While most leaving cert teenagers are busy making TikTok videos and studying for their exams, Emma Coffey was founding her own athletics wear brand, FinalBend.

Now, at only 21, she is the director of a successful company that's both sustainable and affordable, while also studying business at University College Cork. Emma shares her career inspiration, the most challenging parts of her job and advice for those who are interested in starting their own business.

Where did the idea for FinalBend come from?

I started the business back in 2018, when I was still in secondary school. It was kind of a hobby to begin with, a passion project, something I was working on after school. I was really involved in athletics, pretty much my whole life. Basically, I was involved in the athletics community and the idea to start an athletics wear brand came from that. Unfortunately I got injured and there was all the more reason to want to stay connected to the sport. I was able to keep up the connection with athletics through, not competing anymore, but having pop-up shops at the competitions.

What was your inspiration for the name FinalBend?

The final bend in the athletics track always struck me as the most motivational point in the race, the crowd is cheering but there's still more race to come. An injury for many meant the end of an athletics career but for me I felt I was still only on the final bend, I felt I had more to give to the sport. So that’s where the name came from.

What is the ethos of your brand?

I want this business to be sustainable, but I also want it to be affordable, because sustainability in my eyes, is also affordability. From 2022 onwards every new collection that comes out will be made from recycled materials.

We also offer a larger size range, XXS to XXXL. We're able to cater for a wider demographic which is important, and we definitely see all sizes ordering.

How did you progress the business?

[During lockdown] I had done my leaving cert. I was in first year of college, and I had built the business up to a point where I was doing custom gear for small athletics clubs and gyms, so that was designing and producing their tracksuits, singlets, and that’s where I saw the business going.

Obviously, in lockdown no clubs were training, so I realised I’m going to have to start selling direct to customers.

The business was very small, it was incorporated and it was a legit business, but it was tiny and I had no marketing budget to start spending to attract new customers. I looked at organic marketing, and I looked at Tik Tok, and Instagram and I realised I could make videos and people really enjoyed them. So, there were viewers of the Tik Toks, and some followers and the page now has 44,000 followers. Then I was seeing that convert into customers on the website so it was amazing and it exponentially grew the business from there.

What would be your greatest highlight to date?

I suppose being on the Late Late Show was like the best day of my life. I was on it in November 2021. I got to bring my two best friends with me into the green room, and we found out that no-one else’s friends were [there] so we were just having so much fun, the whole thing was so cool, from getting the first call, and finding out I was going to be on, and then not being able to tell anyone because there was a huge possibility that I wouldn’t be on.

In contrast, what was the most challenging aspect you’ve come across?

Balancing college and Black Friday, when it fell on the same day that I had an accounting exam and I had a law exam and they were big end of term exams and Black Friday is a big big sales day. I couldn’t sleep, I was stressed out, it was just one of those things that will happen badly one time, and then I’ll be able to make sure it never happens again. At that point I didn’t have any team members, it was just me, so I had people emailing me about their orders while I was in the exam.

Do you have a team now that helps you?

Yes, I'm still working and studying full time, but it’s been amazing. At the start of this year I was able to hire two new positions - Head of EComm & Marketing and a Social Media Manager, so that brings the team to three, but I also have all of my friends and family who work as a labour of love all the time, so they’re always on call. They’re working 24/7, my sister is 10 years old and she’s head of the sticker department so she’s working hard for her pocket money.

What would be your 3 top tips for women starting off?

So tip number one is act now and figure it out on the way.

If you’re having the idea now, act on it now, because a lot of time in businesses it’s almost a race because the first person to come out with the idea comes first. So if you’re having that idea and you’re sitting in 5th year, or wherever make the instagram page, start the business even if you’re a bit unsure, because there’s so much value in being the first to come out with that idea, take ownership of it and be able to say “that was my idea first.”

Tip number two would be, be able to stand up for yourself, it’s important to know the strength of your own voice, and be heard, so if you’ve got things to say make sure that it’s being heard. It’s something that I’ve learned to do.

[Tip number three] Don’t be embarrassed to be passionate about something. A lot of growing the business [for me] once I started putting my face to the business and sharing my story and telling people about it myself, that was when it really took off. I think those things that you’re passionate about in secondary school are the things that make you unique later in life and it’s such a shame that so many younger girls feel like they have to blend in to feel popular or cool, when it’s the things that you are super passionate about that really shape you.

If you’d like to get yourself some of FinalBend’s super soft sustainable gear, visit the website or follow on TikTok and Instagram