Amazing KC Kids: Meet the Boys of kcBold

Meet Dean, Charlie, Andrew, Coleson, Sam, and Andrew, the 7th grade entrepreneurs behind the apparel brand, kcBold. I stumbled upon their booth while shopping at Holiday Mart this Fall. Their energy and passion for their business drew me in and I knew we had to feature them as some of KC’s Amazing Kids! I was excited to sit down with them to learn how a group of tween boys turned a club into a thriving local business!

Tell us a little bit who kcBold is. 
kcBOLD is a company run by 6 boys in 7th grade. We are an apparel company and we make shirts, sweatshirts, beanies, caps and stickers. Our motto is “committed to cozy” and our apparel is very comfortable. We have kids and adult sizes – kids XS to adult XXXL.

How did you all get together as a group? 
We’ve all been at the same school and close friends since we were 3/4 years old. In third grade, Dean and Charlie wanted to start a club and invited the other four to join. We eventually decided to make our club a business.

What was the inspiration behind building your brand? 
Originally, our company started as a little club named DC Rockets for Dean/Charlie Rockets (we were 8 years old). Over time, we added members and wanted to find a brand name that represented all 6 of us. We wanted to show the world that it doesn’t matter the size or age you are, you only need to have a good mindset.

During a field trip to a screenprinting facility, we were given shirts that said “BOLD”.  We liked that word and it ended up being the inspiration for our new brand, kcBOLD.  We want it to show people that you should be your own BOLD, unique self and you should be proud that you stand out in your own way instead of trying to follow everything someone else does. We are six very different people, but all BOLD in our own way.

Will there be more designs in the future?
Yes, there will definitely be more kcBOLD products in the future. Our next products will come out in spring and will most likely include new sports like volleyball, golf and tennis and will also include some fluorescent colors (if Charlie has anything to do with it).

Also, our real company name is Bold Apparel Company, LLC and we plan to one day expand to cities outside of Kansas City. So far, we’ve received requests from Madison, WI and Austin, TX.

How do you juggle running a business with school and other activities?
We meet as often as possible. We have late start at school every other week, so we work instead of sleeping in. Lately, we’ve been working long weekends at holiday shows, so we work around our sports schedules and studying.

Where do you see kcBold going in the next few years? 
We would like to get the word out about our brand to help it grow. We’re hoping to sell in local retail stores and eventually, our dream is to take BOLD Apparel Company to other cities and maybe even other countries.

Who are your mentors?
Our parents — specifically Mrs. Mihalovich and Mrs. Patterson

Tween boys are so hard to shop for. What do the boys of kcBold want for Christmas? 
Of course we want all of the kcBold designs. But, like most kids our age, we want iPhones, air pods, new cool shoes, FL studios, sports jerseys and Xbox games.

Anything else we should know about you or the business? 
We love to meet our customers in person.

What do each of you want to be when you grow up?
Musician, don’t know yet, run this enterprise, soccer player, shoe designer, tech designer, technology executive