Teen entrepreneur Coen Cadinha boosts other kids

Coen Cadinha was only 13 when he decided to start his own business two years ago, selling sweet treats to his classmates to earn money and help his family.

“We grew up (living) paycheck to paycheck like a lot of other families here in Hawaii. That made me want to do something more for myself, get a head start in life, I guess. … It’s not easy to live in Hawaii, it’s an expensive place,” said Cadinha.

He’s now 15 and operating a thriving online candy and snack company called “Big Boy Sweets.” Single-handedly, he makes four different treats, and packages and sells them at pop-up events and online. This year, his hard work has earned him the Hawaii Venture Capital Association’s Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award and a Pacific Business News’ Inno Under 25 Award.

“When I started, I didn’t even know a normal person could start a business. I thought you had to be special or be super smart,” he said.

Cadinha said it was extremely difficult to learn the ropes on his own, and he wanted to make it easier for other young entrepreneurs just starting out. So this year he founded Keiki Rise, a business accelerator program for aspiring entrepreneurs that focuses on growth, innovation and making connections in a six-month course. Keiki Rise’s first cohort consists of 12 youth, ages 9 to 18, whom Cadinha selected from applicants who have the same drive to succeed that he does.

In July and September, the group held pop-up markets at the Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki.

With several big-name sponsors like Hawaiian Host and Zippy’s lending support, intensive monthly workshops began in May. So far workshops have covered an introduction to entrepreneurial opportunities and the qualities of a successful business owner; how to get started with the required business permits, licenses and tax filings; and marketing tools. Another sponsor, American Savings Bank, led a workshop on financial matters in August. Other sponsors include Royal Hawaiian Center and Hawaii USA Federal Credit Union.

A couple of mentors have been especially instrumental to Cadinha’s development as a successful leader, including Meli James, co-founder of Mana Up (a local business promotion initiative) and president of the Hawaii Venture Capital Association; and Stijn Spaas, a brand director with Hawaiian Host. Cadinha has also joined the Hawaii Rising program, a partnership of Mana Up and Shopify (a global leader in e-commerce), which is designed to help Native Hawaiian and Indigenous business owners with skills and resources to compete in a worldwide market.

His mother, Dorothy Cadinha, was really shocked at how well his business has performed, he said.

“It’s hard being a single mother especially in Hawaii with everything being so expensive, so being able to help her with everything I’m doing is just a blessing to me, but she’s super proud of me.”

At one time, he sold his snacks at Kaiser High School, but that didn’t last for long because it was against school policy, he said.

He was serious about his business, so persuaded his mom to allow him to drop out of Kaiser High School and start classes through Penn Foster, an online company based in Pennsylvania. The flexibility of its classes and schedule allows Cadinha to operate his company.

He used to do small weekend pop-ups, but with Keiki Rise keeping him busier, he now concentrates on filling online orders. Most of his business is from neighbor island customers, Hawaii expats across the U.S., and customers as far away as Guam and Paris. He currently averages $1,500 to $6,000 in profit a month, depending on the season, just with online sales. His sales volume is higher at in-person events, he said, because “when people have a craving they don’t want to wait.”

Customers enjoy his bigger one-pound bag portions and his own special twist on local favorites, including li hing lemon peel gummies; hurricane popcorn/mochi crunch, ube Rice Krispy treats and furikake chex mix. The recipes are his own, refined after extensive feedback from customers, friends and family. It takes him 8 to 12 hours a week to make a week’s supply of products.

Cadinha decided to center his business around handmade treats because he liked them so much. “I’m a big kid and I’m a big fan of all these candies. I used to make li hing gummies for myself,” he said.

“I didn’t expect to be where I am today. I didn’t think it would have gone this far.”

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To purchase Big Boy Sweets, visit bigboysweets.com