Four-year-old entrepreneur wins out against council complaints
Four-year-old Leo Tyres is the proud owner of his very own fruit and vegetable stand, better known as Leo’s Little Shop, but his enterprise hasn’t come without its share of struggle.
He first had to overcome a hurdle most small business owners know an awful lot about - a slow start. And from there, things escalated, when a complaint made to the local council against his stand almost shut down business for good.
Leo operates his pop-up store, selling discounted fruit and vegetables with slight defects from outside his home in Gatton, Queensland.
And as Lockyer Valley Mayor Tanya Milligan told 9News, the complaint had been about “a business that was operating in a residential area.
“Like most councils, we are complaint-driven, we have an obligation to go and check it out.”
“If it’s a permanent structure, it becomes a shop,” she explained, before noting that if that were the case then the young family would have had a lot of hoops to jump through.
Luckily for little Leo - and the 2000 locals who got behind a petition to save his venture - Milligan was of the opinion that “it’s no different to me than the old-fashioned lemonade stall or garage sale.”
And so, the stand remains open for business, with Leo at the helm.
As for how his regulars feel about the outcome, Leo was happy to report that “they say ‘good on ya’.”
Leo’s mother, Barbra Sanchez, is delighted with the result as well, and shared some of the benefits of his experience, noting that “he is learning several life skills from interacting with people, [and he’s] saving money.”
Those people are, of course, his customers, but also his suppliers. Local business is important to the youngster, who sources his produce from local farmers who are unable to sell the fruit and vegetables due to the ‘imperfections’ in their appearance.
While he started out with just a bag of limes and two pumpkins, Leo’s empire has grown from there, and he now has his very own trailer to help with the crucial work of sourcing, carrying, and selling his wares.
He was more than eager to share this proud achievement, too, declaring that he can now “take 10 pumpkins in the trailer! 10 pumpkins.”
And for anyone wondering just what the four year old might be doing with his hard-earned savings, Leo was happy to explain, telling 9News’ Cam Inglis, “I just buy toys.”
Images: 9News