Young entrepreneurs think big
19 Nov 2019
In just under six months two Year 10 Economics students have established their first official business venture – the production and sale of protective laptop covers embossed with the College logo.
On sale now for $45 from the College Uniform Shop, the project is the work of Jasper Johnson (Harper House) and Hamish Falls-Anderson (Julius House), friends since primary school.
It was an Economics project that prompted the pair to come up with their idea of a sleeve for a laptop, with a tuck in top which doubles as a mouse pad.
“We thought we’d like to sell something through the school and so we came up with this idea of a laptop cover.
“Jasper had a plain black one from overseas and we thought we could develop something similar, in plain black with an embossed College logo,” said Hamish.
They wanted something that would be protective but also be aesthetically pleasing.
“After multiple meetings with Claire Sparks, we ordered online from overseas from a family business, which made samples for us with the embossed College crest,” said Jasper.
When the samples arrived, the boys were thrilled with the quality and subsequently ordered an initial run of 100, which are now on sale, ideally timed for incoming Year 9 students who are getting fitted for their uniforms.
Jasper and Hamish, as the directors in their partnership, say if the covers fly off the shelves, they will look at setting up an online store, and also involve the Old Boys’ Association as a potential sales outlet.
“Our goal is to expand our markets,” says Hamish.
“We’ve really enjoyed setting this up, with a lot of help from Claire Sparks, Darren Dean and Dr Mike Field. It has been a great learning experience for us.”
