After hoping to start a business for years, junior Nick Barajas finally released his clothing brand, “Society 16.”

“I just always wanted to start my own business,” Barajas said. “I just thought that working for yourself would be a pleasure.”

The junior explained the meaning behind his brand’s name.

“So my brand is called Society 16 because it represents a society, meaning a group of people, and 16 meaning the age group and young adults in that area,” he said. “I wanted to make the focus around teens because that’s where I’m at. That’s where my age group is. And I think that I can relate to that group the most.”

Barajas added that teens around the age of 16 are in a period of stress, struggling with themselves, and having so many things on their plate. 

“It can be hard with all those factors against you,” he said. “The future is right around the corner, and it’s just supposed to represent that light, that peace.”

The teen explained how he was able to get his business up and running.

“I looked to YouTube,” he said. “YouTube is a great resource. It helped me through a lot of questions,” Barajas said. “I also looked to my dad,” he said. “He knows a lot of things about finance […], and I’ve learned a lot from him.”

Barajas explained his parents’ first reactions to his idea of starting a business.

“I would say they were reluctant at first, but after seeing the progress and the work I put in it, they support it now completely.”

Barajas mentioned that his parents now motivate him a lot. The junior also mentioned that his friends “definitely played a part” in the design process of his brand.

In order to finance his business, Barajas explained that he had side hustles, such as freelance graphic design and photography.

Currently, Barajas sells hoodies for $60 on his website ‘society16clothing.com’.

“I think hoodies are really comfortable. And, you know, they’re able to be trendy. So, yeah, that’s what I’m doing right now. And then I’ll soon be selling shirts,” he said.

The young entrepreneur explained his plans for the future.

“As my business progresses, I definitely want to scale as much as I can, get to a level where I am financially free,” Barajas said. “But in the near future, I want to reach out or expand my network,” he said. “And just build my business as big as I can before college.”

Barajas hopes to attend Creighton University and become a business major. But for now, he still has other clothing plans in the works. Barajas simply wants others to know, “I got hoodies out right now. So go check it out.”