Congratulations To Our Summer Company Graduates!

Over the course of the summer, we watched eight hard-working students start and grow their own businesses through our Summer Company program. Now that the program has come to an end for this year, we’d like to congratulate the dedicated young entrepreneurs by looking back at their successes.

Austin McCarthy started FlyGuys, which provides 45-60 second videos to showcase a homeowner’s property in relation to local points of interest. Austin recognized a niche market and established strong relationships with local real estate agents and photographers. During his time as a Summer Company participant, he learned about positioning and targeting a specific market and did extensive research in order to target the right audience. Austin has returned to university, where he plans to build his business in the town he will be living in. He’s excited about using and implementing what he learned in the Summer Company program, and will also continue to serve the clients he acquired in the South Georgian Bay area.

Ben Scholte founded the video production company Capture 2020, and it was clear that he had a very strong entrepreneurial spirit from the beginning. His company helps businesses create lead generating videos for social media platforms by developing a virtual brand that tells a story. He created a strong online presence for his business through a well-made website and active social media pages. From his experience in Summer Company and working with various clients, he learned valuable insight into invoicing and creating contracts for each project. He has a vision for his company to expand with the goal of bringing other artistic, millennial entrepreneurs together to create a travelling studio bus.

Chris Noakes founded Out and About Dog Walking and Pet Services for the Summer Company program. His company provides a personal and caring service to pet owners to relieve the guilt of leaving their pets home alone while they are at work. Chris is working towards a B. Sc in Zoology in the hopes of furthering his education in veterinary medicine, and owning this business allowed him to gain valuable hands-on experience working with pets and running a business.

Connor Girdwood started CG Sound, which is a company that creates royalty free music for film makers, content marketers, and more. The business started as a passion, when he started making music on his laptop in high school and decided that he wanted to try evolving it into a business. Over the course of the summer, Connor learned about developing a target audience and finding ways to reach out to them, and developed relationships with videographers in the area who use him to create soundtracks for their video projects.

Dylan Griggs founded and opened DG Automotive Detailing, and saw a steady stream of clients visiting his shop in Wasaga Beach over the course of the summer. Dylan improved his time management skills when it came to estimating the amount of time a job would take, and enjoyed interacting with and wowing his clients. He measured much of his success on the high volume of repeat patrons looking for his quality detailing. Dylan attends the automotive program at Georgian College where he plans to use the profits from his company to help pay for his tuition. He’s also continuing to run his business while in school and is researching expansion to a location in Toronto.

Eric Foster started Student Scrubs Mobile Auto Detailing for the Summer Company program and grew his client base for his services through targeted marketing and strong delivery of customer service. Eric studies Marketing in school, and this opportunity allowed him to use his academic studies and apply his knowledge in a real world, hands-on environment. He saw firsthand what a benefit it is for a business to have active and professional social media pages, as these channels became a way for him to reach potential clients. He’s grateful for the qualified support he received in the Summer Company Program, and he said it was a tremendous experience.

Kate Wessel founded CommuniKate, which provides professional photography, videography, and social media management services to businesses and some families. Kate has a very professional online presence and she always makes sure she exceeds her client’s expectations. Kate developed a professional website along with a strong social media presence that has helped her connect with potential clients and show them what is possible when using her services. Over the course of the summer she secured contracts for local events and small businesses including The Creative Space, The Beer Bus, The Crew, and The Collingwood Elvis Festival. Her works appeared online and in several print publications locally. Kate has returned to high school where she plans to grow her business and continue on the path of entrepreneurship.

Megan Swinwood-Sky started Sky Media and Marketing, a digital marketing company that aims to help businesses extend their social media platform to reach new clients and increase revenues. Megan is a high school student with aspirations of studying Engineering in university, however she was able to use her social media knowledge and artistic abilities to create a profitable business with the help of the Summer Company program. At the beginning of the summer Megan said that learning more about web design was one of her personal objectives, and by the end of the summer she could proudly say that she achieved that goal by helping with website updates for a local business. She plans to continue picking up contracts during the school year, because she wants to continue to work for herself and to learn valuable skills while saving money for her post-secondary education.