Submitted by Lincoln Hartmann
My favorite parenting quote comes from a book entitled Sticky Faith. “You get what you are.” A close second comes from Harvey Specter, the lead character in the TV series Suits. “There’s nothing more important than family.” My oldest son, Lincoln, recently turned 17. Most memories of my children blur together, but I can recall special moments with my firstborn more clearly. He just finished his college application essay. My response to him after reading it was this: “Wow. It brought me to tears. So good… and so proud of you. You are a better writer than me, and I am a good one. I used to tell you when you were little that you would be a master of words.”
With that in mind, this blog is Lincoln’s.
“Hi, what can I get started for you?” My morning shift at the drive-thru begins. The day I turned 14, I applied for my first job at Chick-fil-A. Eager to work, I rode my bike to the fast-food restaurant daily, hustling to serve customers the best I could. Surrounded by expo bags, beeping machines, and the controlled chaos of working in the second-largest chain in America, I felt right at home. Over the next two years, I challenged myself to be a star employee, putting in 30-hour weeks while balancing my AP classes and basketball.
At this point, I had invested and saved my money and was able to buy my own car at the age of 15, before I was old enough to drive!
The pride I felt buying a car, collecting paychecks, and investing in the stock market motivated me further to explore options that didn’t include burning my fingertips or smelling like fried chicken. I wondered about what else I could do to earn money, but also have more control over my schedule. At the time, I was getting into thrifting and fashion, and while I was browsing the Goodwill bins, someone I met suggested that I start selling the clothes I found there. Doubtful, I didn’t think much of it at first. But the seed was planted, and the idea wouldn’t leave my mind. I posted a couple pieces on my Instagram story that I had found for sale, but nobody seemed particularly interested.
Still determined, I took a leap of faith and signed up for First Friday (a local vendors market). Using some money I had saved from Chick-fil-A, I paid the $100 registration fee and bought my first bale of vintage clothes. The idea was to buy clothes way under market value and sell them for profit. I started posting more clothes online but had no luck. Still working at Chick-fil-A, I started to tire of clocking in and out every day. Then, one lazy afternoon, I had my first online clothing sale: a vintage UF t-shirt. I was hooked.
Getting a sale gave me the confidence that I could really take off selling clothes, but I needed to figure out how to get higher-quality clothes and how to actually sell them.
I quickly learned that everything depended on networking. I spoke to everyone I could about business models, pricing, listing, what to buy, and what to pass on. Come First Friday, I was eager to have a real shot at selling, and after deducting the registration fee and buying lunch for my friends who helped me, I had grossed almost $600. Blown away, I decided to go all in. Today, I sanitize clothes, process inventory, and ship packages around the world out of my garage in Lakeland, Florida. The oldest of my six siblings, I often have to wait my turn to do the laundry. I also help friends or people I meet online set up their own businesses, sending out tutorials and bulk orders of clothing for them to sell for themselves. Besides the obvious goal of earning money, I’m proud that I’m doing my small part to save the planet from the effects of fast fashion, keeping waste out of landfills and helping make the fashion cycle circular.
Now, instead of bagging fast food orders at Chick-fil-A, I’m bagging up clothing orders on my own time, listening to music or podcasts while I’m working.
I decide my hours and can work around my school schedule. I love how I shifted the narrative from me serving people to people coming to me with a want that I can fulfill. My business has taught me the importance of networking and hard work, both values I will certainly use in the future. When I walk by a Chick-fil-A on my future college campus, I’ll remember how far I’ve come.
July 2025
