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Career > Her20s

Bailee Cotrone and Kaitlyn Torres Make Waves With Their Small Business Sunrays

Hannah Tolley
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter.

Meet Bailee Cotrone and Kaitlyn Torres: the South Florida creators behind the small business Sunrays. Before they were co-workers, they were friends. They first connected through an old friend. Bailee and her boyfriend would sell surfboards which eventually caught the eyes of Kaitlyn. After Kaitlyn had purchased a surfboard from Bailee’s boyfriend, Bailee reached out to do a photoshoot of Kaitlyn and her boyfriend! They didn’t talk much after that until Bailee reached out again to ask Kaitlyn to attend a photoshoot with her for a TikTok creator’s merchandise. At that shoot, Kaitlyn and Bailee clicked instantly! A few days later, the creator’s merch dropped. Cotrone and Torres were shocked at how much it was being sold for. That is when the first ideas of a small business sparked. The two realized they both shared a common goal of creating apparel that was affordable for everyone. 

Their small business took flight on Aug. 6, 2021. Sunrays’ first launch included totes, earrings, tumblers, stickers and shirts. Since then, they have expanded their items even more. Sunrays has the cutest beachy apparel inspired by the sea from flower rings, crewnecks and backpacks. All of their products range from $1.25 to $45. It is hard to find high-quality apparel for a reasonable price, but this duo has your back! 

Her Campus (HC): How did Sunrays startup?

Kaitlyn Torres (KT): We started Sunrays when we figured we could make super cute things that are affordable. We both love the beach, so we knew we wanted the business to have something to do with the ocean! 

HC: What is the mission behind the small business?

KT: Our mission with Sunrays is to make everyone happy and to sell products that are handmade with love. We eventually want to donate to 4ocean once our business grows!

HC: What are your hopes for the future of the business?

KT: Our hopes are to grow, eventually rent out a warehouse and hopefully sell out in one of our future launches. 

HC: What are your hobbies outside of the business? 

Bailee Cotrone (BC): My hobby when I am not working is photography! 

KT: My hobbies include fishing and hanging at the beach!

woman surfing at sunset
Photo by Rafael LeĂŁo from Unsplash

HC: What is your favorite product and why? 

KT: Our favorite product has to be the crewneck! When coming up with the design we wanted to have something that embodied both of our personalities. Our crewneck shows both our boho and oceanic side! (The crewneck can be found here!) 

HC: What is next for Sunrays?

KT: What’s next for Sunrays is our adventure collection! This collection will either include beanies or bucket hats. 

HC: What would you say to someone who also wanted to start a small business?

KT: I’d say just do it because you never know what could happen! 

All of their products can be found on their Etsy page! To stay up to date on all of their launches you can follow the Sunrays’ Instagram. The future is bright for this small business, and they will continue to share their love for the ocean through affordable apparel and jewelry. Halloween is just around the corner, so make sure to celebrate the holiday with Sunrays’ Spooky Season ghost shirt, hoodie or Autumn tote! As a thank you for supporting their small business, you can get 15-percent off your order with the discount code: OURGIFT2U15. 

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Hannah Tolley is a contributing writer under the Entertainment and Culture vertical. She covers entertainment releases, fan theories, pop culture news, and more. Aside from Her Campus, Hannah was also a member of the Florida State University (FSU) Her Campus team. During her time with the chapter, she served as a staff writer for three semesters, where she wrote biweekly pieces across campus, culture, and personal verticals. She also was a content editor for two semesters, where she led a team of 6+ writers and oversaw and edited their articles. Hannah was also an editorial intern for Her Campus during her spring and summer term of her second year in college. As an intern, she worked alongside the full-time edit team to curate timely and evergreen pieces across life, culture, career, and style verticals. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from FSU in May 2023, with a Bachelor of Science in Media/Communication Studies with a minor in English. When she's not dissecting the latest pop culture events, you can find her reading a cheesy romance novel or establishing parasocial relationships with fictional TV characters. She loves to rewatch her favorite shows (Gilmore Girls, One Tree Hill, and Friends) or spend the day going down a rabbit hole of reality dating shows.