (Team Delta), Kyoto food dreams, and yes—mom socks and custom youth team orders.

In this episode:

Dorm room hustle → global brand: how Rock ‘Em started and scaled
Landing major licenses (NFL, Disney, Marvel, NCAA) without losing brand voice
Why “a sock for every story” fuels product strategy & community
Inside Rock ‘Em HQ: in-house production, a performance gym & the UCF court
Athlete partnerships and pre-game moments that move the needle
Entrepreneurship truth: hiring friends, tough calls, and staying relentless
Travel, tennis, Mario Kart, and a cheesecake that made Rob cry (Kyoto!)
Custom gear for youth sports teams, moms, and holiday gift ideas

Sponsor Shoutouts

This podcast is sponsored by Official SportsMom MVP.
Smackin’ Sunflower Seeds—bold flavors, less mess, ballpark-ready packaging.
Stock up at smackinsunflowerseeds.com and use code RACHEL84257 for 10% off your first order.

Connect with Rock ‘Em Shop & customs: rockemsocks.com
Social: @rockem

Connect with us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialsportsmommvp

Shop The Merch: https://officialsportsmommvp.myshopify.com/

Subscribe to The Tea Report: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-sports-mom-playbook--6315731/support

Connect with us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialsportsmommvp

Shop The Merch: https://officialsportsmommvp.myshopify.com/

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Podcast Produced by Hi Hello Labs
Website: https://www.hihellolabs.com/