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Two mates from an Ōrewa College business studies class have launched their own fledgling companies, built on their enterprising instincts and strong family support.
Asher Winning, 16, and Daniel Lucas, 17, tried their hands at several things before settling on window-washing and 3D printing respectively.
Asher had been working shifts at a local restaurant when, earlier this year he decided to make a change. After laying out about $15 on a squeegee and mop from Bunnings, he used a large window at home in Ōrewa to practice on.
“I did it close to 100 times – it’s probably the cleanest window ever,” he laughs.
Armed with basic tools and dishwashing liquid, he set out door-knocking in Millwater, and soon secured his first commission, from an elderly lady “who probably took pity seeing me out there”.
An hour later, “I walked away, looking at the cash in my hand and thought, why am I still working close to 18 hours a week [at the restaurant]? That day I quit my job and started door-knocking every weekend.”
Asher invested in professional equipment, and Winning Window Cleaning was born.
He quickly got so busy, he no longer has the time – or the need – for door-knocking. Business comes from word-of-mouth, online ads, and a stylish website set up by his 18-year-old brother, Jaydon.
Asher hopes to spend two or three years “on the tools” before employing others, and possibly expanding to house and roof washing and gutter cleaning.
Family support has been critical, including guidance from his “insanely smart” mum, business psychologist Shanel Winning, who “helped me get my head around insurance and keeping the books”.
Daniel recalls that towards the end of the Covid lockdown, he was “feeling bored, had heaps of time and no money”.
After seeing TikTok videos of people making objects with 3D printers, he used money he had earned from an earlier stint of drop-shipping to buy his first basic printer.
He began working on his business, Mahi3D, from his bedroom, but has since built a small workshop at home where he works with a growing number and range of better quality printers.
Daniel gets commissions from Craftcloud, a 3D printing service marketplace based in Germany which has customers in around 70 countries.
Customers also come through his own new website, Mahi3D.com, and via TradeMe, Facebook, the e-commerce platform Treatstock, and by word-of-mouth.
The items he makes could be retail products, art pieces, or equipment parts to replace broken ones.
“It’s quite cool. I love doing it – new things every day.”
The biggest challenges have been working until the early hours to meet a deadline, and sometime language barriers when dealing with people abroad.
Daniel says his family is happy too, as “it keeps me out of trouble and gets me working!”
More seriously, he says his mum, dad and step-dad each own their own business and have been supportive mentors.
He’d like to use the business as a stepping stone, “and see it evolve into more mainstream manufacturing”. He also hopes to go to university.
For others wanting to start out, Asher says, “Start something, and put lots of effort into it. It doesn’t matter what it is – you’re definitely going to learn a lot from just starting. It may not work out, but could lead to something that does.”
The two friends are mutually supportive and share ideas, Daniel says.
“We 100 percent want to see each other succeed.”
