A group of nine young entrepreneurs took over Rainy Lake Square on Friday to test-drive each of their newly created businesses.
Kids ages nine-13 learned how to turn a profit through Head Start in Business’s Youth Enterprise Day Camp, that ran from July 22-26.
“It’s gone really well, we’ve had lots of fun,” Head Start in Business co-ordinator Cierra Parkhill lauded.
“It’s been a busy week for sure but they’ve been a really great group and the community support has been awesome as well.”
During the “market day” that was held at Rainy Lake Square, most of the campers sold out of their products and even took orders from customers to service them in the future.
“Turnout has been phenomenal . . . people were basically waiting right when we opened at 10 a.m., so it’s gone very well so far,” Parkhill noted a couple hours into the sale.
She said while its rewarding for those involved in the camp to see all of the kids hard work come together for the “market day,” it’s even more special for the young campers who got to see the effort they put into their businesses pay off.
During the five-day camp, those who attended were tasked with developing their own business and determining what products they wanted to create and sell.
The campers were then given a $15-$40 loan to purchase the supplies needed to make their products and paid it back following their sale at Rainy Lake Square.
The businesses ranged from selling handmade “squishies” to homemade dog treats.
Parkhill was impressed by how creative the camp attendees products were considering the remoteness and size of Fort Frances.
“We’re in a small community, we don’t have access to a ton of products, and we don’t have the time to order stuff off Amazon, so they’ve been very resourceful in overcoming certain obstacles and problems,” she lauded.
The groups excitement towards the camp and willingness to help one another with their projects was also amazing to see, according to Parkhill.
“They’re all interested, they’re all very curious and they want to be here,” she explained. “They want to learn about business, so their eagerness to learn has been very impressive as well.”
One of the highlights of the camp for those who attended was visiting Sunset Water Sports at the Sorting Gap Marina to learn about their business and go out tubing in their wakeboarding boat.
The campers also learned a lot from meeting with other local business owners such as Jennifer Horton from Curvy Chick and Ben Morelli at The Grind Up.
Camp participant Alexis Latter ,who created “Lexi’s Little Pet Pals,” said some of her favourite parts of the camp was meeting with and learning from successful entrepreneurs.
“It was really cool meeting people who have made their own business,” she lauded.
Latter’s business consisted of selling handmade pet toys braided out of old t-shirts and homemade treats for cats and dogs.
She told the Times that she hopes to carry the business forward and team up with a friend to offer an even broader range of pet products and services.
“We want to make it like a doggy daycare and take care of animals . . . when people are going away,” Latter explained.
Fellow camper, David Morrison who created the business, “Rainy Lake Coasters” said he started it to address the lack of handmade and custom-designed coasters available in town.
Another purpose behind his business was to donate half of all his profits to the Canadian Cancer Society to help eradicate cancer and enhance the quality of life for those living with the disease.
Apart from the summer camp, Parkhill said Head Start in Business also tries to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs through in-class visits at local schools.
