Blending Heart & Hustle with Coco & Breezy
My guests on this week’s episode are the definition of hustle. Coco and Breezy Dotson, twin designers & founders of Coco and Breezy Eyewear, are no strangers to hard work. Growing up in a mainly white Midwestern suburb, the twins relied on each other for companionship throughout their childhood. Coco and Breezy developed a unique fashion sense that set them apart from other kids, and experienced bullying and exclusion while in school. Rather than allow the bullying to keep them down, the twins used it to inspire their love for stylish eyewear. They sold their first pairs of glasses on Myspace, where they built an extensive following. By the time the twins turned 17, they held three jobs to support their family.
In this inspiring interview, Coco and Breezy share their early lessons in entrepreneurship. Through their own personal examples, we learn why failure is necessary, and how we even should embrace failure as an opportunity for growth.
Featured Moment
Breezy: I’m claiming that, everything Coco and I have done, we’ve done with no resources. Our background, our family. I think about this, and it almost makes me emotional. The stories we watch on the news about Black families, that’s our family. There’s no one else in my family that can teach us about entrepreneurship, that can give us money for our business. I’m claiming that, we’ve done all this shit with no investors, no family money, no resources, and we figured it out. And I have to remind myself, when I do feel like, are we doing this right? I have to say, you did this with no resources, now you actually have resources, you have amazing people around you that want to support you.
Show Notes
Coco and Breezy share stories from their creative, active, curious childhood and what it’s like to grow up with a twin
How they had to assimilate to whiteness growing up in a mostly white Midwestern suburb
Being bullied, left out, misunderstood, and without a community meant the twins had only each other to rely on during their school years
The bullying they experienced in school inspired their love for eyewear
The twins posted photos of their unique, stylish outfits on Myspace and created a community of followers online
Working three jobs by the age of 17 to support their family
Making their first eyewear sales through Myspace, and then traveling to New York wearing their creations
The twins share difficult lessons they learned in their early years of entrepreneurship
How they feel excited by the opportunity to solve a challenge because it pushes them out of their comfort zones
After spending the last of their money on a defective order, they saw the chance to make changes in their lives and business
Learning how to run a more efficient business as two individuals, rather than as one person
Why failure is necessary and something we all experience, especially if we’re willing to get uncomfortable
References
One Last Thing
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