31.08.2026 11:20
Andres Fernandez, who left university after only one semester, turned his childhood passion for Pokémon cards into a million-dollar business. Focusing on card sales, the company he founded reached a sales volume of $7.8 million in 2025. The young entrepreneur managed to raise this figure to over $10-11 million in 2026.
Andres Fernandez, who lives in Miami, USA, turned his interest in Pokémon cards into a multi-million dollar business. Fernandez, who left the university where he was studying business after just one semester, devoted all his time to selling collectible cards.
Today, Fernandez, the founder and CEO of a company called MintlyCollects, connects his customers with Pokémon cards through the live selling platform Whatnot.
A $5 PACK CHANGED EVERYTHING
Fernandez's interest in the world of Pokémon dates back to his childhood. Fernandez, who had been playing Pokémon video games since he was 10, had his perspective on collectible cards changed by a gift he bought for his cousin.
Buying a pack of Pokémon cards for $5 for his cousin's birthday, Fernandez saw that the pack contained a card worth about $100.
After this event, he began to show more interest in card collecting.
HE WAS WORKING FOR $10 AN HOUR
At that time, Fernandez was working at a business for $10 an hour. As he started spending more and more money on Pokémon cards, he turned to creating content in this field.
Once his account reached about 30,000 followers, he started selling Pokémon cards through live streams on Instagram. In late 2020, he moved to the live selling platform Whatnot.
HE DROPPED OUT OF UNIVERSITY AFTER ONE SEMESTER
Fernandez, who started studying business at his mother's request, decided to leave his education after his first semester at university.
Fernandez, who turned selling Pokémon cards into a full-time job when he was just 20, handled almost all stages of the business alone in the early years. The young entrepreneur, who broadcast live six days a week, also took care of packing and shipping orders himself.
Fernandez did not even pay himself a salary during the first two and a half years of his business.
HE TOOK A $150,000 RISK
As the business began to grow, Fernandez made another important decision. He invested $150,000 for his first large-scale purchase of sealed products.
As the workload increased, Fernandez started getting support from his friends and family, and his team grew over time. Today, the company employs people including his brother, girlfriend, and childhood friend. The company has 10 live stream hosts.
SALES MORE THAN DOUBLED IN TWO YEARS
According to figures announced by Fernandez, the company made $3.7 million in sales in 2024.
This figure rose to $7.8 million in 2025. Fernandez expects the company's sales to exceed $10 to $11 million in 2026.
Fernandez, who turned his interest in Pokémon cards into trade, founded a company that reached an annual sales volume of millions of dollars on the journey he started after leaving university.