Entrepreneurship can start early. Case in point? A local teenager took $500 and some trash and turned it into a fashion brand.
By day, Holden Bierman is a rising sophomore at Fuquay-Varina High School. But by night, he's the fashion entrepreneur behind sustainable brand Coastal Cool.
In an interview, the Holly Springs teenager tells Triangle Inno how he did it – and what's next.
Bierman always had entrepreneurial tendencies, he said. As a child he'd set up little shops in his subdivision, selling to neighbors.
But when the pandemic struck and the Wake County Public School System closed, he decided to go all in, with his own e-commerce startup. Bierman combined his love of Carolina Beach, where he'd spent summers growing up, with his entrepreneurship ambitions – creating a swimwear brand.
With an initial $500 investment from his parents (who now own the company, according to Bierman), the then 13-year-old hired a lawyer and formed an LLC, launching Coastal Cool, where he's now the sole employee.
Today, Coastal Cool ships sustainably-crafted beachwear made from 90 percent recycled polyester – made of plastic bottles and other simple recyclables – to locations around the world, including Australia and the Caribbean.
“We basically built the brand from there, going through social media, connecting with content creators and local influencers based around Florida and North Carolina,” he said.
To keep costs lean, products are printed on demand by an outsourced manufacturer in Mexico.
There have been big challenges – such as when the fulfillment center he works with shut down due to government orders during the pandemic. But by keeping lean and promoting the brand through influencers, he has kept going.
This year, revenue for Coastal Cool totaled just $5,000. Bierman is hopeful that number will continue growing as he invests more time in the company. Right now, he’s also juggling being a student and running track at Fuquay.
“As the business owner, I definitely want to go to college, continue my business career, continue to work on myself and continue to learn a lot more,” he said.