Rather than looking for jobs this summer, 11-year-old Wyatt Robertson has channelled his inner Steve Jobs to take care of business.
And in the process, the Cobourg youth is demonstrating considerable innovation and business flair, something that Jobs — the late iconic inventor, tech titan, and co-founder of Apple — could certainly appreciate.
For Wyatt, a client of Five Counties Children’s Centre since age three who initially came for physiotherapy and who now receives occupational therapy at the centre, the entrepreneurial spirit took hold at the start of summer.
It saw Wyatt turn his interest in technology into something tangible: a 3D printing business which he launched with the help of a micro-grant he received through the My Future My Career Kids Entrepreneurship Program run by the Business and Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland (BECN).
“I honestly don’t know,” Wyatt says, when asked what prompted him to become self-employed. “It was just something I kind of wanted to do, I guess.”
Wyatt’s mother, Jen, says her son had been talking about the kids’ entrepreneurship program for some time.
“And I said to Wyatt, ‘I’ll look into it … we’ll talk about it’,” Jen recalls. “And then I came home the one day and Wyatt said, ‘Oh, I already did it.'”
In fact, Wyatt’s was the first application submitted for the entrepreneurship grant — and it included an entire business proposal he had written himself.
Within it, Wyatt had to describe why customers would want to buy his products, and what made them different. Given that not everyone has access to a 3D printer, Wyatt described designing and selling unique fidget items and articulated animals (like dragons and octopuses) that would appeal and tap into people’s interest in 3D-printed items.
The name for his fledging business? Prints Charming.
His pitch worked, as BECN approved a micro-grant for Wyatt. He was among two dozen youth ages eight to 14 from across Northumberland County this summer who received up to $500 in funding through the program to assist with start-up costs to launch or grow their business.
The youth-launched businesses spanned a wide range of sectors, from handmade crafts and jewelry, fashion, lawn care, babysitting, painting and 3D printing/design.
“The diversity, creativity and professionalism demonstrated by this year’s participants reflects the continued growth and impact of youth entrepreneurship throughout Northumberland County,” stated a BECN news release.
With his micro-grant in hand, Wyatt was able to purchase a 3D printer and supplies he needed to launch Prints Charming. Since then, Wyatt has designed and created various fidgets, segmented octopuses, articulated dragons and — what’s proven a hot-selling item — shopping-cart coins.
Wyatt found many models online, but also began creating original works, including one of the Five Counties logo. That piece caught attention: after seeing it online, another organization expressed interest in hiring him to reproduce its logo.
Technology has long interested Wyatt, so 3D printing holds great appeal for him.
“You can make almost anything,” Wyatt notes.
Krista McNulty, a Five Counties clinician who has worked with Wyatt, is not surprised at Wyatt’s business acumen.
“Wyatt’s caring, compassionate personality has always stood out to me,” Krista says. “He works hard in all his treatment sessions, while having some good laughs together at the same time. I’ve watched Wyatt grow in so many ways and I’m not even the littlest bit surprised he has used all his amazing skills to venture out as an entrepreneur.”
In addition to manufacturing, Wyatt has created promotional materials and business cards, started a Facebook page and sold his products in person. At the Cobourg Farmers’ Market, he made 10 sales. At a Staples event, he made another eight.
Jen says the business venture has built more than technical skills for her son.
“It’s been a good experience for Wyatt, having to interact with people he doesn’t know. That can sometimes be a struggle for him, but he did well. He was polite. He answered questions. I think he’s done really well.”
Wyatt is continuing his 3D printing venture through the school year, even adding online sales and shipping of 3D products for local customers.
“It’s a little side thing right now,” he says of his business, “but I would like to definitely get into technology later on.”
Wyatt is showing that a good idea, backed by hard work and family support, can grow into something real-one carefully printed layer at a time.
