Guelph’s young entrepreneurs promoted their new businesses at city hall on Wednesday.
The Summer Company is a program created by the provincial government and is offered through Business Centre Guelph-Wellington. It offers students ages 15 to 29 the opportunity to start their own businesses. They each receive $1,500 at the start and end of the program.
There are 11 businesses in the program and eight entrepreneurs came to the open house to showcase their businesses.
Evan Carr created his business, Travelling Gallery, inspired by his thrifting hobby. While he was out thrifting he bought a framed fabric art piece of a reproduction of The Dance Class by Edgar Degas. Carr wanted to repurpose it into clothing. Since he didn’t have experience sewing he asked his mom for advice because she makes wool clothing.
Together they cut up the fabric canvas and sewed pieces of it to thrifted sweaters. He found other patterns on pillow cases, table runners and tapestries to sew on thrifted clothes. He’s expanded the clothing line to include long sleeve shirts, t-shirts and eventually pants.
Carr repurposes clothing and material to avoid the trap of fast fashion where the trends change faster than the seasons and workers who make the clothes don’t get paid much.
His clothing is all one-of-a-kind. Through the Summer Company he wants to grow his business and make connections so he can continue to sell his product. It’s been successful so far. This last weekend he sold 60 sweaters at Hillside Festival.
Like Carr, Kaif Momin also turned his hobby into a business. Momin enjoys taking photos and decided what better way to use his skills than starting a viable money-generating business called HomeClick Photography. Real estate photography is his focus.
The Summer Company has helped him get better at networking. “It taught me to keep pushing myself and get more and more customers,” said Momin.
He’s not shy and will cold call real estate agents to offer his services. Along with real estate photography he also provides 3D home tours.
Jessica Zhang wants to bring out her customers' inner-child by making them remember their childhood memories with her tote bag, t-shirt and sticker business called Nostalgic Dreams. She was inspired by the old animation styles from cartoon characters and movies like Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Steamboat Willie. All of her designs are hand drawn.
She wants to grow her business through the Summer Company program and create an online store.
Totus Fidelis, is the name of Taryn Edmond’s tote bag and rosary bracelet business. She’s always enjoyed creating things and thought the student business program would be a great place to start. She said it's been a great experience for her to learn how to promote her business.
Sisters Acadia and Brianna Clarke both started their own businesses. Acadia created Bark Bitez, a dog treat business she started at home. She makes healthy treats with ingredients like pumpkin, peanut butter and sweet potato. Brianna started Greenwheelie Lawn Care and she’s learned the importance of customer service through the program.
Nolan Panchuk has been going door-to-door with his window cleaning business called Window Solutions. He has 13 clients for July and hopes with the money he makes he can buy a car.
“Marketing is key. I think that’s a massive part of starting a business. If you don't have good marketing, then you're not going to get your clients, you're not going to get your recognition that you try to get,” said Panchuk.
Connor Rosie has been making wood carved gifts for his friends and family the last couple of years. He’s taken his skills to start Connor’s Custom CarveWorks. His advice to other young entrepreneurs is to start their businesses one small step at a time.
