by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
COBDEN — A teenager likes to sleep … but also wants to work. What does he do?
He starts his own business and opens mid-morning so he can be the best he can be.
Brendan Hennessy heard about Enterprise Renfrew County’s Summer Company program, applied and was accepted.
He recently opened his business, B’s Tees and operates it from an office located at 34 Main Street in Cobden. This location is well known, as it’s Daphne’s Fabrics and E. A. Ted Barron Insurance Brokers.
Brendan takes your design and puts it onto a t-shirt. But, he will also create a t-shirt design for you. However, since beginning the business on June 26, it’s already expanded to include shopping bags.
Brendan’s first t-shirt job was to create a summer shirt specific to Cobden — and he did. The Mussie t-shirt. The t-shirt was once popular years ago and he’s bringing it back.
“I was busy before Canada Day,” he said.
He also has his first company job — creating Family Day t-shirts for Renfrew County.
The t-shirts must be a certain material to be hot-pressed, so he suggests his customers can do one of two things — bring in a t-shirt to see if it’s suitable or order the t-shirts through him.
If he can use the t-shirt the customer brings in, a t-shirt can be created within a short period of time. However, if he needs to order in the t-shirt, if he has none in stock, allow for about a week’s notice, Brendan advised.
His office is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“I like to sleep in,” he said.
Since he’s not able to drive yet, he cycles in to work
He can also be found at the Cobden Farmers Market Saturday mornings, 8 a.m. until noon.
If you are having a special event, Brendan can also bring his equipment to the event and create t-shirts on the spot.
He is already booked at a few ball tournaments this summer.
Brendan was able to begin his business through the county’s Summer Company Program.
But, he’s not alone.
There are nine county high school and post secondary students who took advantage of the $3,000 available through the program, which is in its 15th year. The students are from Whitewater Region, Laurentian Valley, Madawaska Valley, McNab/Braeside, Petawawa, Deep River and Arnprior.
The program runs for eight weeks for high schoolers (12 for those university or college students participating), and starts with a grant of $1,500 to cover start-up and operating costs. At the end of the program, as long as the student has kept up with mid-summer trainings and other program obligations, another $1,500 cheque awaits them, but only if they will be returning to school in the fall.
A Grade 9 student at Opeongo High School, Brendan heard about the program from a former participant and decided to apply.
He created a business plan, went through the interview process, was accepted and has attended the necessary meetings so far.
“My mom (Julie Hennessy) was a big help,” Brendan said. “She has her own business and helped me a lot.”
He learned how to register his business, create a bank account, write cheques, be customer-oriented and knows he has much more to learn.
“I went to the meeting in Carleton Place,” Brendan said. “The man who spoke is very successful and told us how to be successful. If you want to be happy, you have to make your customer happy.
“It was very educational,” he said.
With the start-up funding, Brendan purchased various items, including t-shirt stock and a printer. He noted the money had to be spent and receipts kept.
He said Kim Fraser is his mentor and so far has been quite helpful in giving him tips and ideas on how to make B’s Tees a successful business.
The official launch of the program was at Pembroke Staples with a good crowd attending, including Renfrew County Warden Peter Emon.
“I think it’s a great program,” he said. “I think it exposes our young people to the alternative that you don’t have to have a career all mapped out for you at 16, so they can search around and find something that they like and that interests them.”
The grant money may not seem like a huge amount, but it definitely makes a difference when compared with a student entrepreneur’s budget, normally totalling about zero dollars.
This year’s summer companies, besides Brendan’s, are Meddy’s Firewood Supply, run by Ahmad Adams out of Madawaska Valley Township; T’s Driveway Sealing, run by Travis Davison in McNab/Braeside; Liam’s Lawn and Property Care, run by Liam DiGiacinto in Petawawa; French Hill Stables, run by Giselle Groskleg in Laurentian Valley; 968 Bakery and Preserves, run out of Petawawa by Pascale Legault; Conor McKenna Photography Solutions, run by Conor McKenna in Deep River; O’Connor Crafts, run by Casey O’Connor in Laurentian Valley; and Kenny Patel’s Arnprior-based Premium Detailing.
For more information on the program, contact Ms. Fraser, 613-735-8224.
