The Inspiring Story of Carter Bona - Autism, Entrepreneurship, and Purpose

This is the Beyond the Story podcast, a show that goes way beyond the story. And now, Sebastian Rusk! Hey Carter, welcome to the show. Hey, thanks for, uh, for being here. I appreciate you taking some time out of, uh, your day to, uh, hang out with me for just a few minutes and, and share your story of what you've actually created here, uh, with your golf apparel company. I love that. I love telling people stories on that as an avid golfer myself. Uh, got a phenomenal, uh, love for the game. So when I hear anything golf related, my ears always perk up and I always want to learn more about what someone's created. And I do that here on the podcast by telling, uh, the, you know, the story of how you actually created this. So for context purposes, I always like to go back to the beginning of the story for our listeners so they can better understand how this actually was all created. So let's back up for a minute and go back to the very beginning where you conceptualized this idea. You woke up one day and you said, you know what, I'm gonna create a golf apparel company, um, as a business. And then from there, I'm going to parlay that into a few different Ventures. I know you have a nonprofit as well, so I'd love to hear more about that. But before we do all that, let's back up for a minute and talk about how the story started. Yes. So during the pandemic, I was worried something would happen to my mom and dad and I wouldn't be able to take care of myself. And I wanted to start my own business so I wouldn't have to worry about having a mean boss or a bad work environment. I wanted to just have that security and have that job. So I went to my mom and I asked, hey, can I, can I start my own business? And she said no. And she just, she kept saying no and no for around 6 months until she finally just sat me down and asked if I did the research. And I did. And if I came up with a good business plan, she would invest in it and I would start it. And I had a couple of ideas at first, having a lemonade stand and selling rocks from our front yard. And those ideas weren't the best, but at the time I just started playing golf. And me and my mom were spending a lot of money on clothes, on golf clothes that weren't comfortable, and, you know, I didn't like wearing them because I have a skin sensitivity. So I have to pay close attention to what I buy and what I wear, or else I'll just be uncomfortable. So I went to Mom and I said, how about we start a clothing company where we make comfortable golf clothes so we can have comfortable golf clothes and so we can give them to people who have a skin sensitivity just like me. And I came up with the name Spectrum Golf because I'm highly functioning on the autism spectrum and I love playing golf. Golf is my favorite thing to do. It's my favorite sport and it's my happy place where I can just get away from whatever's stressing me out at the time or any of the problems I might have. I love that. So you've, you've taken your passion, something that interests you, a healthy distraction, uh, and, and, and created something that not only works for your own life and is extremely, uh, fulfilling for you, but you're, you're also bringing it out into the world so it can impact other people. Yes. I love that. So where, so where did you start to find all the clothes and how to make them and where to get them shipped and all that, designing them and all that stuff? So the first step in that was designing the logo and it's an SG, but when I was writing the G, I'm dyslexic and I wrote the G backwards and my dad said that it looked good. When I was about to fix it, and I'm like, yeah, it does look good. So I worked on it a bit, and that's how we got the logo. And for the material for the shirts, I think that was the most important part because again, you have to have a comfortable shirt. And we looked through a lot of materials and we found wicking polyester to be the best one because cotton, when you're playing golf, cotton absorbs more than 7% of your sweat. And, you know, we live in Florida and you're going to sweat a lot when you play golf, and you just don't want to feel weighed down when you're swinging and hitting. And wicking polyester only absorbs around 0.4% of your sweat, so that just leads to you, uh, cooling off faster and not being as sweaty when the round is over. Because when I put on the shirt and I played The sweat usually starts to dry out a lot faster than a cotton shirt. So that's how we got the materials. I got it. So, um, well, that's how you came up with which ones you were gonna use. That makes sense. So that's kind of like a dry fit material, right? Right. Okay, cool. Um, so, so where did you start to go like, I need to go find somebody who makes these shirts and can create them and create my designs and all that stuff? Is it like a— was there an existing company? Was it a manufacturer? How did it all work? So we started looking at a couple of manufacturers around the time we started the business, and one of the manufacturers was in Egypt. So we went to Egypt and we had a really good trip there, did a lot of business, and that was good. And what we do now is we get, we get the shirts And then we get the logo just printed on them, and then we— that's how we get the shirts. Got it. So you— okay, got it. So you, um, so the, the same company that makes the shirts prints the logos on it too? Yes. Cool. And do you have— do you find yourself having to, uh, keep a bunch of inventory, or is it based on print on demand? Oh, so We have a, we have a good amount of inventory. And what we do is that we just buy the inventory in bulk and just sell it out. And then once we're out of the inventory, we just buy it all over again. Sure. And, and, and where, uh, where are you selling the product at? So I go around doing golf events and I usually set up a booth. where I sell my stuff. And we have a website where you can also buy the shirts, carterspectrumgolf.com. Uh, we mostly do online shipping orders, but we do have a location where we sell it, and that's at the pro shop of the Country Club of Coral Springs. Okay, cool. So you've, so you've started to get them in some retail locations. Yes. Very cool. And how— and is, is the Coral Springs Country Club the only one you currently have it in? Yes, right now. Cool. How difficult is it to get in these clubs? I would say it's pretty difficult just finding the clubs and, you know, getting registered and getting into the private clubs and just getting to know everyone. And how we got it in the Country Club of Coral Springs is that I've already— I already had a great relationship with the course. I've been playing there for a couple years. I, I know everybody, and I was very, very good— I'm still very, very good friends with the pro of the golf course. And I think just the most important thing is just having that good relationship with everybody there and just taking the time to get to know everyone. Absolutely. And I just saw on your website, did you write a book too? Yes, I have my own book called Swinging Beyond the Spectrum. And it's about all of the challenges and struggles I had to get through and overcome in my life. And it goes over most of the things on why I started my business and what happened in my past to lead me to thinking about starting my own business. I mean, you know, some would, some would argue that being on the autism spectrum could be a challenge. I, I think that you've been able to completely reshape that entire thought process and utilize and leverage all of your— everything about you to, to your ability. I mean, you're a business owner, you're a published author, You're a golfer. I mean, there, there is no— I, you know, again, when you look at it, it's almost— I, I always say that, um, you know, I think about it like, uh, like vulnerability. I believe being vulnerable in life is a superpower, but I also believe there's other superpowers that we have that we're born with as well that some could view as a downside or a challenge. But again, back to mindset. It's the way that you look at it and what you choose to do with your life. And I, I gotta tell you, I am ridiculously encouraged by your story and what you've actually created here, Carter. This is nothing short of fantastic. I'm, you know, and, and you're a young guy as well too. How old are you? I'm 15. 15 years old. Okay, I'm 47. I feel like I've done nothing with my life now. Um, but Could you imagine where you're gonna be when you're in your 40s? Holy cow. So I'm, I'm encouraged. And when, when, when, when Jackie told me about you and your story and said, are you looking for podcast guests? I— our, our roster is pretty full, but when I heard about you and your story, I said, you know what, we're gonna find room and make room because I want to tell this guy's story on what you've actually created here because we need to continue to get the word out, um, about individuals like yourself that are just doing incredible, incredible things at such a young age as well. So hats off to you, a, a, a golf hat off to you on, on all your success and what you've done. But back in the pandemic, you know, I often say when I, when I, when I end some talks that I give, um, it all starts with the decision. And it starts right now. And you made that decision back in 2020. And even though mom said no, persistence almost often pays off. And eventually it didn't. Well, here you are 6 years later. Now look at you. Yeah. It's amazing. I'm encouraged by your journey and what you've been able to create here, Carter. You sent me a couple things before the interview. I know you got an upcoming golf tournament coming up. Let's talk about that. So, yes, I actually have a golf clinic coming up and I'm going to be doing it with a really good friend of mine. And we're going to— I'm going to go over on the 14th through the 16th, and I'm just going to make it a lot of fun and introduce a lot of new people to the amazing game of golf. Love that. Where's that gonna be at? It is going to be at Martha's Vineyard. And oh, up in, uh, in New England. Wait, no, right? Yeah, that's what the flyer said on it. It said Martha's Vineyard. Uh, yeah, it's beautiful up there. New England area. Yeah, there's lots of good lobster up there. If you like lobster, you gotta have some lobster up there. Yeah, I'm allergic, but I do think the taste is really good. Okay. All right, fair enough. I think they call it Martha's Vineyard up there in New England. Well, that sounds amazing. And I am, um, we're gonna share the link to your website, a link to your book, so people can, uh, learn more about you in addition, uh, to, uh, this interview and what we've done. Uh, buddy, I want to just continue to encourage you to keep up the great work. You're doing work that matters. Most importantly, you're not just starting a business to make money. Money's a byproduct of doing what you love. You love golf, you love creating things, you clearly love business, you love helping people, and those are all, uh, contributing factors, uh, to the recipe of success. So continue doing what you're doing right now. You're doing a phenomenal job. I'm inspired, and I know the other— the The other people that are around you and that are going to meet you are going to be inspired as well. Can you share some final thoughts with our listeners? Yes. And my final thoughts are to just stay positive. You're going to go through rough times where things aren't looking good, but if you just stay positive and stay persistent and just never give up, things will get so much better. Phenomenal final thoughts, Carter. Keep rocking, brother. Um, I am, uh, I haven't been this encouraged on a podcast in a while, and I do— I record a lot of podcasts. So, uh, thank you for your time and for pouring into my life today through this podcast interview, buddy. And thank you for having me here. It was really fun. Cool, man. I had a lot of fun as well too. It's my pleasure. Thanks again, bud. Thank you. Until next time, friends. Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode of the Beyond the Story podcast. Be sure to If you haven't done so already, make sure you're subscribed to the show. This way you'll get updates as new episodes become available. If you feel so inclined, please leave us a review. We sure do appreciate it. Signing off from the podcast, launchlab.com studios. We'll talk to you next time. Thank you.