Ocean Waste to Swimwear with Holden Bierman, Founder of Coastal Cool

[00:00:02] What you want, when you want it, where you want it. This is The MESH.

[00:00:16] Startups and small business with ideas, tools, and advice to operate your business more effectively.

[00:00:22] On today's show, we have an entrepreneur who started Coastal Cool, a line of beach and swimwear made with recycled plastic bottles working to improve our environment.

[00:00:34] And he's only 17 years old. We'll talk with Holden Bierman, the founder of Coastal Cool, and see if he's doing this just to save the environment or to meet girls.

[00:00:44] Also on today's show, the always exciting lightning round, and we'll share some interesting small businesses that you should be checking out.

[00:00:51] Hello, my name is Jeff Newville. I'm your co-host and director of the Manufacturing Solutions Center in Conover, North Carolina.

[00:00:57] I'm joined by my co-host, Gary Muller, who is executive dean of economic development and corporate education at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, North Carolina.

[00:01:06] Gary, how are you doing today?

[00:01:08] I'm doing great. It's a beautiful day out here in mid-November. Football season's winding down.

[00:01:15] It's a little bit balmy for mid-November.

[00:01:17] Well, that's true. But, you know, I like it in the 70s or low 80s.

[00:01:22] Okay.

[00:01:23] I'm not a winter person.

[00:01:27] I'm not a winter anymore.

[00:01:27] That's true. I haven't had much lately.

[00:01:29] So good for you. You might be going well.

[00:01:31] Exactly.

[00:01:32] So how are you doing? You always ask me, how are you doing? Family good?

[00:01:36] We're all grand. It's been a very dull week here in the United States. You know, nothing going on.

[00:01:43] Nothing happened. No elections or anything.

[00:01:45] That's right. You know, regardless of who's in charge, we are still going to have entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship opportunities.

[00:01:51] So we are very glad that today we've got a young person joining us, Holden Bierman. Holden, how are you doing?

[00:01:59] I'm great. Thank you. Yes. Thank you for having me.

[00:02:01] It's much older than 17. I think about 18.

[00:02:03] Well, it's hard to tell.

[00:02:06] That's true.

[00:02:07] Holden is in Fuquay, Verena, which is near Raleigh, North Carolina. And you're, Holden, you're a junior in high school at this point in time?

[00:02:16] Yes, sir. Junior at Fuquay, Verena High School.

[00:02:19] And you started Coastal Cool when you were 12 years old?

[00:02:23] Yes, sir. That was my sixth grade year of middle school.

[00:02:25] That's amazing.

[00:02:26] And tell us, you know, why don't you tell us a little bit about what Coastal Cool is and how you got going with it?

[00:02:35] Yeah. So it was, like I said, I was 12 years old. It was my sixth grade year of middle school.

[00:02:39] It was basically right when COVID happened. It was that March, April-ish, right when the shutdown happened.

[00:02:45] I had literally just gotten into middle school. I was just getting kind of set and comfortable.

[00:02:50] And next thing you see on the news is everybody's out of school in Wake County for the next five weeks, right?

[00:02:56] You know, and I think some people in middle school might have just said, hey, let's play video games.

[00:03:01] Obviously, you want a different road.

[00:03:03] Yep. And that was kind of me and a little background on me is I've never really been in that video games route.

[00:03:10] I've never really been in that sports route. I've never really just clicked in that kind of group.

[00:03:14] So when COVID happened, I was not only bored out of my mind, but knowing that I wasn't in that click of video games or sports or really, honestly, the normal kid,

[00:03:24] I kind of went outside the scope and I started researching, hey, let me use my time and start a business.

[00:03:29] I never thought that I would be in fashion really or any of that, but it was just kind of a simple idea and a simple, hey, let's try something out and let's go for it.

[00:03:40] And it's been an awesome journey.

[00:03:41] So we launched Coastal Cool, my 13th birthday, which was August 11th, 2020.

[00:03:48] And kind of those initial month through March through August, it was getting the LLC, designing all the designs.

[00:03:55] I was literally doing everything, hand drawing, creating everything, building our Shopify backend,

[00:04:01] basically building Coastal Cool from just an idea to actually something that we could bring to the market.

[00:04:05] And we launched in 2020, originally selling T-shirts and hoodies.

[00:04:09] And that was the foundation for the brand.

[00:04:12] And so I got an initial loan from my parents for $500 and that was to get an LLC.

[00:04:20] And I kid you not, I literally called local law firms in my town and I said, hey, I need an LLC.

[00:04:26] And everybody looked at me like at the time, my voice wasn't as deep.

[00:04:30] And they're like, how old are you?

[00:04:31] And I kid you not, that was it.

[00:04:34] But, and then I found the right one, Shelly Pennington, and she was right down the road and she took care of me.

[00:04:38] She got us an LLC.

[00:04:40] And that was kind of the first step to creating Coastal Cool.

[00:04:43] We wanted to do it the right way.

[00:04:45] We wanted to do it.

[00:04:46] A lot of kids start businesses and it's like, oh, you're just kind of just simple money, right?

[00:04:50] It's just a little thing.

[00:04:51] They're not going the legal route.

[00:04:53] And that was one thing.

[00:04:54] I had an idea.

[00:04:55] I saw a vision for it and I wanted to do it the right way.

[00:04:58] How'd you find out about an LLC?

[00:04:59] I'm sorry, I'm interrupting.

[00:05:02] How'd you find out to do an LLC at 13?

[00:05:05] Honestly, it was, it was my dad.

[00:05:07] He's in business, he's in sales, he's created businesses before.

[00:05:11] So kind of having him kind of mentor me in the sense of getting that first foundation started.

[00:05:16] Obviously, my dad is not in the fashion industry or really anything that I've done in the sense of building a swimwear company.

[00:05:24] But he had the key, key basics to creating a business, how to do this, how to do this, how to market your product, right?

[00:05:30] So I had him for a lot of the support and he and both of my parents were like, hey, let's do this legal route and let's get the LLC.

[00:05:36] That's the foundation for starting a business.

[00:05:39] And honestly, I had no knowledge of what an LLC was at the time.

[00:05:43] I just kind of went with the flow and I said, hey, I've got to learn stuff.

[00:05:46] I've got to be open to new ideas and new opportunities.

[00:05:49] So, and you said you wanted to start a business.

[00:05:54] You know, why Coastal Cool?

[00:05:55] Do you have some attraction to the coast?

[00:05:57] Are you like a beach guy?

[00:05:58] What was your thought process?

[00:06:00] Yeah.

[00:06:01] So we've got a second place in Carolina Beach, North Carolina.

[00:06:04] I've been going there for probably eight to 10 years now.

[00:06:07] It's a part of me.

[00:06:08] I've always kind of attracted to the beach.

[00:06:10] My mom absolutely loves the beach and I think I get that from her.

[00:06:13] I'm just a beach person.

[00:06:15] Before I used to have blonde hair like literally three weeks ago.

[00:06:18] So I looked more beachy.

[00:06:21] It's the fall winter look, you know?

[00:06:22] Yeah.

[00:06:23] Yeah.

[00:06:24] So, and I'm constantly going back and forth, Florida here, there.

[00:06:27] And I just, I love that open air palm trees.

[00:06:29] And I wanted to create a product and a brand really that could bring that with you wherever

[00:06:34] you are.

[00:06:34] And that was, that was kind of the vision for Coastal Cool.

[00:06:37] And when we first started, it was the t-shirts and hoodies.

[00:06:39] So we had these cool designs with the Coastal Cool name on it.

[00:06:42] And it was, it was just a, it was a little startup idea.

[00:06:47] So, so you're a high school student, you're a junior in high school.

[00:06:51] How, how do you go about balancing being a high school student with being a business owner?

[00:06:57] Yeah.

[00:06:58] So it's definitely, I've got my, it's hard because every day I want to get out of school

[00:07:04] and I just want to do like where my passion is and where my, like constantly, I'm always

[00:07:08] texting.

[00:07:09] I'm always on the phone.

[00:07:10] I'm always on emails.

[00:07:11] And I'm very grateful to have teachers that are supportive of that and allow me to

[00:07:14] do that during the school day.

[00:07:15] They understand.

[00:07:18] It's definitely a hard balance.

[00:07:19] Not really the academic wise on the struggles of academics.

[00:07:22] I have great grades.

[00:07:23] I do well in school.

[00:07:24] I always have.

[00:07:26] But just, it's hard when I've got like my head in a different space.

[00:07:30] And I just feel like I'm not feeling like I'm weighing down, but I feel like I'm being

[00:07:33] weighed down by kind of the social norms and, Hey, you got to do this.

[00:07:37] You got to do this.

[00:07:38] When my head's in a whole different place.

[00:07:40] And it's like, I want to do this.

[00:07:42] And it's like, it's just a, it's a struggle that I'm learning to get through.

[00:07:46] And I've got a year and a half left in high school, but it's just like, it's hard.

[00:07:50] Cause you know, I want to do these big things.

[00:07:52] And it just feels like I constantly have something just over me.

[00:07:55] That's not allowing me to do those things.

[00:07:57] And I've come so far.

[00:07:58] And I know that, and I'm thankful for that, but I just know there's so much more and I

[00:08:02] just need to kind of break past this year and a half and just get on it.

[00:08:07] So, so, so Gary and I are both involved in education through the community college system,

[00:08:13] you know, but we're also old people.

[00:08:15] So, you know, is your reputation one of there's the cool guy that started this business or

[00:08:21] is it like, look at that nerd over there who started their business, which, you know,

[00:08:24] where do you fall out?

[00:08:27] I, yeah.

[00:08:27] And honestly, I'd say it's an equal mix.

[00:08:30] I, yeah, it's weird because it's more judging, man.

[00:08:34] We're just trying to understand the, what's going on with you younger people these days.

[00:08:37] I'll tell you, it's like, everybody's like, Oh, he must get all the girls.

[00:08:40] He must get all the attraction.

[00:08:41] But I'll tell you, it's, it's a different time and everybody's so invested in the social

[00:08:47] norms.

[00:08:48] What is so normal between the age and, and that's playing sports.

[00:08:51] That's doing, being on the football team, being on this.

[00:08:53] And I've tried it all.

[00:08:54] I tried baseball.

[00:08:55] I used to play it.

[00:08:57] I tried football.

[00:08:57] I just, I never clicked.

[00:08:58] I never clicked with the team thing.

[00:09:00] I never clicked with the people.

[00:09:01] I never clicked with the idea of doing it.

[00:09:02] Um, and that's what everybody is so interested in nowadays.

[00:09:06] And I just, I wanted to do something different and it was definitely different.

[00:09:10] Um, and it, it separates me from the group.

[00:09:13] So I'm kind of just, I've never really fit into a specific group.

[00:09:16] I've just always kind of been around everybody and just, and, and I have no issue with it

[00:09:21] because I know I've got a purpose and I, I love what I do and I've got a passion and

[00:09:25] I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna roll with it.

[00:09:27] And once again, it's just high school.

[00:09:28] I've just got to get through the years and finish out strong and then go on to what's

[00:09:32] in the future for my next steps and whatever I do.

[00:09:35] So, well, well, well, I sort of feel bad.

[00:09:37] I don't mean to perpetuate stereotypes.

[00:09:39] So I apologize if I'm trying to pigeonhole you into something, you know, I was, when I

[00:09:44] was in high school, I was the nerdy photographer, you know, Gary's the athlete.

[00:09:48] He was, he was, I mean, no, he was a golfer.

[00:09:51] That's sort of like athletic.

[00:09:52] I played basketball.

[00:09:53] Okay.

[00:09:53] I stand corrected.

[00:09:54] All right.

[00:09:55] Um, no, yeah, you're, you guys were, you guys were, you guys were,

[00:09:58] you guys are good.

[00:09:58] And I, and I want to speak more on that because I think it's, it's such a different

[00:10:02] time.

[00:10:02] I speak about it with my parents all the time.

[00:10:04] It was everybody.

[00:10:06] So used to go in the sports route or go in the, this route.

[00:10:09] And obviously I'm doing something that's not traditional, not really normal for most

[00:10:13] kids, especially most 12 year olds.

[00:10:15] And it was even harder dealing with it when I started in middle school.

[00:10:19] Um, but the high school, I've gotten a lot of support, but I've also gotten a lot

[00:10:23] of kind of negative outreach from it because a lot of people don't really understand the

[00:10:27] hard work that I had to put into for creating a name for myself.

[00:10:31] Everybody just thought my parents handed it to me when really, and they speak about

[00:10:34] it.

[00:10:35] Um, they spoke about it in the Forbes article that went out about me.

[00:10:37] Um, all the articles in the press, they've spoken to the editors about it.

[00:10:41] It was, it's me.

[00:10:42] Um, obviously, yes, they gave me that initial $500 funding, but the rest has been me working,

[00:10:47] connecting, building myself and building this brand from scratch.

[00:10:52] I never had anything handed to me or connections given to me.

[00:10:55] Um, it was, I made a simple connection with you, Jeff, when I, through the innovation conference

[00:11:00] that I spoke at UNCW, um, that was me going out there and speaking and sharing to these

[00:11:05] college students and adults in the Wilmington area.

[00:11:07] Um, and that connection led me to you, um, and being here today.

[00:11:11] So it's, it's been a lot of networking and that's been on my own.

[00:11:14] So, well, and, and, you know, you know, people that know about

[00:11:17] starting a business know that $500 does not take you very far.

[00:11:21] So, so, uh, yeah, you, you, you must have been a lot of work to get there.

[00:11:25] Yeah.

[00:11:26] Right.

[00:11:26] Yeah.

[00:11:26] Yeah.

[00:11:27] So, um, so that, that's for sure.

[00:11:29] So now I need to travel to Hickory, North Carolina.

[00:11:32] What's that?

[00:11:33] Talk to our students.

[00:11:34] Yeah.

[00:11:34] I, why don't you invite them?

[00:11:36] I just did.

[00:11:36] I love it.

[00:11:37] I just did.

[00:11:38] I love it.

[00:11:39] I love it.

[00:11:47] Strong entrepreneurship program and mentality.

[00:11:50] So we'll probably have some follow-up calls with you at a later point.

[00:11:55] Yeah.

[00:11:55] I'd absolutely love to.

[00:11:57] So, so, so, uh, one of the things that I find intriguing about, about your business is

[00:12:02] that you, uh, you really seem to have a commitment to the environment and you talk about,

[00:12:07] uh, your one pound promise of removing, uh, ocean, a pound of ocean waves every time you're

[00:12:13] selling a garment.

[00:12:14] Tell us a little bit about that and, and sort of where that came from and what that

[00:12:19] means to you.

[00:12:21] Yeah.

[00:12:21] So when we started the business, it was no kind of vision on being environmentally supportive

[00:12:28] or anything really.

[00:12:29] It was just simple t-shirts and hoodies, like I've said.

[00:12:31] Um, but kind of as I developed as an entrepreneur and the brand grew overall, I really liked the idea

[00:12:37] of growing and making an impact also while making a profit.

[00:12:40] Um, and that's kind of my saying, I speak around at the schools and I tell them that,

[00:12:43] uh, the fact that I've been able to make an impact, really a global impact and then make

[00:12:47] a profit at the same time.

[00:12:48] I think that should be the goal for any entrepreneur in today's world.

[00:12:52] Um, but as I launched the swimwear line, which was 2022, I mean, basically rebranded Coastal

[00:12:57] Cool.

[00:12:58] We went down that sustainable route.

[00:13:00] Um, and then last this year, actually we signed a contract with Tidy and Tidy removes

[00:13:05] all of our ocean plastic and that allows us the one pound promise.

[00:13:08] So basically with every purchase with Coastal Cool and every product sold, we remove a pound

[00:13:13] of ocean plastic.

[00:13:14] So we donate a percentage of sales to Tidy and they do that work, but we removed 500

[00:13:19] pounds in the summer, um, alone, which was super cool to see.

[00:13:22] And that was in Guatemala.

[00:13:23] So it's really cool to see the impact of the, um, the brand.

[00:13:27] And not only are our fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles and sustainable garments that

[00:13:31] are recovered from ocean environments, wildlife environments, but that one pound promise

[00:13:35] to also go along with that.

[00:13:36] Um, it's really cool to see the impact that Coastal Cool is making and that our fabrics

[00:13:41] are doing.

[00:13:43] Um, and I think that's the way that brands are leading, um, in today's world.

[00:13:47] And I think brands are going to get even more and more innovative with how they do equal

[00:13:51] friendliness and sustainable missions and everything.

[00:13:54] So.

[00:13:55] Well, I think that's become a much more important part of the equation.

[00:14:00] And I think you said something important in that Gary and I have worn various hats where

[00:14:06] we work with, whether it be students or other entrepreneurs.

[00:14:09] And, you know, many people come to us saying, Hey, I'm going to start this business so I can

[00:14:14] give back something.

[00:14:15] And, and I think that's great, but I think you also hit on the fact that before you can

[00:14:20] give something back, you actually have to make money and show a profit and cover your

[00:14:24] expenses.

[00:14:25] You know, so, so recognizing that, um, you know, there, there's also other expenses out

[00:14:33] there that you have to cover.

[00:14:34] It can't just being altruistic is not going to be a business model that will be sustainable

[00:14:40] for you.

[00:14:40] No pun intended.

[00:14:42] No, absolutely.

[00:14:43] And that was one thing that I learned kind of, as I began to research now a new industry,

[00:14:47] getting into the swimwear and beachwear designs, kind of separating myself based basically out

[00:14:52] of just the simple t-shirt and hoodie design, which that's common for a lot of kids to actually

[00:14:57] start nowadays.

[00:14:58] Um, on Tik TOK, it's really easy to start a clothing brand kind of out of nowhere.

[00:15:02] It wasn't easy back when I first started in 2020, but now as resources and kind of beating

[00:15:06] through COVID and all the resources that are online, Google, I always tell this every school

[00:15:11] I speak to, you can learn so much through a simple connection or even online nowadays, YouTube,

[00:15:17] there are so many resources out there.

[00:15:19] Um, and it's easier than ever for a kid like my age to start a business.

[00:15:23] Now it's the consistency and it's the work and it's the networking that a lot of people

[00:15:27] don't understand that actually goes into making it.

[00:15:30] Um, but once again, I learned that to have a sustainable business model that would also

[00:15:34] include making an impact.

[00:15:35] Um, and in our case, like you said, no pun intended, it was sustainable swimwear.

[00:15:39] So.

[00:15:40] No, that's, I think, I think that sounds great.

[00:15:44] Fantastic.

[00:15:44] It really is.

[00:15:45] So, you know, so, so holding from a, from a marketing perspective, from, from getting

[00:15:51] your name out, from getting the brand name out, you know, obviously it takes, it takes

[00:15:56] time to establish a brand name, which, you know, you've, you've obviously put in that

[00:16:00] time and just being out there for so many years.

[00:16:03] But what from, in terms of finding your customers, in terms of getting your name out there, what's,

[00:16:08] what's worked for you?

[00:16:09] What hasn't worked for you?

[00:16:10] What sort of lessons can you share with folks listening?

[00:16:13] Yeah.

[00:16:14] So a lot of it, I mean, we're still a small business.

[00:16:16] We're still technically a startup business.

[00:16:18] We're not profitable yet.

[00:16:19] Everything that we make goes right back into the company.

[00:16:21] We're still in that stage, privately funded by me and everything that we make.

[00:16:26] So there's no private equity, no investors, none of that.

[00:16:28] So a lot of it has been word of mouth, but then we have over 150,000 followers across

[00:16:34] social platforms, 44,000 on Facebook, 100,000 followers on Instagram.

[00:16:39] And we've worked with some awesome influencers who we basically send products out to or pay

[00:16:44] or both to basically their, where the product, they model the product and they post and they

[00:16:49] share our brand and they share the impact that our brand's making.

[00:16:52] And that's been great for not only our organic reach, but our collaborations.

[00:16:56] And then that has led to press.

[00:16:58] And the press articles have been kind of where we've really sold our products.

[00:17:01] Um, I was on WRL in May.

[00:17:04] We did an episode on there.

[00:17:06] I did Forbes.

[00:17:07] I had a cover feature in Forbes lifestyle in April.

[00:17:12] Um, we had a ton of press come out this summer, triangle business journals, Wilmington business

[00:17:17] magazine.

[00:17:18] I mean, there was so much press that came out about coastal cool.

[00:17:21] Um, and that's all organic marketing right there in leads.

[00:17:24] Um, and then it gets in all the Facebook groups and the social groups, and then it just keeps

[00:17:27] going and going and going.

[00:17:29] Um, and that was really no cost for me at all.

[00:17:31] Um, that was just a simple connection making, sharing the story, kind of like I'm doing with

[00:17:35] you guys.

[00:17:35] Um, and it led to being published and then that led to sales and reach and SEO and everything.

[00:17:41] So it was, it's for us, it's been a lot of word of mouth, social media marketing, but for

[00:17:46] sure it's been the press.

[00:17:48] Um, in my opinion, that WRL article did and the story overall just did amazing.

[00:17:53] It has culminated with you being on the entrepreneur exchange, which will be the cherry on top

[00:17:58] of your, that means you've made it.

[00:18:00] Yeah.

[00:18:01] Yeah.

[00:18:01] Once you get the entrepreneur exchange bump, you know, you're going to be very busy, uh,

[00:18:05] over the next few weeks, but I love it.

[00:18:07] I love it.

[00:18:08] Um, a little bit like Joe Rogan.

[00:18:11] Yeah.

[00:18:13] Yeah.

[00:18:13] Yeah.

[00:18:13] I didn't realize he had as many visitors.

[00:18:15] If you can't make it to the entrepreneur exchange, Joe Rogan's a good next step.

[00:18:19] Yeah.

[00:18:20] If we can't have you, but so, so, you know, you talked about the various types of social

[00:18:25] media that you're on and, you know, is, you know, is there a certain place that provides

[00:18:30] more traction at this point in time?

[00:18:31] Is it TikTok?

[00:18:32] Is it Instagram or what, you know, can, can you tell?

[00:18:35] So I never, so, and that was one thing I spoke, actually, I did a podcast two days ago.

[00:18:40] I spoke about it.

[00:18:41] TikTok.

[00:18:41] I never clicked in that group of kind of that 2020 group.

[00:18:44] All the kids were making TikTok dances and lip syncing videos right when COVID happened.

[00:18:49] And I never clicked in that.

[00:18:50] So I never really learned that.

[00:18:51] Um, but I was exposed to Instagram at a really young age, just making an account and messing

[00:18:55] around.

[00:18:56] And I learned the power of social media and building.

[00:18:59] And that was simply through Instagram and Facebook at the time.

[00:19:01] So I had a lot more experience and knowledge of how to market through Instagram and meta,

[00:19:06] um, as you guys know it.

[00:19:08] So Instagram has definitely been the biggest platform for us and it shows in our following,

[00:19:13] it shows in our reach and it shows in our collaborations because we just worked with Piper

[00:19:17] Raquel.

[00:19:18] Um, she has, I think over 20 million followers across platforms, huge YouTuber.

[00:19:23] She lives in Los Angeles.

[00:19:24] Uh, we sent out matching swimwear collections for her and her boyfriend and the campaign went

[00:19:29] crazy.

[00:19:30] I think our Instagram posts got over a hundred thousand likes just on one post.

[00:19:33] I think we had over 3,500 comments in like thousands, hundreds of thousands of shares.

[00:19:39] Um, and that was pretty cool.

[00:19:41] And that's a simple, uh, sending products out, working with her, communicating with her, her

[00:19:45] sharing our mission, making a post, um, and just sharing coastal cool.

[00:19:48] And that was simply on Instagram and Facebook.

[00:19:51] So, yeah, I mean, it's so for us, we're in the print on demand industry, so we don't have

[00:20:04] any inventory.

[00:20:05] We've got a warehouse in Los Angeles, one in Charlotte through our suppliers.

[00:20:08] Um, and we pay when an order comes in.

[00:20:10] I'm sorry.

[00:20:12] Fantastic.

[00:20:14] So basically we don't have any upfront costs of the inventory, any of the management.

[00:20:18] They just take a cut when an order comes in.

[00:20:20] Um, and we're thankful for that because I wouldn't have had to take out a massive loan,

[00:20:23] um, beyond the $500 that was so big at the time when I first started.

[00:20:28] Um, I wouldn't have had to assume that risk when we first started because no inventory,

[00:20:33] right?

[00:20:34] No, no actually manufacturing.

[00:20:36] I wouldn't have to buy the stock, the, all the prints that we have a ton of designs, which

[00:20:40] we're starting to limit down on.

[00:20:41] Um, but I wouldn't have been able to do it.

[00:20:43] So the print on demand has really helped us.

[00:20:45] Um, but also when it comes into wholesale and retail accounts, it's a little more difficult

[00:20:50] to do that based on our margins rather than us buying at a really low cost, um, which

[00:20:55] we would do if we bought inventory and actually held it in house.

[00:20:57] So we are, we have a wholesale account set up on our Shopify website where if you're a

[00:21:02] retailer or a boutique, you can get our, uh, our wholesale price and you can log into

[00:21:06] the network.

[00:21:06] It's called fair.

[00:21:07] I don't know if you guys are familiar with it.

[00:21:09] It's absolutely great.

[00:21:10] It's an wholesale shopping platform.

[00:21:12] If you want to buy our products, you can buy it through there and you can wholesale it at

[00:21:16] your cost.

[00:21:16] There's really no, you can, you could go on there right now and do it.

[00:21:19] Um, but that's kind of, we sold a few in a few stores, mainly kind of in the Florida

[00:21:25] area.

[00:21:25] Um, but other than that, it's mainly been online and I've really enjoyed it being online

[00:21:30] because I can have more control over what's going on.

[00:21:32] So.

[00:21:33] Sure.

[00:21:34] So, so you, you said that when you were getting started, you had to wear so many different

[00:21:39] hats and I suspect that you're still wearing many different hats, uh, uh, at this point

[00:21:45] in time from sales to accounting to, to whatever.

[00:21:48] I mean, if you, uh, you know, it sounds to me like you're not doing your own manufacturing,

[00:21:53] you're outsourcing that and distribution and whatnot.

[00:21:56] I mean, what, what, what elements have you found that is appropriate to outsource and,

[00:22:01] you know, any, any tools that you're using to help you manage the business and improve

[00:22:05] productivity?

[00:22:06] Yeah.

[00:22:06] So when I first started, I thought I could do it all.

[00:22:09] Um, obviously I have never really touched the legal or financial stuff cause I can't,

[00:22:13] cause I'm still 17.

[00:22:15] Um, and my dad and my dad handles all that stuff and we work together on it and I'm very

[00:22:19] thankful to have him to do that.

[00:22:20] Um, but when I first started, I thought I could do it all.

[00:22:23] I thought I could do the designing.

[00:22:24] I thought I could do the collab, the posting.

[00:22:27] I thought I could model the product at all.

[00:22:28] Um, and I enjoyed it.

[00:22:30] It's kind of like, it's my baby.

[00:22:31] It's my little business that I started.

[00:22:33] I'm so young and it's, it has a big piece of me and it really just defines me, um, overall.

[00:22:38] So I had a really large involvement when I first started, but, and I still do, but as

[00:22:43] I've kind of grown as an entrepreneur and stuff, I realized that you can't do it all.

[00:22:46] Um, and there's nothing wrong with that.

[00:22:48] I realized that sometimes the best products are made with the collaboration of people.

[00:22:52] Um, and I've had a lot of insights on people reviewing the product, seeing the product,

[00:22:56] how they feel with the product, the mission that we're making with the product, right?

[00:23:01] I couldn't do plastic removal, right?

[00:23:03] So we had to outsource to charity to do that.

[00:23:05] Um, I handle all of our marketing from either email, SMS marketing, influencer relations,

[00:23:11] all of that.

[00:23:12] I built our entire Shopify website, our entire Shopify ecosystem.

[00:23:16] That's kind of where my mind is turning.

[00:23:18] Um, our design team, I had to outsource and that makes all of our prints and patterns

[00:23:23] and all the fabrics, they bring that to life.

[00:23:25] Um, but other than that, the marketing and getting the product to you guys and the people

[00:23:30] handling with our press relations, our collaborations through influencers, that's all me.

[00:23:34] Um, basically and creating, making sure the manufacturing process, the inventory, making

[00:23:39] sure everything works right in that ecosystem that we've built at Coastal Cool.

[00:23:43] That's all me.

[00:23:44] So.

[00:23:45] Still sounds like a lot of hats.

[00:23:47] It is.

[00:23:48] It is.

[00:23:48] And I love it though, because I want, this is still my baby, like I said, and I want as

[00:23:54] much kind of hands-on experience with growing it and seeing how much I've put into it and

[00:23:59] seeing it grow from, from our original first logo to where we're at today, to seeing our

[00:24:04] first Instagram follower to now having a hundred thousand, right?

[00:24:07] Seeing that and knowing that I've been just the one to do that, right.

[00:24:12] And to build that just shows that there's so much more for the future and just shows

[00:24:15] that I really, I really want to have a hands-on connection to it.

[00:24:19] Um, and that's kind of why I've never really looked into the investments or outside funding

[00:24:22] yet, because I don't want to sell myself out of something that I worked so hard to

[00:24:27] build at this certain stage, um, in my life.

[00:24:30] And it's also, we're still a small business and I understand that, but I don't know.

[00:24:33] It's, it's a part of me.

[00:24:34] So.

[00:24:36] So we sort of, sort of brings up another question of, of, you know, where you see coastal cool

[00:24:42] going over the next years.

[00:24:44] I mean, uh, uh, some, you know, one, I think one of the questions that, that gets thrown

[00:24:50] out that I'm not always crazy to answer when people ask it is, is, you know, what's your

[00:24:54] exit plan, you know, and whether there should be an exit plan.

[00:24:58] You're a young person, you know, who, why, why?

[00:25:00] Should you be thinking about an exit plan?

[00:25:01] Although, you know, some people might be saying, how do I grow this to a point where it could

[00:25:06] be sold to someone else and I can make lots of money and go sit at the coast and, uh, and,

[00:25:12] and drink cold beers once you're, once you're of age.

[00:25:17] But, uh, um, you know, there are other people like, like, as you said, this is sort of part

[00:25:22] of you and, and, and, uh, you know, you're, you might not be inclined to want to do that.

[00:25:28] Who knows your, you know, and life, life changes.

[00:25:32] But have you, have you thought about what, uh, what plans you have over the next three

[00:25:36] to five years and what you want to do with it?

[00:25:38] Trust me.

[00:25:39] I would love to move to Florida, move to that area and have a cigar on the beach.

[00:25:42] Don't that's, that's my dream.

[00:25:44] So growing, it's going to be continuing to grow this brand, grow this product, grow the

[00:25:49] mission.

[00:25:50] But, um, I definitely think that this is just a stepping stone to what I'll do in the

[00:25:54] future.

[00:25:54] I've really fell in love with business overall, but specifically marketing and how I get my

[00:25:59] product, how I get my brand to people.

[00:26:01] Um, I've done a lot of freelance marketing now.

[00:26:03] I work locally in my town.

[00:26:05] I'm basically kind of my side hustle.

[00:26:08] I'd say is businesses, entrepreneurs, realtors, they can come to me and I'll assist them with

[00:26:12] their marketing needs.

[00:26:13] Basically the same tactics that I used to grow our following at Coastal Cool.

[00:26:17] I do independently on the side for people.

[00:26:19] So, and I've fallen in love with that.

[00:26:20] I love the marketing.

[00:26:21] I love doing that.

[00:26:22] So whether it's keeping Coastal Cool in my future, growing it to its biggest step, or

[00:26:27] kind of maybe stepping aside and having somebody buy me out or buy the brand and take their

[00:26:32] ideas in it.

[00:26:33] Um, and then that allows me to do something in the future, whatever it is, I just know this

[00:26:37] is a stepping stone, um, for me, but what I've learned from it and what I will learn in

[00:26:42] the next few years from growing this brand and the, the future for it has been tremendous.

[00:26:46] So I'm, I'm, I'm forever thankful for the opportunity, um, that I could even have to

[00:26:50] build a business so young.

[00:26:51] I really am.

[00:26:53] So, so will we see you on shark tank at some point in time?

[00:26:56] I would probably do it for the publicity, but the stuff that I've heard, I've spoken

[00:27:01] to a lot of people that have actually been on shark tank that have been in the process.

[00:27:04] And I just, I don't think I align with how much they get kind of eaten out in the sense

[00:27:10] of their profits and the sense of their, their funding and how much ownership and control

[00:27:15] they have over a product.

[00:27:16] Like I just said, I, I want my hands on with this brand, um, as long as I can.

[00:27:20] So, yeah.

[00:27:21] Okay.

[00:27:22] CVCC.

[00:27:22] We have our own shark tank.

[00:27:24] We started it the same year that shark tank started for our students.

[00:27:27] Actually, Gary started it, you know, you know, back in 1852.

[00:27:31] A long time ago.

[00:27:32] It was the first year that a shark tank started.

[00:27:35] Yeah.

[00:27:35] That's where we got the idea to help promote entrepreneurship at the college.

[00:27:39] I love that.

[00:27:45] I've done a lot of it.

[00:27:46] I'm the youngest chamber member, um, in the town of Fuqua Verena.

[00:27:49] We hosted the largest chamber ribbon cutting event.

[00:27:51] I think we had over 150 people there.

[00:27:54] It was literally Fuqua history that we made in May.

[00:27:56] And that's what got me on WRAL.

[00:27:58] And we showcased that it's online.

[00:27:59] It's pretty cool, but that's my goal now.

[00:28:02] And that's why I love speaking at UNCW.

[00:28:05] I would love to speak at your school and spoke at my old elementary school, my old middle

[00:28:09] school, nearby middle schools in Wake County.

[00:28:11] So you're sharing the story and allowing other people to know that they can do it.

[00:28:15] And not only can they not do it, but they have the support of people like me.

[00:28:18] Uh, cause when I first started, I didn't have somebody close in age range to help me or

[00:28:23] support me.

[00:28:23] And I think if I did somebody that I could trust that was close in age, I think I would

[00:28:27] have gotten been more successful a lot sooner, um, in the sense.

[00:28:31] So if I can be that for somebody now, and I, there's a lot of kids out there that I can

[00:28:35] tell they want to do it.

[00:28:36] They want to, they're not in that click of sports or whatever they're, and they want to start

[00:28:40] a business.

[00:28:41] They want to do something.

[00:28:42] They want to make money.

[00:28:43] Um, and they just don't know how, and they don't know where to start.

[00:28:45] So if I can be that for somebody, that's, that's kind of what I enjoy doing now.

[00:28:49] So.

[00:28:50] Well, well, sort of, as we sort of wind up a little bit, you know, when, when you just

[00:28:54] look back on, on your journey and, and where you started, where you are at this point in

[00:29:00] time, uh, for, for someone listening who might be thinking about starting their own

[00:29:05] business, what sort of lessons or advice might you offer up to them?

[00:29:10] I'd say just, uh, if you're stressed about taking the rest, just do it.

[00:29:14] Cause you, you got one life to live.

[00:29:16] And that was kind of that.

[00:29:17] I, I hate to say, but that was what my mentality was.

[00:29:20] I was like, Hey, I've got all this time on my hands.

[00:29:23] I might as well just roll with it.

[00:29:24] Worst case scenario, it doesn't work out.

[00:29:26] I'm, I'm young.

[00:29:27] I can, I've got years to work on whatever path it is and figure out whatever the heck I

[00:29:32] don't want to do, but I just, I went with it.

[00:29:35] So I'd say for anybody that wants to do something, make it happen, just go for it and just make

[00:29:39] it a reality.

[00:29:39] And that's, that's what I did.

[00:29:41] And I wouldn't be speaking here with you guys today if I didn't trust myself four years

[00:29:44] ago when I first started it.

[00:29:46] And there was a lot of hate.

[00:29:47] There still is.

[00:29:48] Um, a lot of people are jealous of what I bill, but it's also like I worked my butt

[00:29:52] off.

[00:29:52] So, and I still am.

[00:29:53] So, well, you've earned it, man.

[00:29:55] So congratulations for you.

[00:29:56] And like I said, people are shooting at you because that's, I was thinking about earlier.

[00:30:00] Sure.

[00:30:01] It's because they're jealous of what you've done.

[00:30:03] So congratulations.

[00:30:05] Thank you guys.

[00:30:06] I appreciate it.

[00:30:07] And that's why I've always gotten along better with adults.

[00:30:09] Cause I've always literally, they've always, they've pushed me.

[00:30:13] I just feel like kids are kids my age really.

[00:30:16] Um, just so they don't push each other to do anything outside of the box.

[00:30:19] They don't want innovation.

[00:30:20] They don't want change.

[00:30:22] They don't want to see impact.

[00:30:23] They're just everything to be steady.

[00:30:25] No, no stimulation.

[00:30:26] I just, I want change.

[00:30:28] I want to do something.

[00:30:29] So, well, we very much appreciate you joining us today.

[00:30:33] Uh, you know, you, you're up for our lightning round.

[00:30:35] We would do a quick lightning round with you.

[00:30:37] Yeah.

[00:30:38] Yeah.

[00:30:38] All right.

[00:30:39] Well, this month's lightning round is sponsored by Globo Gym.

[00:30:42] Do you need to lose some weight and get in shape?

[00:30:44] Go to someone else's gym.

[00:30:45] If you already look good, go to Globo Gym.

[00:30:48] Check it out on the internet.

[00:30:50] All right.

[00:30:50] So we have some quick, quick questions.

[00:30:53] Okay.

[00:30:53] Quick answers.

[00:30:54] Don't overthink it.

[00:30:55] Okay.

[00:30:56] Okay.

[00:30:56] First question.

[00:30:56] And I think I might even know the answer to this question.

[00:30:59] What is your favorite vacation spot?

[00:31:03] Florida.

[00:31:04] Anywhere.

[00:31:05] All right.

[00:31:06] You're going to have to be more specific.

[00:31:07] Where in Florida would you like to go?

[00:31:09] You South Beach guy?

[00:31:10] You like a, you like a Lauderdale guy?

[00:31:12] You like a West Coast guy?

[00:31:13] What's your preference?

[00:31:15] I really, so I just got back from Fort Myers, Cape Coral.

[00:31:18] I love that area, but I also love Fort Lauderdale.

[00:31:20] I love the city.

[00:31:21] So I'd say Fort Lauderdale.

[00:31:23] We just, you know, we just got past Halloween.

[00:31:26] Do you have a favorite Halloween candy?

[00:31:29] I don't eat candy, but if I did, I'd say, I'd say Twizzlers.

[00:31:36] Okay.

[00:31:37] Good one.

[00:31:37] My wife would approve.

[00:31:39] My wife too.

[00:31:41] Billy Eilish, Taylor Swift, or Tyler, the creator?

[00:31:46] I really don't like any of them.

[00:31:49] I won't go more in depth on that, but I'd say Tyler, the creator.

[00:31:53] All right.

[00:31:54] Do you have an entrepreneurial role model?

[00:32:01] I don't know.

[00:32:02] I feel like this might be controversial right now, but I'd say honestly, Donald Trump, I think

[00:32:08] he's built a great brand for himself.

[00:32:10] He's worked his butt off.

[00:32:12] He's overcome a lot of things.

[00:32:13] I think seeing what he's been able to create while I'll be president, do all this, I think

[00:32:18] he's truly an inspiration.

[00:32:19] Besides the political stuff, I've always been inspired by him.

[00:32:22] Okay.

[00:32:23] Last question.

[00:32:24] If you had one superpower, what would it be?

[00:32:30] Honestly, I say unlimited funding.

[00:32:32] If I could get unlimited funding, I could answer.

[00:32:35] Yeah.

[00:32:35] Well, let's be nice to Holden.

[00:32:37] If he gets that, you know, we want to be his buddies.

[00:32:39] If he has unlimited funding, you know.

[00:32:41] Yeah.

[00:32:43] Yeah.

[00:32:44] The long way, but I think I could build the next Amazon if I had unlimited funding.

[00:32:50] Well, that's great.

[00:32:51] Well, we appreciate you playing our lightning round and we appreciate you sharing the coastal

[00:32:56] cool story with us today.

[00:32:58] And congratulations to what you've done.

[00:33:01] We look forward to seeing what you will do and trying to find a way to get you to visit

[00:33:05] us in the western part of the state.

[00:33:07] Yeah.

[00:33:08] Yeah.

[00:33:08] We always like to wind up our podcast with doing a shout out to small businesses that

[00:33:14] we've come across.

[00:33:15] Holden, I don't know if you have anyone you want to give a shout out to.

[00:33:18] I would say so locally in our town.

[00:33:21] We've got a great business.

[00:33:23] He was actually my former teacher.

[00:33:25] I never had him, but he was in our school.

[00:33:26] He owns Teacher Under Pressure.

[00:33:28] It's a power washing company.

[00:33:30] He's no longer worked for Wake County, but he went off on his own.

[00:33:34] He started it during COVID.

[00:33:35] He's a great father, great person, hardworking entrepreneur, and he's built a great brand

[00:33:40] in my town.

[00:33:40] So I'd say Teacher Under Pressure for sure.

[00:33:43] Teacher Under Pressure.

[00:33:44] I like that.

[00:33:44] Yeah.

[00:33:45] Yeah.

[00:33:45] Good name.

[00:33:46] Yeah.

[00:33:46] Yeah.

[00:33:47] I love it.

[00:33:48] Gary, who do you want to give a shout out to?

[00:33:51] Well, I know I usually pick a food or something with animals, but we've actually had a couple

[00:33:56] things at our college come up across my desk, and I've been fortunate enough to be working

[00:34:03] with them.

[00:34:04] And their businesses are potential new majors for us that are really focused on folks going

[00:34:12] out on their own, being their own owner, their own business.

[00:34:16] So even though it's not maybe new ideas, there are two new ideas that are going to be opportunities

[00:34:22] for people coming to our college.

[00:34:24] First is floor covering.

[00:34:27] You sit there and all the guys, and we're going to have hopefully a training program.

[00:34:31] In fact, I'll be talking to you about space.

[00:34:37] But we talked to them, and I got, of course, it fits with our construction programming and

[00:34:42] our HVAC and all those things.

[00:34:44] And I said, you know, why don't we have this kind of training?

[00:34:46] Because those folks, they can come, they can go and work for somebody, but they can also

[00:34:50] make a really good living for themselves.

[00:34:52] The second one is, you've heard, because we had a grand opening kickoff of our new fiber

[00:34:57] optics program through Corning and bringing that training to CVCC and our community.

[00:35:04] We're really proud of that partnership.

[00:35:06] And again, that folks that will be doing it will be the ones that are working for Charter,

[00:35:10] Spectrum, AT&T.

[00:35:12] They can be their own business owner, as well as potentially working for another business.

[00:35:17] So I just mentioned those because those are two things that have come to us in the

[00:35:21] last few months or several months that are developing into good opportunities for people if they

[00:35:25] want to go out on their own or work with the business.

[00:35:29] Okay.

[00:35:30] Well, I want to give a shout out to a company, not that new, but a local company called the

[00:35:37] Atriax Group, which had an opportunity to visit.

[00:35:41] They're here in Hickory, North Carolina.

[00:35:43] They provide architectural, interior design, engineering, project management work on government

[00:35:49] and commercial projects.

[00:35:50] But the reason I'm giving them a shout out is that November 11th is Veterans Day.

[00:35:57] And this company was started in 2001 by two retired U.S. Air Force engineers, George Auten

[00:36:03] and Ed Henson.

[00:36:05] And they've got a combined 60 years of military service and experience.

[00:36:10] And they do a lot of government projects.

[00:36:14] They do a lot to support veterans and veterans issues.

[00:36:19] They're headquartered here in Hickory, North Carolina.

[00:36:21] And they've grown to a point where they now have over 30 employees.

[00:36:25] And they take on all sorts of projects, as I mentioned, from architecture, engineering,

[00:36:31] construction.

[00:36:32] They work on projects throughout the country, throughout the world.

[00:36:36] So I wanted to give a shout out and thanks to the Atriax Group, which you can check out

[00:36:41] at www.atriaxgroup.com.

[00:36:44] And good job by them.

[00:36:46] Very cool.

[00:36:48] So if you've got a suggestion for the Entrepreneur Exchange Small Business in the Month, you can

[00:36:52] email them to us at the e-exchange at the mesh.tv.

[00:36:57] And if we use yours, we'll always give you a thanks and also a prize pack.

[00:37:01] So send them to us.

[00:37:03] Holden, we want to thank you for joining us today and sharing your story.

[00:37:09] It was really enjoyable to have you here.

[00:37:11] It's fantastic.

[00:37:12] Thank you.

[00:37:13] Thank you guys for having me.

[00:37:15] I want to give a big thanks to the Mesh Podcast Network.

[00:37:18] You can check out the Stable of Podcasts on the Mesh Network at the mesh.tv.

[00:37:24] It's got a lot of cool things going on.

[00:37:26] And we will look forward to talking with you again next month.

[00:37:29] Sounds great.

[00:37:31] Take care.

[00:37:33] Thank you guys.

[00:37:40] Thank you.

[00:37:41] You've been listening to the Mesh, an online media network of shows and programs ranging

[00:37:45] from business to arts, sports to entertainment, music to community.

[00:37:50] All programs are available on the website as well as through iTunes and YouTube.

[00:37:56] Check us out online at the mesh.tv.

[00:37:59] Discover other network shows and give us feedback on what you just heard.

[00:38:03] We'll see you next week.