Key Takeaways From My First Startup, Pangaea
In 2021, as a broke sophomore at Brigham Young University Idaho, I was eager to challenge myself in the world of business and entrepreneurship. Being a designer at heart, I wanted to find a way to blend my creative talents with business concepts. The idea that stuck was starting a clothing brand. This is when Pangaea was born.
original design ✍🏽
Why Pangaea?
The brand was named after the supercontinent that existed millions of years ago when there was only a single land mass on the earth.
The brand stood for unity and peace. It tied into the concept of uniting the world that seemed to split more as time went on. Pushing forward with this mission, I decided to make the first sweaters with a design that simply said "human."
After all, we are all human.
What happened to the company?
The brand resonated—strong identity, mission, and quality—but I was a full-time student with a full-time job. Running everything solo, even embroidering each piece, wasn’t sustainable. Eventually, I made the difficult decision to accept a new role and pause Pangaea, carrying the lessons I learned forward.
However, in my heart, the door is never completely sealed.
Lesson #1 - Build a Team
Although I enjoyed the process of teaching myself every aspect of the business and creating the company from scratch, I would definitely go in with a team on round two.
Since Pangaea, I have embraced teamwork and love to collaborate and share achievements with others.
Lesson #2 - Outsource & Automate
Momentum beats perfect margins. Doing everything myself felt scrappy and empowering, but I was draining the gas tank in the first stretch of a long road trip. I lost a lot of sleep and time that I could have used for proactive strategizing as the driver of the business. If I did it again, I’d budget for a fulfillment partner from day one, automate operational tasks, and prioritize sales and marketing until the business is sustaining itself. That keeps me focused on decisions that scale, not stitching after midnight.
Lesson #3 - Start When You're Ready
I launched the brand in November of 2021. Although I had been preparing for some time, I rushed to launch during winter to align with seasonal demand and catch students before break.
Instead of waiting for approval for a business loan (which I got), I took out a personal loan of half the original budgeted amount.
This proved to be probably the dumbest thing I did for the business. Impatience kills preparation. If I were to start again, I would wait until everything was aligned with the plan, even if it means to wait another year.
Lesson #4 - Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should
A friend of mine asked me if I would start Pangaea again if he helped me. As I thought about that question, I was thrown back to the 2 AM stitching sessions, dealing with machine errors, and dreading having to go to work in the morning. I gave him a gray answer.
I would love to see my visions become reality, but I also value my own time and energy. I am also full of so many more ideas. I have learned how to question my midnight revelations and judge whether or not they are worth it for me to pursue them.
Conclusion
Pangaea was a great learning experience. I am proud to be able to say that I did that. Did I make mistakes? Yeah. Was it the right time? Debatable. However, one thing I know for certain is that the journey was packed with life lessons and I came out the other side much wiser. Although I changed course, I have something that few have, and that is proof of passion, determination, courage, and grit.
Resources
This is the Business Plan document I made for the SBA loan application. This showcases my determination to do things professionally. You will find strategy, research, proforma, and planning. I built the proforma from scratch. I created every corner of the company from the ground up, and yes, without ChatGPT.
