This summer, five young adults will be running their own businesses thanks to a locally-run program mentoring and supporting young entrepreneurs.
This year’s Summer Companies include custom-made dog bowls, a marketing consultant, an outdoor gym, in-store product demonstrations, and a youth film company.
Summer Company is a provincially funded program for students aged 15-29, and it is facilitated in Collingwood by the South Georgian Bay Small Business Enterprise Centre.
Each successful applicant receives some start-up cash, as well as business-minded mentorship and hands-on training.
All five new entrepreneurs were at Staples today to launch their businesses.
McKay Barr, a 17-year-old student at Collingwood Collegiate Institute has started his own company making customized barnboard raised dog and cat food dishes under the name Barrk Bowls.
He said he got the idea two years ago when a neighbour gave his family some old barn board. His family dog, Coach, is an eight-year-old Golden Retriever, and Barr learned about the health benefits of a raised food bowl for dogs.
Last week he had a booth at the farmers’ market where he sold the dishes for the first time.
He’s been able to use the start-up money from Summer Company to buy tools and promotional materials for his company. He’s donating 10 per cent of his profits to Georgian Triangle Humane Society.
Olivia Wilding-Davies has started Next Level Promotions, and is working as an in-store demonstrator for companies with food or beverage products already in store looking for more promotion.
She’s from Thornbury and is currently attending Carleton University for Global Health. She thought starting her own company would help her learn more about business.
She used to help her father, owner of Ashanti Enterprises, by sampling coffee on the weekends, and she’s used those skills to get clients of her own.
She used the Summer Company startup money to buy supplies like trays and tablecloths to allow her to set up promotions in store.
Alexis Sullivan, currently in third year at University of Guelph for marketing hopes to turn her Summer Company, Escarpment Marketing, into a full-time job when she’s graduated.
She is offering marketing services including web and graphic design, social media promotion, and online marketing for businesses. Her goal is to help businesses increase online traffic and engagement.
She said she’s always enjoyed marketing and has always wanted to be an entrepreneur. She used the start-up money for computer software and business licensing costs.
John Cardillo Jr. just graduated from Collingwood Collegiate Institute, and has launched his company 43 Figure Films, a youth-based production company. He’s already written and produced a narrative film called Senior Year, which addressed domestic abuse. He donated the proceeds to My Friend’s House.
He’s hoping his film company will allow him to follow his passion of creating films, while also providing him with an outlet to help his community.
He used the money from the Summer Company grant toward a production budget for a documentary film he’s working on about youth homelessness in Collingwood.
Joshua Burella has been working on his business since 2015 with his brothers, when they launched the brand Primitive Patterns. The business model is to offer health experiences - currently there’s a “gym membership” giving clients access to an outdoor workout program in Collingwood, and the group will be offering destination-based retreats in Nicaragua.
The idea behind the brand is to focus not just on physical fitness, but on mental wellness and on reconnecting with nature.
Burella said he used the start-up funds to buy equipment for the outdoor workouts, which gets used every day. His goal this summer is to provide good experiences to his clients and to build the brand further. He said the one-on-one support from South Georgian Bay Small Business Enterprise Centre has been very helpful in working toward that goal.