Students at Yorkton Regional High School got a first hand look at the challenges involved in setting up a business. The kids in the Entrepreneurship 30 class Junior Achievement Program each set up a business, selling a product and trying to make a profit, and presented their experience to the Yorkton Chamber of Commerce Business Breakfast.
The three businesses were called Custom Cottons, Rustic Elegance and Perennial Times, selling custom T-shirts, barn board home decor and organic beauty products respectively. The businesses sold their products through local trade shows, social media and other sales in the area, and each made a profit larger than the students projected.
All three businesses donated 10 per cent of their profits to a local charity. Custom Cottons donated $92 to Paws and Claws Animal Rescue. Rustic Elegance donated $133.61 to the Amputee Coalition of Canada, in honour of the person who owns the land where the barn used for the project – Joe Stachura – who is an amputee due to a farm accident. Perennial Times donated to the Chad Young family, a local student currently fighting cancer.
Daniel Sparrowhawk, president of Perennial Times, says that it was definitely educational for him, as he had not attempted to run a business before and didn’t know what it would entail.
His own business, Perennial Times, saw a fair amount of challenge through the process. Sparrowhawk says that the biggest challenge was at the beginning, as the cost of the product and the time it took to produce the product were big obstacles for the group, especially as the students had responsibilities outside of the business itself. Their business in particular also had large initial start up costs, though they were able to come in under budget. There was also some conflict between group members, but he says that they were able to work through problems and work together in the end.
While he says he doesn’t see owning a small business in his future, Sparrowhawk says that the skills learned through the project will help him through the rest of his life. He recommends other students sign up for the Entrepreneurship 30 class for that reason, as he says it’s a valuable experience.
“The stuff that it took to own and operate a business I definitely see in my future.”
Juanita Polegi, Executive Director of the Yorkton Chamber of Commerce, says the students show that the future of business in Yorkton and area is in good hands.
“Those students, not just the ones presenting today but the ones at home who worked with these students, had some really valuable experiences in the Entrepreneurship 30 class in the Junior Achievement program.”
