When it comes to summer break, most kids focus their efforts on getting the most out of the sunshine.
Not William Butler.
The precocious 8 year old spent his summer coming up with a business plan that's already generating seed money for future endeavours, with some left over for a good cause.
"He came to me and said he was interested in making money and said there was no way to do it that didn't include chores, which he didn't want to do," said Melissa Butler, William's mom.
So William came up with the idea of making calendars they could sell. At first William thought he'd do each one by hand, but he soon realized that it would be a lot easier to apply his tech savvy to the project and they found an online program that made it easy. Then he and his mom focused their energy at illustrating each month.
They decided to use their neighbour-dog as a model, and then William went about making sets. He and his mom had to go out and buy supplies, which were factored into the business plan, so they kept it cheap.
Campfires, birthdays and snorkelling are just a few of the themes William came up with and actualized using everything from cardboard paper to dollar store goods. He particularly liked the way the snorkelling scene worked out.
"Our whole living room was turned into a set," said Melissa, noting that it was a bit chaotic at times.
Then they snapped the photos, fed them into the program and, voila, a calendar was made. Actually, 100 were made.
And he's sold half of them.
"It's been really great seeing how confident he's becoming speaking to people," said Melisssa. She's also been impressed with how well he's lapping up business concepts, like costs and returns — something he has a ledger dedicated to.
"I never thought I'd be teaching this kind of thing to him, but it's what he wanted and I think it's great," she said.
William's calendars can be purchased by emailing Melissa at Mel_Butler@hotmail.com or they're available at so get them at Tail Blazers, at 1790 K. L. O. Road.
A part of the proceeds are being donated to the SPCA.