By Amy Reast
A 12-year-old with autism founded his t-shirt business for kids with sensory issues – and won a £25k (over $30,000) business award in his first year of trading.
Like others with autism, Max Palfrey struggles to wear regular t-shirts because he finds the materials “itchy” and the labels and seams irritating.
He designed a super-soft top, without seams and labels and with two hidden fidget poppers in the bottom hem for discreet self-regulation on the go.
After registering the UK patent for his invention, he went into production with the help of his proud parents, Matt and Lauren Palfrey, 39 and 37.
Max, founder and CEO of Comfa, released his first range in March this year and business has been booming ever since.
More than 3,000 units have been sold and it was announced today (Friday) that the little lad has bagged himself a business award.
Earlier this year, Matt and Max entered Comfa for the Simply Business Business Boost 2024 awards, where the winner is awarded £25k to put into developing their business further.
They plan to use the money to create a school uniform range after finding themselves inundated with requests by fans of the brand.
Matt, a freelance marketer and Comfa’s registered director, from Erewash, Derbys., said: “There were 17,000 applicants and we won.
“We’ll use that to launch our school uniforms and maybe an adult range of tops too.
“It’s been a crazy year – the experience has been beyond our wildest dreams.
“We are so proud of Max every day – we love to see his daily drive and passion.”
Max added: “I am proud of everything that I’ve done because I love to help people.”
Max was told he was autistic at age five and was diagnosed with ADHD two years later.
In November 2021, after Max first suggested his idea, the family did market research with neurodivergent children and confirmed a need.
In November 2022 they approached manufacturers and began perfecting the design.
They applied for a patent in June 2023 and in September launched a Kickstarter campaign – raising £7,000.
This month the UK patent was secured, making Max a patented inventor and business founder.
Matt said: “Max does all the fun stuff, and i do the boring admin stuff.”
Since the launch, Matt says they’ve sold more than 3,000 units and Max loves to help him pack them all up and send them out.
They have had to up their price to £29.99 per unit after moving to a new manufacturer due for quality purposes.
Matt said: “For people who might already struggle with their clothing, we don’t want to give them something that isn’t high quality.
“We asked our followers and they said they would rather pay more for higher quality.”
Matt said Max is “only as involved as he wants to be” – but his entrepreneurial spirit hasn’t wavered and he’s as motivated as ever.
He works on it outside of his homeschooling routine.
With £25k in the bank to help them put out new products, 2025 is looking to be an exciting year for Comfa – but their focus remains the same.
Matt said: “We have a one-year-old too, so this year has been a lot about balancing Max’s growing business with a young child.
“But the feedback has been amazing – we’ve had people saying their children can leave the house for the first time in ages because of our products.
“We’ve had thousands of orders from up and down the country.”
Max added: “I just want people to feel safe and happy and be themselves.”
Bea Montoya, UK COO at Simply Business, said: “Having witnessed the positive impact of our Business Boost initiative for the last four years, we’re so excited to see the boost that this will give Comfa. We know they have big plans!”
