College Drop Turns Pokemon Cards Into Rs 74.4 Crore Business, Shares Details

Andres Fernandez, a Miami‑based entrepreneur, recently shared how he turned a childhood hobby into a lucrative business. During a conversation with Business Insider, he recalled how his life changed when he decided to drop out of business school. He admitted he had only enrolled because his mother wanted him to. But he took a gamble on a childhood pastime of Pokemon cards, which most people leave behind in elementary school. 

"When I signed up for college, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I was going because my mom was making me, and I was studying business, which I found cliche,” Fernandez said. "After just one semester, I dropped out to be a full‑time Pokemon card seller. Rather than getting a business degree to work a corporate job, I ended up building a real business that's mine."

Now he runs MintlyCollects, a collectables company that generated $7.8 million (around Rs 74.4 crore) in sales last year and is on track to cross $10 million this year.

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Fernandez wasn't originally a card collector, as according to the media outlet, he grew up playing Pokemon video games. The turning point came when he bought a $5 card pack at Target as a gift for his cousin. 

The set contained a rare card worth nearly $100. The profit margin caught his attention, and soon he was investing his spare cash in new packs, posting his finds online, and learning the resale market.

After dropping out, Fernandez committed full‑time to building his brand. He then hosted Instagram Live sessions and sold cards directly to an audience that grew to 30,000 followers. His big break came in late 2020 when live‑shopping platform Whatnot launched its Pokemon division and selected him as one of its first five official streamers.

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Without a formal business degree, Fernandez relied on trial, error, and persistence. He later took a bold step by securing a $150,000 loan to scale his inventory, a risk that paid off. Today, MintlyCollects operates across multiple streaming accounts with more than half a million combined followers.

"I sacrificed years paying myself zero dollars to get where I'm at," he said. "The idea that you can just go with the flow and everything will work out may have been true in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, but we're in a different era now. Find a direction and an interest. If something isn't working, pivot. If you're in tech, go work for a company for free. Volunteer, gain experience, and you'll figure something out."