Crowded into a small bedroom in Aventura on a late summer day in 2016, juniors Netanel Kohen, Alex Cazes and Roberto Romagnoli brainstormed productive ways to make money. The three had an idea to start a phone case company, now known as Casey Cases.
The three students planned their business during Hemp’s fifth period communications technology class, and with the Adobe Photoshop skills they learned, they designed the phone case templates.
“Mr. Hemp always tells us we can use the skills we learn to make money,” Kohen said. “He taught us advanced ways to use Photoshop that made our images look crisp and professional.”
With a total investment of $1100, they ordered 1,000 phone cases to start their business off of DHGate, an online marketplace that imports products from China, similar to AliExpress.
Most of Casey Case’s sales use eCommerce platforms like eBay and Amazon. The company recently partnered with Amazon to sell their products on Amazon Prime.
As a part of Amazon Prime, Casey Case can sell to more customers. According to a study by the Consumer Intelligence Research Partner, most Amazon shoppers are Prime subscribers who are more likely to purchase products fulfilled by Prime like Casey Case. The company’s affiliation with Prime opened new doors for business.
Kohen says that Casey Case’s biggest selling point is their price. Compared to other vendors, the company’s cases are often 70 percent of regular market price, ranging from $9.99 to $14.99.
“We chose phone cases because it was something that everyone needs,” Kohen said. “The cases that you buy at the mall and in stores cost way too much compared to what it costs to make them in China.”
Inspired by Casey Case’s success, the founders began to sell fidget toys. Cazes, for example, began selling fidget spinners on Amazon with sales amounting to over $12,000.
“After creating a successful business model with phone cases, I replicated it for fidget spinners,” Cazes said. “I saw a higher profit margin in the fidget spinner market.”
Kohen’s advice for other entrepreneurs is to never give up. Although times may be tough, he says that motivation and drive are key components to success in business.
“You always need to be persistent with your endeavors, especially when running a company,” Kohen said. “When we first started Casey, we didn’t see a single dollar come our way for months, but we kept working and fixing our mistakes until we got on Amazon and eBay and revenue came in.”
