We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Aidan Hall a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Aidan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I have always had an entrepreneurial mindset, starting with lemonade stands growing up. I started my business selling duct tape wallets to my friends and at the Lenexa Public Market in middle school. One snow day, I decided I wanted to start adding more designs to my wallets, so I purchased a die-cut machine. I soon discovered I could do much more than just add designs to wallets; I could also add them to t-shirts. Now, I screen-print my original Kansas City-themed designs onto apparel.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Aidan Hall, an 18-year-old entrepreneur studying Marketing and Entrepreneurship at Iowa State University. I am from Lenexa, Kansas. I started my business in middle school, selling duct tape wallets at the Lenexa Public Market. Now, I create and sell apparel celebrating Kansas City featuring my original designs, which set me apart from the rest of the Kansas City apparel industry. I also create custom apparel for clients of all types.

I am also the owner of the KC Local Craft Fair, which started in November 2020 as a virtual approach to craft fairs during the COVID-19 pandemic that affected small businesses not just in the Kansas City area, but all over the world. The mission of the KC Local Craft Fair is to help connect the Kansas City community with small businesses. The moment that made me the proudest was the KC Local Holiday Market, which started in November 2021 at the Thompson Barn in Lenexa, Kansas. The support of the community overwhelmed and amazed me through the full parking lot and the never-ending flow of traffic. I am excited to host this event again this year on November 5 with over 55 local vendors.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

My money to fund my business started with mowing lawns in my neighborhood. I used it to purchase my duct tape wallet supplies, which later funded the purchase of supplies to start creating t-shirts.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

My business started as a side hustle while in middle and high school. I worked a part-time job while in high school, but my increase in sales and work to do led me to leave that job and focus solely on my businesses. Another key milestone in my business happened more recently. as I moved to Iowa State to begin my freshman year of college. It has changed the dynamic of my business, as I am unable to run all operations myself. I have been fortunate to have such supportive parents that now work for me to keep it running while I am away.

Contact Info:

• Website: kchandmadegoods.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/kchandmadegoods
• Facebook: Facebook.com/kchandmadegoods
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/aidanlhall
• Other: kclocalcraftfair.com instagram.com/kclocalcraftfair Facebook.com/kclocalcraftfair

Image Credits
Aidan Hall