In this ongoing series, we share tips, advice, and insights from real entrepreneurs who fight business battles daily. (Answers have been edited and shortened for clarity.)
Who are you and what is your business?
My name is Cason Dean and I’m a 15-year-old half-Korean entrepreneur living in New York. My business is Inclusive Christmas, which sells products with inclusive versions of Santa: Asian Santa, Pride Santa, Sandra Claus (female Santa), and Black Santa. The main driving force for the business was the desire to create a variety of inflatable Santa lawns because my family loves to decorate our front lawn for the holidays (I’m also 1/4 Italian!) and we wanted something different from what was on the market. Our goal is for people of all identities and backgrounds to be seen in the characters and holidays we love, starting with Christmas and Santa Claus.
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What inspired you to create this business? What was your “aha moment”?
Ever since we moved to the suburbs five years ago, my dad has put up tons of outside decorations for Christmas. Last year I wanted to get him an Asian inflatable Santa to represent that half of my family and I couldn’t believe one didn’t exist anymore. So I figured why not create my own? I grew up watching Shark aquarium, so the idea of doing it myself seemed possible. At first I was thinking of just doing an Asian Santa, but my family and I talked about how other groups would also like to see themselves represented. So we added Pride Santa, then Black Santa, and then Sandra Claus. After we launched, based on customer feedback, we also added a Hannukah Hank for Jewish and interfaith families. All this happened in about 10 months — with the help of my family, I designed Santa, found a manufacturer, registered and created the Inclusive Christmas website, created a logo and started selling. I then created other products featuring our Santa design so I could provide variety at different price points such as mugs, ornaments and bags.
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What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
My biggest challenge so far has been not knowing what I’m doing! I am a full time student with little business experience. My parents are lawyers so they didn’t know much more. Every step of the way, from creating the first designs, to figuring out how to make the Santas, to figuring out how to sell them, was completely new. But we constantly asked friends and family for advice and feedback and researched everything we could before making a final decision – I mean, we weren’t the only people who had ever started a business, so we knew that if we looked, we could to find answers to most of our questions from people who have done something similar before.
I’m amazed at how many people, some we didn’t even know, were willing to talk, give advice and generally help. I still remember the day we got our first order from a complete stranger who somehow found us and liked what we were doing enough to make a purchase. This was a huge achievement for me and the customer base has continued to expand ever since.
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What does the word “entrepreneur” mean to you?
When I started my journey with Inclusive Christmas, I definitely didn’t think I was an entrepreneur. I just had an idea that I felt really strongly about and had to pursue. And I stuck with it long enough and put enough time and effort into it that I now have a real business. Some of it was exciting and fun, some of it wasn’t, and I just had to do it. Now that I’m here, I guess an entrepreneur is someone who has a vision and is willing to dedicate the necessary time and effort to make that vision a reality. Lots of problem solving skills are also helpful because there will be bumps in the road and you have to persevere through the ups and downs.
Credit: Including Christmas
What do aspiring business owners think they need and don’t?
I think many small business owners believe they need a lot of time or quit their jobs to start a business. I, a full-time student, with the help of my parents, full-time employees, managed to start a business while maintaining my school obligations. However, you have to be willing to sacrifice other things to find the time. I also think a lot of people believe you need to hire professionals and experts right away to fill your skill gaps, but I don’t think that’s always true. I don’t know how to draw, but to make our first prototype, I cut out pieces from different images and drawings I found on the internet and glued them together until I got the design I wanted. I really wanted to make sure I got the correct Asian eyes, so I cut out 10 different types of “Asian” eyes and tested them. I don’t think hiring a professional designer would have been more effective because only I really knew what I wanted the first Santa, the Asian Santa, to look like.
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Is there a particular quote or saying that you use as personal motivation?
I read a quote from Arianna Huffington about how whenever you do anything in the world, there will be criticism. I think that really epitomizes my business. We have received an overwhelming outpouring of support and positive feedback. But we’ve also received quite a bit of criticism and faced some pushback along the way—people making hateful comments on social media or otherwise dismissing what we’re trying to do. However, this is true for any business, and it’s just something you have to overcome. I believe in the value of our mission – we want everyone to be seen and represented. We have a long way to go, but this vision is what motivates me. We may not be for everyone, but that’s okay.
