In 2020, Holden Bierman was 12 years old and bored. So he started a business. Now Holden is 17 and running his own apparel company, Coastal Cool. The young entrepreneur lives in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, but customers around the world buy his bright, colorful beachwear.
Holden started small. He researched the clothing industry and e-commerce online. Selling T-shirts and hoodies seemed like a good idea. He wrote a business plan and pitched it to his parents. They loaned him $500 to get started, which he quickly paid back.
At the time, the coronavirus pandemic meant that school was out. There weren’t many distractions. Holden had time to test fabric samples, create designs, and learn from other entrepreneurs.
“The T-shirts and hoodies that we first started out with were basic,” Holden says. “But as time went on, I developed as a brand and then developed as an entrepreneur. . . . I learned that people are going to buy when it’s a good product, when it’s a reliable product.”
Through trial and error, Holden created a successful workflow. All of Coastal Cool’s products are created on demand, which means the business doesn’t need to buy or store inventory before making a sale. Fulfillment centers in Los Angeles, California, and Charlotte, North Carolina, handle logistics and shipping. So Holden doesn’t need his own printing equipment or warehouse.
These days, Holden juggles his business and school. He uses his free time to work on the company. “I want to grow Coastal Cool to be the biggest and the best that it can be,” he says.
One example of that growth: Recently, Coastal Cool partnered with Tidey Ocean Foundation. Every purchase funds the removal of one pound of ocean plastic from the beaches of Guatemala. Plus, the swimwear collection features fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles.
Want to start your own business? Here’s some advice from Holden:
- Take a shot at your goal: “I’m very grateful that I . . . took the risk and I said, ‘Hey, let’s try this. It could fail. It could not.’”
- Keep trying: “If it doesn’t work here, you just built a foundation for something else in the future.”
- Build connections: “If you’re good to people, they’ll take you with them. And if they’re good to you, you’ll take them with you.”
Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men. — Proverbs 22:29
by Anna Smith in Asheville, North Carolina
Why? With hard work and some help, young people can start early and achieve big goals!
