What started with a small Pokemon card purchase has turned into a business worth millions of dollars. Andres Fernandez, a Miami-based entrepreneur, left college after just one semester and decided to take a chance on something he had enjoyed since childhood. Years later, that decision has helped him build a collectibles business that generated $7.8 million, or around Rs 74.4 crore, in sales last year.
Andres Fernandez is the founder of MintlyCollects, a collectibles company focused largely on Pokemon cards. The business is now growing rapidly and is reportedly on track to cross the $10 million mark in sales this year. His story is a reminder that a hobby can sometimes become a serious business when combined with the right timing, persistence and willingness to take risks.
Andres Went To College Because His Mother Wanted Him To
Andres Fernandez did not enter college with a clear business plan. He enrolled in business school largely because his mother wanted him to pursue a conventional career path. However, he soon realised that the course was not something he wanted to continue.
“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.”
That decision changed the direction of his life. Instead of spending years studying business before entering the corporate world, Fernandez decided to learn by actually running a business.
It was a risky move. At the time, Pokemon cards were still largely viewed as a childhood hobby by many people. Fernandez, however, began seeing an opportunity in the growing collectibles and resale market.
A $5 Pokemon Pack Changed Everything
Interestingly, Andres Fernandez was not initially a serious Pokemon card collector. According to the account shared with Business Insider, his connection with Pokemon began primarily through the video games.
The turning point came when he purchased a $5 card pack at Target as a gift for his cousin. Inside that pack was a rare card that was worth nearly $100. The discovery immediately caught his attention.
A five-dollar purchase had potentially turned into a card worth close to $100. For Fernandez, that was enough to explore the market further. He started putting his spare money into additional card packs. He also began posting his discoveries online and studying how the resale market worked. Instead of treating the cards only as collectibles, he started looking at them from a business perspective.
From Instagram Lives To A Growing Audience
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After leaving college, Fernandez committed himself to the Pokemon card business full-time. He began using Instagram Live sessions to showcase cards and sell them directly to viewers. The strategy helped him build an audience. His following eventually reached around 30,000 people.
The growth was important because Fernandez was not simply selling products. He was creating a community around them. Live video allowed customers to watch cards being opened, learn more about different sets and potentially buy cards during the sessions. His major breakthrough came in late 2020.
Live-shopping platform Whatnot launched its Pokemon division and selected Fernandez as one of its first five official streamers. The opportunity gave him access to a much larger audience and helped accelerate the growth of his business. What had started with individual card sales was now becoming a much bigger operation.
A $150,000 Loan Helped Him Scale
Building a collectibles business also required capital. As demand increased, Fernandez needed more inventory to keep his operation moving. He eventually took another major gamble by securing a $150,000 loan to expand his inventory.
For a young entrepreneur who had left college after one semester, taking on that level of financial risk was significant. But the decision allowed MintlyCollects to increase its stock and take advantage of the growing demand for Pokemon cards. The strategy eventually paid off.
Today, MintlyCollects operates across multiple streaming accounts and has built a combined following of more than half a million people. The scale is a dramatic change from Fernandez’s early Instagram Live sessions, when he was selling cards to a much smaller audience.
From Childhood Interest To Rs 74.4 Crore In Sales
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The numbers now attached to Fernandez’s business are a long way from the $5 pack that started his journey. MintlyCollects generated $7.8 million in sales last year. At roughly Rs 74.4 crore, the figure highlights just how large the collectibles market can become when online communities, live shopping and rare products come together. The company is also reportedly on track to exceed $10 million in sales this year.
That does not mean every Pokemon card becomes valuable. The collectibles market can be unpredictable, and prices depend on factors such as rarity, condition, demand and the popularity of particular sets or characters. Fernandez’s success came from understanding that market rather than simply buying cards and hoping their value would increase.
He Learned Business Without A Business Degree
One of the most interesting aspects of Fernandez’s story is that he did not have a traditional business education when he started. Instead, he learned through experience. He experimented with different ways of selling cards. He built an audience. He studied customer behaviour. He learned how live commerce worked. He took financial risks to expand his inventory.
There were also difficult years. Fernandez said he spent years without paying himself in order to put money back into the business and continue growing it.
“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.”
His comments underline a broader point about entrepreneurship. Finding an opportunity is only the beginning. Building something sustainable often requires patience, experimentation and the willingness to keep going without immediate financial rewards.
Why The Pokemon Card Business Took Off
Pokemon has a huge global fan base, but the collectibles market has also changed considerably with the rise of online communities and live commerce. Platforms such as Instagram and Whatnot have made it easier for sellers to reach collectors directly. Instead of depending entirely on physical stores, entrepreneurs can showcase their inventory to thousands of potential customers online.
For sellers such as Fernandez, this creates a combination of commerce and entertainment. Customers are not simply purchasing cards. They can also watch live openings, interact with sellers and become part of an online collecting community. That model has helped turn what was once a niche hobby into a significant business opportunity for some entrepreneurs.
The Bigger Lesson From Fernandez’s Journey
Fernandez’s story is not necessarily an argument for everyone to leave college. His journey worked because he found something he was genuinely interested in and then spent years learning how to turn that interest into a business. The crucial part was not simply dropping out. It was what he did afterwards.
He researched the market, built an audience, experimented with different sales channels and reinvested in his company. He also accepted financial risks and went through a period where he did not pay himself. That distinction matters.
A hobby alone does not guarantee a successful business. But when an individual identifies genuine demand and learns how to serve that market, an unusual opportunity can emerge.
From Pokemon Fan To Million-Dollar Entrepreneur
Andres Fernandez’s journey began with a $5 Pokemon card pack and a rare card worth nearly $100. It eventually led him away from business school and into full-time entrepreneurship. MintlyCollects has now grown into a multimillion-dollar collectibles business, with $7.8 million in sales last year and a target of crossing $10 million this year.
His experience also highlights how dramatically the business landscape has changed. Entrepreneurs today can build audiences, sell products and create communities without necessarily following the traditional corporate path. For Fernandez, Pokemon cards were more than a childhood interest. They became the foundation of a business that has grown far beyond what he could have imagined when he bought that first $5 pack.
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