Congratulations to these Summer Company participants – proving “When You Love What You Do – you never work a day in your life”!

Being a small business owner is wonderful, Julia and I definitely know that but having your own business isn’t always as easy as it seems. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication and having to find motivation on days when that “M” word is nowhere to be found – that can definitely be a challenge!

I am a Graphic Designer and Julia is a Web Designer and 15 years ago, our paths crossed and we started up a weekly newspaper called the Local Finder, a classified paper meant to replace the PennyGrader that had closed down a year before. Actually, a lot of people don’t know this but we ran the Local Seeker weekly and bi-weekly the Massena News and a newspaper in the West End of Montreal.

We worked hard, without any funding help, and over the years morphed into today, co-owning the SDG&A Cornwall Seeker, a monthly NewsMagazine known as “Your Much Needed Dose of Positive News” highlighting Events and Happenings and members of our communities. A locally owned and operated publication, loved by so many people in the community. I like to say “Everything Happens for a Reason” and although Julia hasn’t always shared these thoughts I believe over the years she has started to share my sentiments.

Getting to where we are was hard work but neither of us are quitters and we are both passionate about what we do and live by the phrase “When You Love What You Do, you never have to work a day in your life!

So consequently, one of my favourite events to visit each year in my: OUT and ABOUT with Seeker Chick Mai-Liis column is the “Summer Company Showcase” as I love talking to the group of students who have put forward their Small Business Ideas and have been accepted into the “Summer Company” programme to get some funding to bring their Small Business Ideas to life.

This year, I was excited to see that Mireille Lemire (above left) and Ana Porporo (above right) of the Business Enterprise Centre in Cornwall organized an event at the Benson Centre to introduce eight new businesses to our community. These two were very excited about the location as there were a lot of people who got to visit with these new entrepreneurs. I myself have to say that meeting these new entrepreneurs was very refreshing and energizing as each were very passionate about their new endeavours. In my opinion, this is most important because if someone feels this passion they will be more likely to purchase the product or service from this individual.

Many of these young entrepreneurs are determined to continue their businesses even after they return to school and the more passionate they are, the more I feel they will be successful in the future.

So without further ado, let me introduce you to these wonderful young entrepreneurs.

DAKSH SAHU – DVWN: Daksh is the founder and face behind DVWN, an independent reselling business for clothing, fragrances, and electronics. His business focuses on gathering and collecting/individual products from major, hyped brands (i.e. Nike, Adidas, Sp5der, etc…) from overseas and suppliers (mainly friends & cousins based all over North America) ranging from Toronto to Montreal for in-demand products that are rare/unattainable in the SD&G area.

He says, “My mission is to make major brands that are hard to get in Cornwall more accessible to the general public at an affordable price, while building rapport and relationships with recurring and/or new customers in the process as a sort of “vendor” for these rare finds; whether it be shoes, clothing, fragrances, or electronics. The reason why I started DVWN was due to my passion for collecting these finds from all around Canada and the world. It all started with attaining soccer cleats, then moved onto sneakers and clothing, and the rest was history. I always loved collecting such high-ticket items and planned to eventually turn it into a business venture. I am very excited to showcase my expertise in so-called “treasure-hunting” for goods that may be hard to acquire and provide Cornwall and the surrounding areas with products they couldn’t find otherwise”.

MUMINAH HAFIZI – POP OF JOY: Muminah Hafizi was born in Winchester and raised in Cornwall, where she has recently completed her first year in the Business Administration – Accounting program at St. Lawrence College. Her business, Pop of Joy, specializes in creating custom balloon designs tailored to each customer’s event or celebration. She uses clear balloons as the base and fills them with fun, decorative elements to match the theme, whether it’s a birthday, baby shower, anniversary, or any special occasion. Muminah started this business because she’s loved working with balloons since she first tried it three years ago. It quickly became a creative outlet and something she truly enjoyed, so she decided to turn that passion into a joyful business.  

MILO HATTON – NORMAL IS BORING: Milo Hatton is a small, queer, and neurodivergent business owner of the business ‘Normal is Boring’. They design and manufacture all of their weird, odd, and creepy stickers from scratch. They began their business because of the big underrepresentation of niche concepts in the area of Cornwall and SD&G, and they were driven by a want to bring it more into a common focus. Throughout their time living in the area they have seen many times that those who enjoy different things than most are encouraged to hide and not show anyone their interests. So they wanted to provide a smaller way to show enjoyment of the odd, weird, and creepy for any age, gender, or any other factor.

WILLIAM BEAUMONT – GREENER ACRES LAWNCARE: William Beaumont, 15 years old, is the owner and operator of Greener Acres Lawn Care out of Martintown Ontario since 2025. His lawn care business provides high-quality lawn mowing and trimming to his customers. He spent 2 years working for a lawn care company out of Alexandria, (Power Lawn Care), and with help from his boss and the Summer Company Program, William was driven to start a lawn care business of his own.

JULIA BUTLIN – GLASS BY JULES: Glass by Jules is Julia Butlin stained glass business where she creates original handmade artworks from window hangings and lamps to jewelry boxes and decorative panels. Julia also offer commissions for those with a vision they want brought to life through glass, as well as restorations for damaged pieces or ones that need a little pick-me-up. 

Julia is a student at St. Francis Xavier University, with minor in Studio Art. This is where she first discovered stained glass in an introductory course this past fall. The medium was unlike any she had worked with. It was challenging both physically and technically. She grew to love the constraints of glass, the need to design carefully, think spatially, and plan with purpose. Every cut, solder, and piece of colour matters. No two projects will ever come out the same.

She has since taken the advanced 3D course and launched her business to keep exploring this craft. It is through Glass by Jules that she gets to pursue her passion while offering unique pieces that bring light, colour, stories, and even a little piece of history into people’s spaces.

HUDSON GIBBS – POWER SHOT ACADEMY: Hudson Gibbs is the owner of Power Shot Academy (PSA). His business is not only teaching kids how to shoot and stickhandle, but it’s also a place where they can develop their confidence, creativity, and learning skills. Hudson started PSA because when he was a young hockey player, he had his skating, playmaking, and passing down, but he was missing one thing: his shot. As a defenseman, that was his only weakness, and it cost him a spot on the team one year. He was devastated and wished someone could have helped him prevent this. That’s why he created PSA, so he can help young athletes with not only their shot but also their confidence, so they can be the best version of themselves.

What I thought was unique about Hudson was the fact that he made his table interactive. Before you could take a candy from the Candy Bowl, you had to try to get the puck into the net.

ADITYA KADVAN is the founder of CARSHINE.CA –  a premium mobile car detailing business serving the SDG area. Aditya is a student, entrepreneur, and someone who’s always been passionate about cars and innovation. He started Carshine.ca to help busy individuals and families get showroom-quality car care without wasting time at shops. Carshine.ca delivers expert interior and exterior detailing right to the client’s doorstep, making car care more convenient and customer-focused. The business reflects both Aditya’s love for vehicles and his drive to create something that solves a real-world problem in my community.

NICHOLAS MONDOUX – SPARKLE AND SHINE: Nicholas is the owner of Sparkle and Shine, a window cleaning service. His services encompass exterior window washing, gutter cleaning, and pressure washing houses and driveways and patios.

For more information about “Summer Company” and what the Cornwall SDG Business Enterprise Centre has to offer, visit : BusinessEnterpriseCentre.ca or visit them on Facebook.