9-Year-Old Stafford Resident’s Hat Business a Home Run
Between playing three sports and tackling third grade, 9-year-old Rylan Kostecki leads a busy life, but that hasn’t stopped him from chasing his dreams. With the help of his father, the young athlete with a passion for headwear recently started his own hat business, Brimz by Ry.
“You always want to start small, and then you can grow big,” Rylan said. This is the biggest lesson he’s learned in his time as an entrepreneur so far, he said.
Rylan, a Stafford Township resident, said he has a lot of hats at home, but wanted to create his own designs. His father, Joe Kostecki, was more than happy to help make his son’s idea a reality, and the business was born. “He’s learning how to run a little business, but still be a kid,” Joe said.
Both Joe and Rylan are learning as they go, Joe said. “He just asked if he could start a business, and I said, ‘Sure, why not?’ So I’m learning how to source, and he’s learning the tech as I am. We’re learning as we grow. It’s a fun little journey, and it’s his passion.”
Rylan plays football, basketball and baseball, so sports are highly influential both in his life and in his business. Many of his hat designs are baseball-inspired; his most current releases include a heart-shaped baseball for Valentine’s Day and a leprechaun swinging a bat for St. Patrick’s Day.
The first Brimz by Ry hats featured a football helmet with ram horns, a tribute to the Southern Regional School District mascot. For every sale of this hat, a portion of the proceeds went to Southern Rams youth football and cheer.
Brimz by Ry has intentions of partnering with and donating to other local organizations, Joe said. They want to continue to support youth sports, and are planning to partner with veterans organizations in the area for a future patriotic, military-themed hat.
“We make cool designs,” Rylan said, and they’re limited only to his imagination. The pair uses AI tools to make the designs, which can be anything Rylan wants on a hat (like a leprechaun hitting a baseball). He’s involved in every part of the process, he said, from making the designs to delivering or mailing the orders to deciding what should go on their social media pages.
Brimz by Ry plans to release hats monthly or seasonally, Joe said. They already have some designs in the works for the rest of the year: a melting baseball ice cream cone and a colorful surf-themed baseball for summer; an American flag-themed baseball for the Fourth of July; turkeys and reindeer and Santa hitting a home run for next holiday season.
Like many other young athletes, Rylan’s father helps him develop in his sports any way he can. Joe coaches his Little League and travel baseball teams, and is no doubt on the sidelines at Rylan’s football and basketball games. As he helps Rylan grow as an athlete, he wants to help his son’s dreams grow, as well.
“If they have an idea, and you can try to help develop their idea and show other kids they can do the same thing, give it a try. It doesn’t hurt to try. … Whether it succeeds or fails, it’s going to be a lesson,” Joe said.
His influence as a coach, father and business partner will surely not go unnoticed in the long run. “It’s fun working with my dad,” Rylan said.
“Trying to help his dreams come to fruition … it’s a really good feeling to try to help out. That’s what dads do; that’s what parents do,” Joe said.
Joe said he knows small businesses can fail or succeed, and kids often change their minds, but he’s prepared to help Brimz by Ry grow for “as long or as big as he wants it to.” Rylan said he has hopes of professional athletes wearing his hats one day. For now, they’re focusing on “taking it slow,” and establishing their business in the community.
To support Brimz by Ry or for more information, visit their website, brimzbyry.dashnexpages.net/home-page, or Facebook page, @Brimz by Ry.
— Emma Desiderio
emma@thesandpaper.net
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