How The Sole Supplier’s Founder Turned a Side Hustle into Nike’s Top UK Partner

Send us a text What does it take to build one of the UK’s most influential sneaker platforms from scratch?  In this episode of Marketing In The Madness, Katie Street is joined by George Sullivan, founder and CEO of The Sole Supplier, for an unfiltered conversation on building a business that’s as much about community as it is about commerce. Starting from a spare room and a sneaker obsession, George turned a side hustle into a full-funnel powerhouse partnering with major global brands like Nike, adidas, and UGG, and outperforming retail giants like JD Sports in SEO. Tune in as George gets real about:  → How he went from NHS recruitment to partnering with brands such as Nike and Adidas  → Nearly losing it all (twice) and what it taught him about leadership  → Why human-first marketing (not AI) is the future of ecommerce  Whether you're a marketer, founder, ecommerce leader or just sneaker-obsessed, this episode is packed with practical insights on brand building, resilience, and what it really means to lead with purpose in a fast-moving, tech-driven world. George Sullivan https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-sullivan-96397765/ The Sole Supplier https://thesolesupplier.co.uk/ Katie Street: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiestreet/ https://www.instagram.com/streetmate/ Marketing in The Madness https://marketinginthemadness.buzzsprout.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketing-in-the-madness-podcast/ https://www.instagram.com/marketinginthemadness/ Follow Street Agency: https://street.agency/ https://www.instagram.com/street.agency/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/streetagency/