Maximus Swenson is a senior at Wayzata High School, he is involved in many activities at his school like other kids. However the thing that sets Max apart is that he is also a CEO and a young entrepreneur. During January 2017, at the age of 15, Max started his company, Lineage Outerwear.
“I always wanted to start a business but never really followed through with my ideas.” Max said. “I decided to follow through with a clothing brand because I love fashion and wanted to make clothing that looks good but is also functional. I didn’t really know what I was doing when I first started. I started by going to Google to research any questions I had, but the best way to learn is just to start.”
Most of the clothing Max uses is ordered from a bulk blank clothing manufacturer. Max currently works with the printing company, Afternoon, along with his own embroidery machine to get his designs onto his clothing.
Max’s clothing line is mainly branded as winter sports apparel, however Lineage releases stylish clothing year round. Max has faced many challenges while starting his company, the main struggle attaining funding for his clothing lines. “It cost a lot of money upfront to get lines made which can be risky, since there is no way to tell if they will sell.” Max described.
Max started his company almost entirely on his own, however he has had an enormous amount of support from his friends and family. “I first started with only $500 to get my website and first line up and running. There were dozens of hours spent in the beginning making the website and the initial lines,” said Max. “My friend Isaiah loves photography so he takes pictures for the brand’s social media. Most of the designing and manufacturing I do by myself.”
Starting a business has opened many doors for Max. “I have met so many people that I would never have met before Lineage. My brand has helped me build a name for myself. People will come up to me and ask if I’m the guy with the clothing brand. It is so cool to see random people wearing your clothing!”
As of right now, Max only sells his clothing online at his website, Lineage-Outerwear.com. “In the future I am hoping to keep growing Lineage by bringing it into retail stores, and hosting events for the brand. As of right now I am staying pretty focused with the clothing brand. However I also run a media company called MBS Media where I provide other companies with social media strategies and content creation for their different media channels.”
