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My name is Natalie To. I'm 16 years old and I go to Westdale in Hamilton, Ontario, and
my summer company business is Toto's Shop. My business is about hand-sculpted jewelry,
all made by me, designed by me. I take (inaudible) clay which is a bakeable type of clay and
I sculpt on the charms on necklaces, earrings, bracelets.
My inspiration for my products came from my trip to Hong Kong when I saw that their style
was completely different from the way Canada was in their jewelry, their fashion, and so
I wanted to bring the style of Hong Kong to Canada to show other people different types
of things that they can accessorize themselves to be original.
I came up with the idea to start my own business when I saw YouTube videos of other people
making their own DIY crafts, which means do it yourself. And then I also heard about Summer
Company which helped me make my hobby into a business.
Summer Company helped me a lot by funding my business, helping me with my start-up cost
to start my whole business, and they also gave me mentors to help guide me along the
way when I needed help. I sold my product at festivals, like at Gore(?)
Park Promenade or at the Festival of Friends in Ancaster. Selling at festivals helped me
meet with new people, getting my product more well known and increasing my sales.
Summer Company has taught me many different valuable lessons like how to be an accountant,
and the marketing strategies, social media; how all those things are important to being
an entrepreneur. Currently, I'm still in school but I will
keep Toto's Shop as a part-time business, to keep it growing and keep the sales increasing.