AMHERST, N.S. — Dylan Marshall doesn’t consider himself a master chef, but he is becoming quite the astute businessperson – for a 12-year-old.
As part of his home-schooling Marshall, who will be entering Grade 7 at E.B. Chandler Junior High in September, learned about the science of baking from measuring the ingredients and mixing them together to make tasty treats.
It was then his mother suggested he consider baking more while he also learned a little about business from his grandfather.
Dylan’s Dylicious Dylectables was born.
Every Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Marshall sets up shop at his 188 Victoria St. East home in Amherst and sells a variety of baked goods from cookies, to cupcakes, to biscuits.
“I love to be in the kitchen,” he said. “I’m not much of a cook, but I love to bake. It’s like school, there’s science and there’s math. I’m not sitting down all summer doing nothing. It also gives me the opportunity to talk to me.”
Marshall said the first few weeks in the kitchen were a tad challenging, but now he has it down to a routine and has gotten pretty good at it.
“We originally started with family recipes. Things like Skor brownies were really popular, but now I have a variety of things like date squares and lemon squares,” he said. “It keeps growing. No one really knew about me at first but now I’m finding more people know about me.”
Marshall is extremely grateful for the support of the Cumberland Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge in June. The $1,000 he won for his pitch for Dylan’s Dylicious Dylectables helped his business get off the ground.
“I never would’ve been able to do this without the support the youth entrepreneurship challenge,” he said. “Winning the money helped me get the business start and helped it grow.”
He is surprised at how much business he has received in a short time. It allowed him to raise the money to purchase an umbrella for both the rainy and sunny days.
“I get 20 to 25 people stopping every day to buy things,” he said. “It’s pretty good.”
His mother, Alison, loves it. She said Dylan gets his baking skills from her.
“My husband hates baking and I hate cooking. We have a pretty good deal, I do all the baking and David (her husband) does all the cooking,” Alison said. “Dylan sort of likes to do both, but this is his summer job.”
She too has high praise for the youth entrepreneurship challenge.
“That program is fantastic, just to have the kids to learn about business, doing a proposal, coming up with a business plan, making the pitch and then getting judged,” Alison said. “They also learn about finance and advertising. It’s a great foundation.”
She said Dylan has grabbed hold of the idea and even writes his own ads for the radio.
“He rides his bike to the station to record the ads. It has just snowballed for him,” she said.
He’s also developed a business acumen with a third of his profits going back into the business, a third into investments (yes, he owns stock in Scotiabank, A&W and Microsoft among others) and, finally, a third for him.
This was the second year for the Cumberland Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge’s awards night. The Cumberland Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge’s goal is to encourage entrepreneurship by supporting local youth to start up or expand a business. This year, the challenge was open to youth who were 17 years old or younger.
More than $7,000 was given out in awards to the nine businesses that pitched their business ideas. In order to pitch their business ideas to the judges, the youth had to apply, submit a business plan to demonstrate their understanding of the business and industry and come and present to a panel of judges.
This all took place in less than two months with 12 students from across Cumberland County submitting nine business ideas to the judges. The average age of the presenters was 12 years old. The youngest was nine and the oldest was 17.
Marshall, who would like to continue his business into the fall when he goes to school, has also shown a charitable side putting his baking skills to help send children to a YMCA camp. He partnered with ARC Social Media to sell 176 cupcakes at Dayle’s Grand Market on July 23.
He raised $420 in just a few hours – enough cover the cost of two-and-a-half children to go to camp.
It was all part of ARC Social Media’s one-year anniversary celebration. ARC Social Media had originally planned a barbecue for Victoria Square on July 23, but had to move the event to July 25 due to a less than favourable weather forecast.
Knowing the cupcakes he had wouldn’t last that long, he asked Karen Cormier at Dayle’s Grand Market if he could sell them there on the 23rd and she was quick to give the green light.
“I really appreciate her allowing me to come here to sell,” he said. “It’s for such a good cause, to help send kids to camp.”
He’s not sure if a career in the culinary arts is in his future, but it will definitely be something to do with business.
Hal Davidson, who operates HD Coins & Collectibles at Dayle’s Grand Market, said he was impressed the first time he met Dylan two years ago when the family moved to Amherst.
“He has an amazing talent and is very gifted,” Davidson said. “Seeing him get involved in an enterprise such as this no surprise and he should serve as an example for other kids and even adults about what you can do if you put your mind to it.”
He also has a fan in Holly Casey, who operates ARC Social Media, and partnered with Dylan in the effort to raise money to send children to camp.
“He’s just incredible,” Casey said. “I’m so impressed with his personality and how well spoken and mature he is.”
