Sai Works — Running a Landscaping Business at 16
Every entrepreneurial story has a start. Mine was a lawnmower, a snow shovel, and the nerve to knock on a stranger's door. May 2013, between classes at PCHS, I pitched lawn care to a neighbor. They said yes.
The Beginning
I was sixteen. I wanted money and proof I could build something. So I walked around the neighborhood with flyers. Most people said no. A few said yes. That was enough.
My first clients were within walking distance of my house. After school — sometimes until dark — I'd cut grass for $40-$50 a lawn depending on the size. It wasn't glamorous. But I was my own boss.
Growing the Business
By the end of that first summer, I had regulars. The following spring, I hired two friends. We were small, but it worked. People kept asking for more: can you shovel our walkway? clean the gutters? fix the roof? So I learned, and added services:
- Snow shoveling — Montreal winters are no joke
- Grass cutting — The original, still the core
- Roof shingle repairs — Picked this up after shadowing a contractor
- Roof gutter cleanings — Seasonal but essential
- Window cleanings — Spring and fall, residential and small commercial
By year two, we were in Pierrefonds, Pointe Claire, and Dollard. I was managing a crew — mostly friends from school — across both neighborhoods.
The Peak
At its height in early 2015, Sai Works had 10 employees. Regular routes. Seasonal contracts. A reputation for showing up and doing the job right. I was handling recruiting, scheduling, customer acquisition, and collections — all while being a full-time high school student.
Revenue was growing. I wasn't getting rich — most of it went back into equipment, payroll, and marketing — but we were profitable. Some days felt surreal.
The Problem
Here's what they don't tell you about running a service business while in school: customers want service exactly when you can't be there. Before 5pm, on random snow days, early mornings — times when I was in class, studying, or taking exams.
I couldn't be everywhere. I couldn't handle every complaint. I started relying on my team, which meant hiring people I could trust and accepting that things would sometimes go wrong without me there.
But there was a ceiling. I was maxed out — school during the day, the business at night and weekends. I couldn't grow further without tanking my grades or the quality of the work. And I was exhausted.
By September 2015, after two and a half years, I wound down Sai Works. CEGEP was coming. The math didn't work anymore. The business had been exactly what I needed it to be. Time to move on.
What I Learned
Sai Works taught me things a classroom couldn't.
Marketing and sales — I learned to sell with no budget. Door-to-door pitches, flyers, word of mouth. I got comfortable with rejection and better at reading people.
Recruiting and team management — Hiring your friends is complicated. Managing them is harder. Fairness and consistency matter more than being liked.
Cash flow and operations — Service businesses live and die by scheduling. I learned to plan routes, manage seasonal swings, and keep track of dozens of clients with a small crew.
Systems — Without processes, everything falls apart when you scale. I wished I'd built those earlier.
That entrepreneurship isn't for everyone — but everyone should try it — I came out with a tolerance for ambiguity and risk that's shaped every decision since.
Why It Still Matters
Sai Works was my first real test of building something from nothing. The answer was yes — but it also taught me that sustainable things need more than hard work. Timing. Systems. Knowing when to step back.
That mindset — willingness to start, willingness to adapt, stubbornness to see it through — carried me through MilmoLabs, my research roles, and what I'm doing now. Sai Works was my entrepreneurship MBA, paid in sweat and learned at night.
If you're a student thinking about starting something on the side — do it. Not because it will work out, but because the experience of trying is worth more than any textbook.