He may only be nine, but Sebastian Coburn has already found success in his first business venture called 'Gardening with Beastie.'
"Weeding, pulling out weeds and taking out annoying poison ivy," said Coburn.
The entrepreneur from western Quebec has a little help from his eight-week-old pet mini pig named Beastie Boy.
'Gardening with Beastie' sprouted from a brainstorm session with mom, Miranda Dyck, who tasked her four kids to come up with a summer business.
"He came up with the design, the logos, came up with the name. he does all the bookings," said Dyck.
For $20 an hour, Coburn and Beastie Boy help clear garden spaces, getting them ready for planting, much to the delight of his clients.
"Forget the weeding, I want to play with the pig," said Cantley, Que. resident Nicole Tishler, who hired Coburn and Beastie Boy to tackle the weeds in her back yard.
The team comes with their shovels and gloves and, after a little digging, that's when Beastie Boy comes in.
"[He] roots around with his nose, gets some of the insects, gets some of the roots… and he's also really excellent at clearing dandelions," said Dyck.
This business launched just over a week ago, initially focusing on the Gatineau, Que. area but, due to popular demand, the business has expanded to Ottawa and the surrounding region.
"I mean, it's kind of cool having a baby pig come into my back yard," said Hatton Thompson, who lives in Orléans.
"It's a great learning experience for my kids to see another kid start a business," said Thompson’s mom, Leigh.
The success of his business required Coburn to recruit his mom, his siblings and some friends to keep up with the calls.
"I can't believe how successful it's become," said Dyck. "I thought people might need clearing their gardens for May long weekend. Now we have bookings until next week."
That means employees will need their rest… even if it ends up being a nap on the job.
"He usually passes out most of the time," said Coburn. "But we manage to get the job done."
