Ashley Whistle is working to bring her dreams to life.
With the assistance of the Thunder Bay and District Entrepreneur Centre’s Summer Company program, the 16-year-old has started Ashley’s Little Rabbitry, a small rabbit breeding and mobile petting zoo business.
It allows her to realize something she loves could become her future livelihood.
“When Summer Company approved me I was so excited. I never knew there was something like that for young students to be able to grow a business and start something,” she said.
“It’s really been my passion, my dream come true.”
Whistle first became interested in rabbits about five years ago when she was 11 and her enthusiasm has grown since.
She based her business upon the realization that most people have to go to where the animals are to get an up close look at rabbits.
“What we do is we’re mobile,” Whistle said. “We pack up all of the rabbits and bring a lot of little bunnies with us for the kids. We place the pens out and the kids go in there and they just have a heyday with the bunnies.”
The 14 Summer Company entrepreneurs, between the ages of 15 and 29, displayed their fledging businesses Wednesday at the third annual Summer Company – Staples Youth Entrepreneurship Day with a trade show held at the company’s local store to create networking opportunities with local business people and the general public.
The event was first held as a collaboration with Staples and the local entrepreneur centre but now it is an Ontario-wide initiative with other small business enterprise centres.
Youth programs coordinator Tess Ahola said the program provides the blooming entrepreneurs with business training and mentoring, as well as up $3,000 to get their ideas in motion.
“It’s very successful. It introduces entrepreneurship to the youth and shows them they can start a business and they can run a business,” Ahola said.
“Every year we see the passion, enthusiasm and the uniqueness of the different businesses. We have a rabbitry, we have an organizing studio, lawn care and a few artists. The range of different passions of these young people is incredible that they can take that and make it a business.”
