When COVID-19 hit, many young people suddenly found themselves stuck at home, away from their friends.
But 14-year-old Rebecca Cox, of Enfield, N.S., saw it as an opportunity, rather than a problem. Instead of wasting her time, she decided to keep busy through her entrepreneurial ventures while helping kids feel less lonely this summer.
First off, the sewing master sold 67 hair scrunchies so far this year.
It started with an advertisement posted on her mailbox. The demand grew, and she ended up selling more at the Shubenacadie Tinsmith Museum and Craft Shop, leading to a profit of $200.
Her other venture, a summer day camp held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, raked in about $500 each for herself and fellow babysitter friend Emilie Burns, in addition to their regular babysitting jobs.
At first, she was unsure about resuming babysitting because of COVID-19 restrictions. But one of the parents she provides childcare for did not feel comfortable sending her child to a larger day camp. Then, Cox watched The Baby-Sitters Club movie on Netflix.
“I was like, ‘I could probably do that,’” she said. “So, then, me and my friend were talking about it, and then we started making flyers and sent them to people that we babysat for to see if they’d be interested in it.”
The duo got four children, ages six to 10, from a group of bubbling families and had a blast keeping them active outside in the summer weather.
They made sure to pass on some entrepreneurial skills to the kids, too, teaching them how to make lemonade, cookies, and signs for a stand that Cox had built with her friend McCabe Stapleton using old wood from around the yard. They sold lemonade twice, receiving lots of honks from passing cars, and the kids all split the profit.
Cox, although she's only a teenager, is a long-time entrepreneur. Her first business venture started when she was in Grade 2, selling rocks on a wagon at the end of her driveway.
“People actually bought them,” she said. “One guy bought a lot. I love that we have nice neighbours.”
Cox also used her sewing skills this year to make face masks. At the start of the pandemic, she helped her mother, Jennifer Hart, sew and donate about 800 masks for essential workers through The Masked Stitchers.
Now that the summer is over, Cox is happy to be seeing friends at school again, where there are more orders for scrunchies — and masks, too. Her aspiration next year - when she is old enough - is to get a job assisting Canadian Girls Baseball.
