KAGAWONG—A young Kagawong man was one of eight young people who had the opportunity to learn business entrepreneurship this summer.
“I don’t know what the best part of the program was, it was all good, learning how to run every part of a business and getting to do this working at home,” stated Andrew Theijsmeijer, one of eight young people who were celebrated at Tom Davies Square in Sudbury recently after having participated in the provincially funded Summer Company Program Ontario, hosted by the Regional Business Centre.
The program provides entrepreneurs between the ages of 15 and 29 with grants of up to $3,000, half of which go toward startup costs and the other half coming upon successful completion of the program.
Mr. Theijsmeijer was required to write a grant application for the program. Once he was approved for funding, he opened his business Island reBrick. The business website explains, “Are you on the hunt for your next Lego set or struggling to keep your kids entertained during the last few weeks of summer? Look no further than Island reBrick! Andrew is a master at sourcing, sorting and organizing second-hand pieces into complete sets for purchase. Each set includes all the individual pieces and instructions you need to build your masterpiece, all for a fraction of the cost of buying a new set. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to fuel your love for Lego and get creative.”
Mr. Theijsmeijer explained, “We bought a huge bin of loose, random pieces of Lego and then I put them together into sets that I have been selling at the Kagawong Market each week.”
He also took part in a weekly zoom meeting where the young entrepreneurs learned about business and business skills, dealing with the media and other business-related topics.
“Yes, this is my first year (in business) and yes, it has been a really good experience,” said Mr. Theijsmeijer, who just last week turned 15.
“I signed up for the program in early June and worked on it full-time at the end of June through July and August,” said Mr. Theijsmeijer. He noted he will probably not continue his business this fall as he wants to focus his attention on his high school studies but is considering having a booth at the Christmas market in Kagawong.
“We all took part in a ceremony on Thursday (August 17) and had the opportunity to meet the mayor of Sudbury and the other kids in the program. I was a bit nervous, but everything was great,” said Mr. Theijsmeijer.
“Congratulations to each of the young entrepreneurs who turned this passion into reality with support from the Summer Company Program,” said Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre in a statement. “Young entrepreneurs and businesses are vital to the growth of our community. I commend them for their ingenuity and hard work and urge Greater Sudbury residents to support our local businesses.”
“Not everyone can become an entrepreneur,” said Mayor Lefebvre, adding that it takes confidence for young people to put themselves out there. I commend them for their ingenuity and hard work. Greater Sudbury residents encourage and support our local businesses.”
The cohort of young entrepreneurs evaluated the feasibility of their ideas by developing business plans complete with financial projections and budgeting. Throughout the summer the students collaborated with the Regional Business Centre team to learn fundamental business principles such as marketing, sales strategies and financial management, which allowed them to effectively promote and sell their products and services within the community.
Summer Company is a program of the province of Ontario and is administered by the Economic Development Division’s Regional Business Centre in the Greater Sudbury, Sudbury-East, Manitoulin and Killarney regions. To participate in this program, secondary and post-secondary students must develop a realistic and comprehensive business plan and operate their business during the summer as their main source of employment.
