Meet Kelly Hennessy | Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelly Hennessy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelly, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I grew up in New Jersey and we had a summer home. Every summer I was a life guard because I loved the sun and being outside. I always loved the water and nature. My sister and I then bought cabanas, umbrellas and chairs. We then decided to start renting them out because girls in the Palm Beach area love the Palm Beach aesthetic of the pink accents such as the Colony Hotel. Girls love taking photos and being creative so we then decided to expand and got a tea party and many other add ons. It’s always a hit for bachelorette parties and events/parties!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The brains – and the beauty – behind the brand of Hennessy Bikini, Kelly and Madison’s passion for fashion kicked in at an early age of about 9 years old. Ever since we were little girls, we’ve always loved fashion and swimwear and knew we wanted to pursue our dream of that. Being able to live so close to the beach made us realize this is what we want. Being able to combine the two is a dream come true for us.

Kelly and Madison, young entrepreneurs, managed to stay determined and to make their dreams come true during their college years. Skipping out on the college scenery and “supposedly” the best years of their life, to stay up until 2 most nights creating and designing their line, to busting their butts to make ends meet. But they’ve managed to still have fun at a young age. Both of which inspired the launch of their breakthrough swimwear in 2018.
Some people said they were crazy, that their designs were too tricky, that they were too young, too out-there to catch on, too this and too that, Madison and Kelly both remember. I guess they were wrong.

Kelly and Madison’s bedroom-inspired bikini line were an instant hit with women looking for swimsuits that made a fearless presentation. By ignoring trends, Hennessy Bikini started setting them which had grabbed the attention of the fashion and media.

This was not too bad for these two designers with no formal training – just a serious passion for swimwear. In fact, Kelly and Madison credits their success of their line in part to her self-taught design experience and intuition. We do what we want, without paying much attention to what other designers are doing. This creative freedom is what makes our swimwear so different, yet so trendy. Every woman is different but our swimwear reflects each customer’s individuality and their personality.

We love what we do and we feel like the luckiest people in the world, to be able to create something that honors women, their beauty, strength and personality, every day. With both the bikinis and with the umbrella rentals.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my friend was visiting I would take them to Palm Beach. I love being in Palm Beach. The vibe and aesthetic puts my mind at ease. My favorite is the Colony Hotel, grabbing lunch, laying by the pool and listening to the live band. The lobster roll there is really delicious. I also love taking a bike ride or roller blading on the Lake trail and and jumping off the pier after. There is so much to do around here it gets overwhelming! The Ben is also a really nice roof top bar that I like to go to at night for cocktails with my girlfriends.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Before the cabana rentals we started a swimwear line. So with each rental the girls get a bikini.

Hennessy Bikini (swimwear brand) is partnered with our Hennessy Beach Collective( umbrella rentals) brand.

Kelly credits her success to the outstanding team around her. Believe it or not, Hennessy Bikini is a family-run enterprise, with Kelly and Madison’s father balancing the books as the company’s CFO.

Our family has been incredibly supportive and patient, says Madison. Our family has been a tremendous source of inspiration for us and have always believed in us.

The Hennessy sisters continue to find inspiration for their swimwear, not only from the people around them, but from the places they visit together. Being a traveler, we’re always on the lookout for new trends, textures, colors, tools and fabrics they can use for their designs.

we are VERY opinionated, especially with bikinis, beauty, the Palm Beach lifestyle, products and many other things. We wanted to be able to reach people and inspire other young girls.

We grew up in New Jersey and spent our summers at our beach house there. We were always in the sun, ocean, worked as lifeguards, and found anyway to be outside; we loved this lifestyle. We knew we wanted it forever and that is when the big change happened. We decided to move to Palm Beach because we always felt at ease by the water and because there is always something to do. In New Jersey, we felt trapped and thought we had no way out. We grew up near farms and it wasn’t really our lifestyle – we wanted something new. I’m sure many people go through seasonal depression and hate winters just like we do. It’s easier said than done though. It was very hard moving away from everything we once knew and to start over, but we knew we didn’t want to be there forever. The timing was ready at the moment; we had just finished highschool. We wanted to try something new and explore life. We didn’t see much for ourselves and our future in New Jersey. We always knew we were meant for something more, a small little city. I could sense it. Living in Palm Beach now, I miss the snow storm every once in a while, but couldn’t be more blessed that we are here today.

Yes, our life may look amazing online but there are many, many things nobody knows about. Social media plays a huge role in our generation and I know this takes a toll on everyone once in a while. Comparisons start to happen, “what ifs” starts to happen, “why does their life look so amazing online?” “how do they get to travel so much?” “they’re relationship has goals”. The list can go on forever. People only share the good parts of their life which is why it was so hard to see if people felt the same way I did. I never saw anyone on Instagram battling depression, anxiety, acne etc. People only show the best parts of their life which is why I needed a break from everything. Being able to write about these things was like therapy for me.

I was just doing it as a hobby, but never would I think that a little hobby would turn out into what it is today. I am so thankful for everyone that’s followed me since day one, especially my family and friends. It’s important to surround yourself with people who believe in you instead of laughing at you. I’m proud to say I have a great support system behind me and they have helped me provide great content.

My sister and I have always been into photography and modeling which all lead us to this. I think being in this generation and being able to access the internet so quickly could both be a blessing and a curse. Being able to use the internet to show you our passion, talking to you, inspiring you, while making money from it is a dream come true. We could never see ourselves sitting behind a desk working 9-5 doing something we were not passionate about and making money for someone else to get rich. We knew we wanted to step out of our comfort zone and do this; being able to connect with many people.

We want 2 things in life… Security and freedom. We want to be able to raise a family and make money by being able to work from home one day. We are so fortunate you guys show us so much support. These two words, security and freedom mean to have the freedom of being able to do what we want, when we want. We have always had an entrepreneurial mindset and wanted to be the boss of ourselves. We are so lucky to be able to be best friends, sisters and have the same passion. While going to school full time, working and trying to manage a bunch of other things, we always make time for our photoshoots and each other. I can’t even imagine who I would be without my sister/best friend and what I would be doing today. Being able to have people around you who inspire you is so important.

Website: hennessysisterss.com

Instagram: @hennessysisterss and. @hennessybeachcollective and. @hennessybikini

Image Credits
Madison Hennessy