In his own words, he details how he was able to launch his brand, and how he is able to grow and scale it without any investors

We all know about such lists as Forbes’ Under 30, and these are great. But, perhaps there needs to be a teen entrepreneur list, and even a child entrepreneur list. Entrepreneurial wit and savoir-faire don’t just come to adults, but some of the best businessmen and women are under the age of 18 like Holden Bierman, who took the plunge at age 12 to launch his swimwear brand.

Named Coastal Cool and based in North Carolina’s research triangle of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, Bierman created a brand that’s sustainable and that ships internationally. The fashion industry has certainly taken hits for being the second most unsustainable industry, and number 1 violator of labor rights. But, ninety-percent of Coastal Cool’s products are made from recycled fabric composition and recycled plastic bottles.

Practically speaking, how does a 12-year old actually start a fashion brand?

But, before getting into the products, many want to know: how does a 12-year old actually start a fashion brand? “I grew up with constant thoughts of creative design and entrepreneurship. My mind is always thinking about the next move. My father, both grandfathers, and other family relatives are businessmen and women. Many of which inspired me to take the risk and start my career, young and early,” says Bierman. 

It is fascinating being around young people that are building something. The ones I have been around like Bobby Ida are so regimented and focused, careful about their time and how they spend it, as well as careful about who they spend their time with. Bierman is athletic, which sports fuel dedication, commitment, and tenacity. Baseball, martial arts, and now track comprise the same savoir-faire that’s found in building and growing a business. At 10 years old Bierman obtained his second-degree black belt in taekwondo, another sport that taught him dedication and the importance of a strong work ethic. “I have always been committed to physical and mental health since I was young, and I am dedicated to a 6-day plan in the gym, with a specific detailed diet and training plan. 6 days on, 1-day rest, repeat. Being mentally and physically fit allows my mind to be clear, and ready to face day-to-day obstacles and tasks in my life. It enables me to be able to approach different situations, with confidence and an open-mind,” he says.

“I have always had constant thoughts of building companies, and becoming this “dream figure” of an entrepreneur in the back of my head, for years. This was a true dedication, regime, and commitment than ever before,” he says of his taekwondo achievements. “It was constantly winning and failing. It was a long path of failures, and constant mountains to climb. It taught me serious lessons about myself, my beliefs, and my visions. And it truly transferred my life allowing a shift in my mindset, approach to critical thinking, and commitment to tasks. I believe this allowed me to be so dedicated, and committed to the passion for entrepreneurship, and to be able to take the risk.”

But, this still doesn’t answer the practicality side of how at 12 he has built a business. It was a $500 loan from his parents in 2020 that got his vision off the ground. That $500 helped him get his LLC business entity legally formalized. “Successfully, I was able to pay that a long time ago,” he says. And that’s the only “investor” investment that he’s had to date. “I am excited to say that we have no investors, and I have been able to originally scale this company, and continue my passion without relying on outside investments and capital.”

“My family initially helped me create the name and continues to help me with the financial aspect of the company including taxes, and other things that I am limited to at my age. Other than that, I work day-to-do building our product collection, our e-commerce store, running a smooth distribution, and creating a marketing and social presence for the brand,” he says.

Launching

Bierman launched Coastal Cool during the pandemic and they weren’t the only ones. More than 4.4 million new businesses were launched in 2020, according to the Census Bureau. And in 2021 over 500K businesses were started in the US.

“It was a different, but very interesting experience. I was at home due to the pandemic, and did virtual school. This allowed me more time and access to my ideas, passions, and beliefs. It also allowed me to become heavily dedicated to my diet and training. And, it allowed me to create Coastal Cool, with the ability to scale it from the ground up. Being virtual gave me freedom and an open opportunity for taking the risk. Many people laughed at me and did not believe in my dream- there was skepticism of a 12-year-old taking such a risk to start a fashion line. I kept pushing, kept true to myself, and kept grounded to my passions. I didn't let anything get in the way of me continuing my dream of becoming an entrepreneur, even if I was told I was “too young.” 

A typical day + balance

The brand

This year alone, the sport and swimwear market in the US is predicted to garner $23.01B, with a 3.54% CAGR annual growth rate between 2024 and 2027, according to Statista. Even with the growth, swimwear is a saturated market and it’s a seasonal market. There are your sole swimwear brands, or fashion brands with swimwear lines, so the choices are endless. But despite this, Bierman believes Coast Cool stands out from the rest: “From our hand-drawn seamless patterns that capture vibrant, classic, and modern tropical vacation inspired schemes to our recycled fabrics. Our swimwear garments are composed from 90% recycled polyester, made from recycled plastic bottles, allowing a lightweight, breathable, and stretchy fit that compares to any other swimwear brand on the market.” And, there aren’t many swimwear brands heralded by a 16-year-old, so that’s a unique selling point.

Not sticking to the industry fashion calendar, Coastal Cool operates by catalogue, creating matching collections for men and women that are lightweight, breathable, comfortable, and fast-drying. “This allows us to be versatile with tops, bottoms, and accessories for all. We do not have a specific amount of launches, or collections released per year. Last year, we managed to release 10 collections from the beginning to the end of the year, featuring both vibrant and new vacation-inspired schemes for our beachwear and swimwear line,” he says. 

While it’s certainly commendable that Bierman and young people like him take the plunge and launch a business, he hasn’t arrived. There’s so much he’s learning along the way. “I have learned a lot of important aspects for myself, and from a lot of other successful people. One of the most successful aspects that I believe is the key to success, is connecting yourself to the product and the target market. Being relatable to the customer and to the key target market is essential. And it’s important to be able to provide products on the market that make an impact, inspire others, and provide solutions,” he says.  

For this year and down the road it’s Bierman’s goal to continue scaling the brand in the US, while also growing his ideas and vision for the company. “My goal is to continue to build our online social media presence. We currently have over 100k global followers on Instagram. I am super proud of organic marketing and our content team. I plan to continue to scale the brand, but also be able to inspire other like-minded young entrepreneurs and business enthusiasts who seek to take a risk, and build something for themselves.”