Adam Prudhomme
Editor
NDSS Business students Marshall McFarland and Adrianna Brak will be turning class assignments into money making ventures this summer after receiving a grant from the Ontario Government’s Summer Company program.
Under the guidance of teacher Nancy Savage, the students researched and developed their own startup business idea as part of a course which studies entrepreneurship. For most students the assignment was focused on businesses that were just hypothetical. These two took their ideas one step further, submitting them to Summer Company with the intent of actually launching their businesses this summer. They were then selected among thousands of submissions from students aged 15-29 across Ontario.
McFarland will run Goliath Merch, which sells licensed clothing online.
“It’s an e-commerce website based on licensed merchandise for movies, television, video games and music,” explains McFarland. “We’ve got hats, sleep pants, shirts, hoodies, everything for all kinds of brands or movies like Harry Potter, or tv shows like Game of Thrones.”
Using Shopify, he’s able to download applications to connect with wholesalers who provide a wide range of licensed merchandise. He’s then able to sell the products at market value, capable of shipping all over.
Brak’s business it called Upcycle, which sees her repurposing and updating old furniture.
“All through high school I’ve done art so I’m trying to incorporate my artistic side with my reconstructions,” said Brak, who credited her grandmother with getting her involved with the process of up-cycling.
Her furniture creations often include finding new uses for discarded items, such of smashing up clay pottery for a new furniture finish or breaking up compact discs to create a shiny backsplash. She gets her supplies through donations, yard sales and thrift stores.
Through Summer Company, the Grade 11 students will each receive $1,500 in provincial funding to start up their business and are eligible to receive another $1,500 at the end of the summer if they stick with the program. The first $1,500 must be used to launch their business-McFarland plans to use his grant on advertising and computer upgrades while Brak’s money will go towards art supplies. The second $1,500 given at the end of the summer is theirs to spend however they see fit.
“This is how I figured out how to run a business,” said McFarland, crediting his teacher for showing him how to get started. “I did Grade 9 Business and I took Marketing. The Entrepreneur course, if I didn’t have this I wouldn’t have been able to figure how to run my business. It helped so much.”
Brak says she’s looking to continue to operate the business beyond this summer.
“If it goes well maybe I’ll expand it to more than just furniture,” she said. “You can repurpose shirts into bags.”
McFarland’s business can be found at www.GoliathMerch.com. While Brak can be found through Facebook at AdriannaUpCycle as well as at the Greater Napanee Hometown Market.