When Vanier's Entrepreneurship 30 students named their company Reclaimed Love Co. they did so because they were using reclaimed wood for their pallet art
In the end, the business -- which was run by six female students -- ended up reclaiming space for women in the industrial arts shop and left the group feeling empowered by what they learned and what they achieved.
The six students logged 223 hours in the shop working with power tools to create their production line of wood ladders, hanging shelves, rope art, leash hooks, candle holders and signs. They sold 69 products and had total sales of $2,858.50.
"A lot of people were really impressed that we were a female-ran company and we were the ones doing woodworking," said Alysa Beattie, co-president for Reclaimed Love Co. "That was really empowering for us and our mentors were all female too, so that was really cool.
"It was something that set us apart"
Reclaimed Love Co. was one of three Entrepreneurship 30 business that were created by Vanier students this year. They were the first Entrepreneurship 30 business to create and sell home decor. They attended eight craft and trade show events to sell their wares and they raised some eyebrows, particularly during one shift next to their classmates from Be The Change, a penny jewelry company that was made up of both boys and girls.
"We were at William Grayson and it was Brooke (Buchko) and I that were working and we were beside Be The Change and at that time it was just Ben (Peterson) and Carter (Benallick) and there were some comments that it was funny that the girls were doing the carpentry and the boys were selling jewelry," said Dessa Mohr, VP of production/environmental health and safety for Reclaimed Love Co. "It was all positive feedback."
Positive Role Models
The students had three hours of safety training before using the power tools in the Vanier shop and were supervised by teacher Karen Jordan while they were working in the shop. Beattie called Entrepreneurship 30 teacher Christa Lapointe and Jordan "amazing mentors" for the group.
"Karen Jordan is one of the fiercest ladies you will ever meet," said Kassidy Johnson, VP of information technologies for Reclaimed Love Co.
When it was suggested by a panelist that woodwork was a non-traditional realm for women, the students said that having such strong mentors made them feel confident in working outside of their comfort zones.
"We had a lot of influence from Mrs. Jordan. She is so, as you said 'non traditional', but it's amazing. We learned so much from her," said Brooke Buchko, VP of finance for Reclaimed Love Co.
Successful Businesses
Reclaimed Love Co. was one of three businesses, along with Be the Change and the 6th Annual Christmas Craft and Trade Show, that formed out of Vanier's Entrepreneurship class this year. Monday, they liquidated their businesses and presented their final shareholder's reports -- which ranged in length from 36-42 pages -- during their Board of Directors meeting at the school.
The students presented to Lapointe and an eight-person panel of outside guests from the community and Junior Achievement.
"As I've gone around and listened to a lot of these presentations around the province, every one of your companies would be a strong contender for Company of the Year," said Katherine Gagne, vice president program development for Junior Achievement Saskatchewan, in addressing the students. "Your reports are exceptional. It's a little bit of a testament to the strength of your teacher; she is exceptional."
Each company nominated students for Junior Achievement awards that will be announced toward the end of the school year.
Dollars and Donations
The 6th Annual Christmas Craft and Trade Show drew more than 900 people through the door for the one-day event that featured 64 vendors. They made a profit of $3,279.54.
Be The Change's line of necklaces, bracelets and key chains using discarded pennies earned them $1,470.16 of net income after they sold 65 bracelets and 177 items in total.
Both of the start-ups had big ambitions in terms of sales, range of products and in Reclaimed Love Co.'s case customization. Both companies found that as they got deeper into the process they had to be more realistic, but all three companies managed to sell a lot of products and make a sizeable charitable donation.
"I had an amazing group of students who really took on this challenge and ran with it. They were very supportive of each other and they were willing to learn and willing to put in the extra work. In each group they were willing to help outside of their role and outside of their comfort zone too," said Lapointe. "It wasn't just about their success, it was about the success of the company. They all wanted to present well in the community and give back to the community. It was a neat group of students who were really self-motivated."
The Christmas Craft and Trade Show was able to donate $2,200 to the Riverside Mission, which is the most that has been donated by the students in the past four years. Their silver plate collection at the door raised $1,586.40. The rest of the donation came from their concession sales and $100 from the students.
Reclaimed Love Co. donated 20 per cent of their net income, $347.65, and one of their ladders to Habitat for Humanity. Be The Change donated 20 per cent of their profit, $311.53, to the Elder Hope Foundation, which raises money for water and solar power generators in Ethiopian communities. They were also able to send some of their pendants to Ethiopia as well.
