Sydney girl’s firewood stand is a thriving backyard business – Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY A young Sydney girl has turned her entrepreneurial spark into a thriving backyard business.

For the past two summers, Emma Langille has operated Emma's Wood Stand at her home in Ashby. The 11-year-old and her father Brad Langille go to a pair of local mills where they fill their pickup truck with 10-foot pieces of slab wood the first cuts on the edges of trees as they are turned into lumber take it home and slice it into smaller pieces that she bundles and sells from a self-serve kiosk at the side of their house at 164 Howe St.

While its not exactly a normal summer job for a young kid, her motives are typical of any adolescent.

Actually, half the reason why is, sure sometimes it can be pretty boring carrying all the wood, but half of it is I just want to spend it on video games and candy things that kids like, Emma replied when asked why shes been spending most her Saturdays working on the wood stand.

However, her mother, Phany Langille, said Emma knows she cant burn through all the profits so shes running Emmas Wood Stand like any other small business.

She does have a bank account and she has to do accounting. Were trying to teach her how to have a logbook and keep track of all her sales. So, 50 per cent of her sales have to go back to the business and 30 per cent has to go into her bank account for sort of her rainy-day fund, and she can keep 20 per cent for fun stuff like video game things, buying Pokmon cards and things like that.

Brad said although he helps collect, cut and bundle the wood, and Phany prints off the thank-you labels and maintains the Emma's Wood Stand on Howe Street Facebook page, Emma is responsible for everything.

Mommy and daddy are her helpers shes the business person, he said, adding that his daughter is always trying to figure out something to bring in a little money.

Shes involved in every step of the way she has a great work ethic.

For a couple of years, Emma ran a lemonade stand, setting up shop at the St. Theresas Hall parking lot next to their home whenever the church held clothing sales. She made a little bit of pocket money but when they added up the cost of the supplies and the amount of time spent sitting around serving customers, it wasnt really worth the effort. Then, during a family camping trip in Ingonish, they noticed someone selling firewood from the end of their driveway.

So, they started Emmas Wood Stand about halfway through last summer and sold about 80 bundles of wood at $5 each. This year, business really picked up and despite a lengthy provincewide fire ban and rainy weather, theyve sold nearly 200 bundles in just six weeks.

Its going pretty good especially for an 11-year-old, he said, adding that the venture has brought the family closer together and helped Emma learn some valuable lessons when schools were closed during the pandemic.

This kind of gave her gym class, math for the accounting end of things, plus we get to hang out with her a little bit more off the video games, drive in the truck together and chat and bond.

Emmas efforts havent gone unnoticed at River Ryan Lumber where she gets most of her wood.

Assistant manager Jennifer Aucoin said she was surprised when she saw a little girl collecting lumber over the several Saturdays this spring. After talking to Emma, she decided to begin promoting the business on the mills Facebook page.

Shes a determined little girl, shes got creativity and she turned an idea into a little stand that shes making a profit on and now shes thinking about expanding into kindling, said Aucoin. Shes a great little girl. I love going out and talking to her. Whenever she shows up I make sure to have a little conversation with her.

Emma said getting bitten by flies while she collects the wood is the worst part of the job, but the lessons shes learned and a sense of financial independence are worth it.

It prepares me for the future, she said. And, I dont need to rely on Christmas for everything.

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Sydney girl's firewood stand is a thriving backyard business - Cape Breton Post