Brendan Cox is an American teenager who is known for his various entrepreneurial endeavors. He is a specialized Graphic Designer and a Branding Expert. He is just 19 but age has never hindered Cox’s passion for business concepts.
Currently, he is the founder of Cox Visuals, Teen Assistant, Kicks Cases, The Booth Pennsylvania, Dorm Flag, & Cox Social Media Management. He also has partnerships with Habits 365, SocialStudy App, and various other startup companies.
Cox’s aim is to promote other small businesses and provide them an appealing array of marketing through his graphic design and branding services. Cox Visuals is used by a wide variety of brands, organizations and influencers who aim to take their branding to a whole new level. Their services are considered customer-oriented, budget-friendly and are highly recommended by their clients. One of their largest customers, Eli Zied, Founder of Habits 365 says “Cox Visuals has taken Habits 365 to a whole new level in terms of design.” Cox’s work revolves around giving life to new or existing businesses by revamping their branding and giving companies a more branded look.
Here is Cox`s success story:
When and why did you start a business?
Ever since I can remember, I have always been fascinated with making money. When I was young, my neighbor and I would always beg my mom to allow us to have a lemonade stand in front of our house so we can make some money to spend on things like new street hockey sticks. When I was in middle school, I always wanted the latest iPhone or the newest pair of Jordan’s that just released but felt guilty asking my parents for money. I scoured the internet for ways to make money. In middle school, I borrowed $900 from my dad to purchase an Instagram account with over 200,000 followers. After buying the account, I made my initial investment back in just over a week. Since then, I have opened up 10 successful businesses and earned over $250,000 in revenue as a 19-year-old.
While running my companies and managing my network of over 1 million followers across social media, I realized how much I enjoyed graphic design work. Designing phone cases for Kicks Cases forced me to learn the basics behind Adobe Photoshop. Instead of hiring a graphic designer, I started watching YouTube videos and learned how to create appealing advertisements, banners, flyers, websites, and various products on Adobe Photoshop.
In 2015, a small Brooklyn based clothing company reached out to me asking me “who does your graphic design work?” I told them I did it all myself and they asked if they could hire me to help them with their company. Because of this, I launched my company Cox Visuals with a mission of assisting small businesses with establishing and growing their brands. Since its launch, Cox Visuals has made thousands of unique and artistic designs for eager clients, ranging from simple logos all the way to apparel worn by celebrities.
Today, Cox Visuals continues to expand through collaborations with artists, musicians, and influencers of different genres.
What is a challenge you have faced before starting your business?
Becoming a graphic designer at such a young age working with large companies led companies to ask me for things I wasn’t necessarily capable of doing at 14 years old. But instead of telling them “no”, I would watch YouTube videos and teach myself new techniques which ultimately led me to become a better graphic designer. I think regardless of your age, it’s important to push yourself to learn new things that can better yourself in the business world.
Who is your inspiration?
My dad is definitely my inspiration. Growing up, he lived in a small house with 5 siblings with extremely supportive parents. Being 1 of 6 and from humble beginnings can be a great motivator. My dad now works in sales at the largest book publishing company in the world and his story motivates me to become a successful businessman myself.
What advice would you have for other new entrepreneurs?
Don’t start a business to make money. Start a business involving a passion you have and the money will follow. For example, I started Cox Visuals after a company reached out to me as they admired the design work I was doing for my company, Kicks Cases. They asked if I would consider doing graphic design work for them. I essentially found that I could meet the design needs of a company utilizing a skill that I loved to do. Since then, I have expanded this company into a graphic design and branding agency with the main goal of helping small businesses turn into large successful corporations. One example of this is a brand I work with called Habits 365 (Habits365.com). When I first started working with them, they had no sales and zero followers across social media platforms. Since then, they have been featured in numerous newspapers and business sites and have amassed over 125,000 Instagram followers.
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How do you manage your time for life and business?
Currently, I am attending the University of Scranton where I am studying entrepreneurship. I am actively involved in their Entrepreneurship Club. Running my businesses alongside the school forces me to budget my time better and create a balance of school and work. I’ve always managed to maintain good grades while juggling multiple businesses. I thrive on being busy, as it helps me manage my time better. I have a small network of like-minded friends who help me balance life and business.
Who supported you the most in your life?
Hands down, my parents and older sister. There have been numerous occasions that I have come up to them and pitched them the most insane idea for a business and they always managed to support me regardless of how crazy the idea. Without their support, I wouldn’t have progressed to where I am today.
What are your future plans?
Currently, I am a college student and my main focus is expanding my existing businesses and my network of connections. After graduating I plan to continue my own entrepreneurial endeavors: I’m constantly studying consumer audiences and technology trends that could be the keys to a successful business model.
How people should contact you?
I’m very active on my social media, please follow me on Instagram and Twitter @BrendanACox
Business inquires: [email protected]