An ambitious young businessman who achieved annual sales of 1.2 million dollars (about 1.4 billion won) in the apparel business is attracting attention from foreign media.



On the 8th, CNBC, an American economic media outlet, reported that a 17-year-old high school student not only succeeded in the clothing business, but also entered the Braille smart watch business for the visually impaired.



The main character of the topic is Hong Seok-won, a 17-year-old high school student in Korea who is currently attending Kukje High School.



On the 7th local time, CNBC introduced Hong Seok-won and reported that the current clothing brand 'Olaga Studio' has been successfully launched, and the Braille smart watch for the visually impaired has been successfully launched, receiving thousands of orders from China.


Bullied boy becomes a millionaire at 17

In an interview with CNBC, Hong Seok-won cited bullying by classmates as the reason for starting a clothing brand.


“I was bullied at school and it was difficult to adjust to school, so I had to find something that could change my life.”


Hong started a business of reselling branded clothes on Naver 4 years ago when he was in middle school.



However, Mr. Hong, who was ignorant of the business, lost 200,000 won in capital in an instant and realized that he needed a strategy.



Mr. Hong received 5 million won from his grandparents to create his own clothing site selling unisex casual wear, and this was the beginning of 'Olaga Studio'.



Currently, Ola Studio is generating annual sales of $1.2 million (about KRW 1.4 billion) in six Asian markets, and recently ranked first in the 'StyleShare' T-shirt category, one of the most popular fashion platforms for the 1020 generation.




According to CNBC, at the beginning of this year, he emphasized that the brand value was further increased by starting a collaboration with the Harvard University Student Union.



The Harvard University Student Union paid attention to his T-shirt and started collaborating.



With the money he earned, Hong hired 12 employees and paid off tuition at an American international school in Seoul, which his parents supported.


“I used to think that business was a lucrative business, but after moving to an international school, I got a good education. My teacher taught me that my experience can be used to start a business that helps others.”

"I want to help people with my business"...

The second item is a 'braille smart watch'

Hong did not settle for the success of the apparel business with the belief that he would help people with his business, but discovered a second business item.



It was a braille smart watch for the visually impaired.



According to Hong, after taking classes on the disabled at school, he felt that the existing Braille smartwatches, which cost an average of $300 (about 350,000 won), were too expensive and needed a change.



Afterwards, he established a company called 'Paradox Computers' and spoke with the visually impaired and carefully understood their needs. As a result, we succeeded in developing a braille smartwatch for the visually impaired for only $80 (about 93,000 KRW).




According to CNBC, Hundreds of Braille smartwatches developed by Hong have already been sold, and 3,000 have already been pre-ordered in China.



Hong said that he would continue his studies in the growing business. I finished the interview.



This is a 'news pick'.



(Photo = CNBC capture, Ola official studio capture, Paradox Computers capture)