‘Due to the success we were experiencing we created business shirts and a car logo to further promote our small business’: Students nominated for small business award

THE year 2020 was not an easy year to launch a new business but two Alice Springs students have done just that

THE year 2020 was not an easy year to launch a new business but two Alice Springs students have done just that.

Without driver’s licences or high school certificates, 15-year-old St Philip’s College students Luke Haywood and Jett Egan have transformed a fledgling idea as part of a school project into a thriving small landscaping business and have since been nominated for an NT government Small Business Achievement Award as part of the 2021 Northern Territory Young Achiever Awards.

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The pair are the faces behind J & L Gardening.

Their business strategy is “great gardens for a great price”.

“We took a simple project- based learning task in one of our subjects and using our initiative developed it into a successful small business,” Luke said.

“Initially this began as a business card dropped into approximately 100 letterboxes and promotion among our teachers at the college.

Luke Haywood and Jett Egan of Larapinta has been nominated in the NT Government Small Business Achievement Award part of the 2021 Northern Territory Young Achiever Awards.

“After a number of jobs we then ventured to company stickers, a Facebook page and further promotion around Alice Springs.

“Due to the success we were experiencing we created business shirts and a car logo to further promote our small business.”

The pair now have more than 50 clients and have registered their business due to high demand.

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As well as running a small business they are completing Year 10 and this year beginning SACE Stage 1 Certificates as Year 11 students.

“Currently we have many clients in the town of Alice Springs and are now taking on commercial contracts,” Luke said.

The NT government Small Business Achievement Award promotes those who “give it a go” through determination, innovation, hard work and self-motivation.

The 2021 Northern Territory Young Achiever Awards will be announced on March 5.