Custom keyboards, a summer hockey league, sweet corn, vehicle detailing and video editing all have what in common? If you guessed they’re all associated with a summer jobs program targeted at exposing interested young people to entrepreneurism, you would be correct.
Five Stratford-area students were introduced as the latest entrepreneurs thanks to Summer Company, a provincially-funded program that issues grants to students between 15-29 to help with their business startup aspirations.
Cue the keyboards.
Riley Cant began Keyboard Wizard because he saw a gap in the market for custom keyboards that he felt not only needed to be filled but that he was the one to do it.
“I decided to start this business because it’s something I was already doing and now I can help provide an accessible way for people to have a really cool custom keyboard,” he said. “I’ve always been a hands-on person and doing this kind of thing for a number of years; I’ve built my own PCs and keyboards - it’s something I love to do.”
Cant is also looking at what comes after summer holidays and beyond the end of secondary school, saying the portability of his business will allow him to extend the life of Keyboard Wizard well into the future.
“I can be doing this out of my dorm room when I go away to university,” he said. “And I plan on keeping the name, too, since I’m bringing magic to your fingertips.”
Some of Cant’s customers might want to wash their hands after trying out some of Vincent Voros’ product - sweet corn. Having grown up on a working farm, Voros didn’t have to think long about the type of business he wanted to grow from the ground up.
“My grandparents had a few acres they used to rent out but weren’t doing anything with, so I just jumped at the chance to do this,” he said. “I’m hoping that being in this program will teach me more about the business side of farming and how I can learn and apply it to my work. I’m pretty good at the planning side of things, but I know I need to learn more about the business of farming. Hopefully after I’m finished at university, I’ll be able to make something of this.”
Getting five different types of businesses started up as a result of this program’s investment is something Holly Mortimer, the Stratford Perth Business Centre’s business advisor, is excited about. Having that kind of exposure to entrepreneurship at this age is something that will help determine a student’s interest in it long-term.
“The big thing is that teenagers get to feel like they’re making a difference by doing this, but they’re learning a lot as they do it,” she said. “They’ll take charge of their finances and make business decisions, but we’re not measuring if they make a profit. We’re looking at the experience and if they enjoyed it or not - so many times students will leave post-secondary school and start a business but fail to stay with it because they’re overwhelmed and they struggle.”
The program has grown during Mortimer’s 14 years with the SPBC, and she’s happy to see more interest in it now that students understand it’s more than just free money from the government for the summer.
“We used to get only one or two kids interested in applying to the program before, but the jobs these kids have created for themselves - agriculture, technology, sports - are grounded in traditional things but have an eye on right now,” she said. “They can try things here in this market and find out what it’s like to grow something. It’s exciting when a plan meets an idea and a young person gets inspired and feels supported to take that kind of chance and see what they can do.”
