Not many people can say that they own a company before they can legally drive a car. However, sophomore business owner James Shefferly is one of the select few. Shefferly intends to officially launch his clothing brand, Horizon Peaks, at the end of January, where he will be selling clothes that are primarily targeted towards skiers and snowboarders. Horizon Peaks’s products include sweatshirts, sweatpants and hats. Eventually, the company hopes to expand to ski coats and snow pants while continuing to maintain affordability. Their thick sweatshirts will be $45, while regular sweatshirts will cost $30, windbreakers will be $60 and crewnecks will be $35.

The origins of Horizon Peaks sprang from a late night phone call from a friend.  The last thing Shefferly expected when he answered his close friend Chris Runk’s phone call in the middle of the night was a business proposal.  

“[Runk] called me up one day really late at night, like one o’clock in the morning, freaking out telling me that ‘we need to start a company, we need to start a company’,” Shefferly said. “We just came up with this clothing company because we’re all really into skiing.”

Little did they know, their phone call was the beginning of something bigger. After deciding what to sell, Shefferly had to figure out how to make their idea a reality, which meant designing products, creating a brand design and name and learning to pay taxes.

To help make the idea a reality, Shefferly and his business partners, Jack Sendoykas, Louis Macres and Chris Runk, divide the workload and all contribute to the business in varying ways that allow the company to run smoothly.

“I handle all of the money,  I handle making the website,  I handle all of our communications with our supplier,” Shefferly said. “[The others] also help with the ideas, the designing of all of the clothes, advertising and just getting our name out there.”

Shefferly’s ideas were not only supported by his partners, but by his family as well. Shefferly’s father, Philip Shefferly, has personal knowledge and expertise in graphic design, and helped to create a cohesive website and brand logo for Horizon Peaks. Although he played a large role in the graphic elements of the brand, Philip Shefferly attributes the foundation of the company to James and the rest of the owners.

“I can tell you the idea and concept for the brand story for Horizon Peaks comes directly from James [and co.],” Philip Shefferly said.  “It’s great to see all aspects of  business being explored by young people. My hope is continuing success and support with his venture.”

Young people wanting to get into business is a good thing, according to Phillip Shefferly. He feels that the experience can be beneficial to aspiring entrepreneurs. CTE teacher Richard Cooper agrees and sees a variety of benefits in starting a business at a young age. 

“It gets students thinking in terms of dollars and percentages, which are always good things for successful adults to be thinking about,” Cooper said. “Also, if they make their mistakes now, there is quite a big support system in place to help them as opposed to doing it in your mid-thirties, forties, [or] fifties.”

On top of the website they created, the company is additionally planning to advertise on Instagram, Facebook and Tik

Tok to assist in getting business from more than just local buyers. While Shefferly is still learning how to run a successful business and attempting to grow his abilities, he has already gained a lot from the experience. Shefferly is willing to give advice to all others hoping to jumpstart a company.

“Don’t expect to succeed, you’re going to fail, that’s all a part of it,” Shefferly said. “You have to make sure that you keep going and you just keep trying as hard as you can, no matter what happens.”