Written by Ella Dorfman
Rushil Shah (on the left), a high school freshman residing in Melbourne, Florida, is a humorous and energizing friend among his peers. Similar to many other teens, boredom was a primary part of his quarantine. Rushil used this unprecedented time to complete an idea that he has always desired to put into action: FashPad. FASH is an acronym for “Fashion, passion, ambition, and determination.” FashPad is a new clothing brand that specializes in casual and trendy pop-culture fashion. Ranging from graphic tees to hoodies, Rushil currently has twenty-seven designs. This means that there are a multitude of options to pick from when deciding what one may like from FashPad.
Here we go into the influence, mindset, and work ethic of a fourteen-year-old boy who runs a business.
E: Did you have a specific reason for creating FashPad? How do you think your clothing brand impacts your peers?
R: Creating FashPad is something I have always wanted to do. Over these last five months during quarantine, it really gave me time to think about the brand, the meaning behind it, and how it would stand out. I believe this clothing brand impacts my peers in a great manner. Whenever someone wears a FashPad design, I hope the name/design motivates them to work harder, never give up, and never lose their passions. The main reason why I created FashPad was to promote those positive attributes and to encourage someone to smile.
E: Can you go through the mindset/process of a teen who runs a business?
R: I believe that always having a positive mindset definitely helps with running FashPad. FashPad is my first business, so there is definitely a lot of room for me to grow and learn. I try to keep an open mind with all I do. I would say that this has been a huge learning curve for me; it has lit my passion for finance and business. Alongside FashPad, I also am a freshman in high school and play soccer. I have to balance my school work, extracurriculars, and running this business. Therefore, I use a lot of my free time to make designs, manage sales, and talk to my ambassadors.
E: How did you get your ambassadors?
R: Getting ambassadors was one of my biggest challenges, mainly because it required a lot of time and communication. After I had made a decent amount of designs, I sought to find ambassadors who could promote FashPad and what the brand stands for. I looked into all the growing social media platforms and established the three best platforms to promote on: TikTok, Youtube, and Instagram. From there, I proceeded to contact people who I believed were suitable. I talked to them, worked out the details, and made them an ambassador.
E: What inspires your designs?
R: Brainstorming designs is one of the most exciting parts about working on FashPad. My design inspiration comes from things that I believe that people will enjoy wearing, keep a smile on their face, and promote FashPad’s meaning. I try to incorporate a lot of pop culture, cool graphics, and variety in the designs I make-with hope that everyone finds something they love.
FashPad's website
E: Have you been successful so far?
R: I have been working on FashPad for the last five months. Although I did not see any results in the first three/four months, I believe I am finally starting to grow and moving forward. I’d say that FashPad has been stable in this past month, but I feel like FashPad can always improve to be more successful. I feel like I have definitely marked one of the difficult stages of getting initial attention and revenue. From here I hope to grow more, and eventually have thousands of people sporting FashPad clothing!
E: What’s your hope for the future?
R: FashPad has only been in existence for six months, so I can say with certainty that I am optimistic. Previously stated, my biggest goal and hope for FashPad is for thousands of people to be exposed to it globally. When someone wears FashPad, I want to make them feel like they can do anything, if they hustle and put in the work. Especially with the unprecedented events 2020 has brought us, I feel like there has been a cloud of negativity in our world. This is actually why I came up with FashPad, hoping to spread positivity and a healthy mindset to everyone.
E: What would you say to any teens who want to start a business? Any advice?
R: This has been a great learning process for me, but I have learned a fair amount; which helped my mindset and FashPad’s growth. The biggest piece of advice I could give to any teen starting a brand is to not work based on the numbers or sales. In the beginning, I recall when I worked countless hours, but did not receive many sales. I was discouraged and I wondered what the purpose of working so hard was for. However, in retrospect, I can look back now with FashPad and say I was able to learn so much. I wouldn’t trade those hours of anything else. Another piece of advice is to find meaning in what your brand represents and the feeling you want it to evoke. Initially, when seeing brands like Supreme, Champion, and Habits 365, I thought their brand names did not have meaning. But I soon realized each brand has their own goals and mission statement, which plays a critical role in brand improvement. Lastly, put in the most effort and work you can, so you can look back one day and be glad you did.
I think FashPad is not only an incredible brand, but it also solidifies our grade’s sense of community. FashPad is a product of Rushil’s hard efforts that have paid off. At a school where there are capable and intelligent students, many of them put high expectations on themselves. That being said, seeing Rushil Shah being successful and enjoying himself, made me smile. There is pride seeing another familiar youth setting an example of a well-rounded go-getter. I want you, if nothing else, to take away that just going the first step towards your goals may be rewarding in the future.
About the Author
Ella Dorfman is entering freshman year in high school and loves learning about geography and finances.Her interests include watching commentary, anime, and selling clothes. In the future, she would like to become a diplomat or a meteorologist.
Comments