Meet Riley Hydock | Founder of Pool Boy & Full time student

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

Hi Riley, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have always been an extremely creative person. Ever since I was a child, I enjoyed creating things with my hands, and bringing the ideas I had in my head to life. Later in life, my entrepreneurial side came out. From a slime business in middle school, to jewelry and sweatshirts in highschool, I truly found a passion I knew would stick with me for the rest of my life. People always asked me what I wanted to do when I was older, and I never knew how to answer that question- but I know now for sure, that it is running my own company, from a creative standpoint as well as a business perspective. Pool Boy came to life after my freshman year of college, when I was feeling uninspired and low after not putting work towards something I really wanted to do. That summer, I ordered samples, made many mood boards, and slowly pieced together my creative vision into a brand!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
At 21 years old, I am still a college student. I currently attend College of Charleston, and the love and support from this creative community are what keep me feeling inspired 24/7. Starting Pool Boy in a city 10 minutes from the ocean just felt right, and I feel like Charleston has brought out all the amazing things I wanted for my business. I struggled in highschool expressing myself creatively, and, like many, always worried what someone would have to say about me. That is definitely still one of my biggest challenges, and I am actively working past it. A huge lesson i’ve learned within this past year and a half of starting Pool Boy from the ground up, is taking others advice, always asking questions, and putting yourself in the right place at the right time. I have made so many useful connections by just putting myself out there, going to club meetings, reaching out to those in a place I want to be in, and just asking questions. Being more outgoing is something I had to learn, but it definitely resulted in many benefits for my company!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I had a friend visiting Charleston, I would start the trip off with a breakfast at The Daily – it has the best healthy breakfast and coffee. Next, we would head over to Sullivans Island, and do a few hours walking the beach and getting a sandwich at Co-op! After heading back and getting ready for the night, we would hit King Street and take a walk down to broad where we would have dinner at Sorelle, we can end the night with a nightcap at Carmellas

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
No matter what idea I brought to the table, the first people to encourage me to go all in, were my parents. My mom definitely passed down her entrepreneurial spirit to me, and my dad his persistence and hard work to truly get to the goal you have set. If it weren’t for them, and their constant encouragement, I would have given up in the beginning. My sister and brother, have also been nothing but supportive, and will always help me out with anything I need even when they are away at school. Although I am not able to see my parents and siblings everyday like in high school, my college roomates are my number one supporters. They are always pushing me to be my best, and truly give me the confidence I need to keep going. They are the best, and I really couldn’t do my business and school without them. Love ya S,S&E!

Website: https://www.poolboybikinis.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poolboybikinis/profilecard/?igsh=cHhrcG8zajVjeDk0

Linkedin: rileyhydock

Image Credits
Erick Dent