Hello Everyone,
My name is Noah, and I am a 16-year-old from Toronto, Canada. I came across and decided to join this forum after reading The Millionaire Fastlane and halfway through Unscripted. I joined this forum to network with other like-minded individuals. I am currently in high school in the public Catholic school board. There is really no one at my school who shares the same values as me in both entrepreneurship and self-improvement, so I often feel like I have no one to share my entrepreneurial mindset and goals with. That’s what led me to join the Fastlane Forum.
A Bit About My Background:
I was born and raised in a hardworking, upper-middle-class household. My dad is a high-ranking police officer, and my mom is a Director of Management in fundraising at the city’s hospital. Both of them strongly value a steady paycheck, a university degree, good benefits, and a pension. I agree with some of their advice, like getting a university degree for the credentials and networking opportunities it provides, which could lead to a higher-income job.
However, I heavily disagree with other parts—like the idea of climbing the corporate ladder and working a 9–5 job until you retire at 65. When I share my entrepreneurial or financial ideas and strategies with my parents, it often ends in disagreement or debate. So, over time, I’ve started to keep these ideas to myself and avoid conversations about money. I often hear things like “There is more to life than just money,” and my response is always, “I only care about money because I seek the freedom it grants.”
Currently, I’m in Grade 11 and have one more year before I graduate. My academic goal is to maintain good grades and get accepted into a strong business program at university next year.
Business Background:
I’m still relatively new to the business world. It all started last year when I had just turned 16. My grandmother gave me a stock investment book, and at the time, I didn’t even know what the stock market was. That book piqued my interest, and soon after, I read Rich Dad Poor Dad and became hooked on the idea of financial freedom and passive income. I went on to read more of Robert Kiyosaki’s books, including Cashflow Quadrant, Guide to Investing, and others.
Later that summer, I asked my parents to open an investment account under their name so I could start investing. They agreed. I initially put my money into the S&P 500 ETF. Later in September, I invested $500 in Nvidia when it was at a new all-time low. A few months later—around November or December—I sold it using a trailing stop market order that triggered a 10% stop loss, resulting in a $130 profit. At the time, this felt like magic—making money from the markets instead of working a job.
Around that time, I also discovered dropshipping. I came across Jordan Brown’s free 18-hour course on YouTube and completed the entire thing. After that, I decided to open my first dropshipping store. I subscribed to Shopify, Canva Pro, Debutify, and AutoDS. I created a one-product store selling Crystal Space Lamps, which I found by scrolling TikTok for trending dropshipping products.
I started by posting organic TikTok ads—showing “before and after” shots of the product using trending audios. I made about 20 videos, but none received more than 200 views. Then, I decided to run paid TikTok Spark Ads using the 10 best videos I had. Each video was slightly different in terms of music and editing style. I spent about $800 of my savings on that campaign and got zero sales. I was crushed.
After that, I thought maybe TikTok wasn’t the right platform and decided to try Facebook Ads instead. Unfortunately, my ad account was banned as soon as I uploaded my new videos. That was extremely frustrating. I eventually managed to create a new Ads Manager under the same account and re-uploaded the videos. I launched a campaign with a $200 budget—but again, no sales. The CPM (cost per thousand impressions) was extremely high, and I felt like I was burning money.
Upon reflection, I realized my videos were too broad, robotic, and generic. They lacked a focused solution and emotional storytelling, which made me overpay in a saturated and competitive niche (stress relief). I went back to TikTok and re-filmed 10 entirely new videos—this time focusing on emotional and fun content instead of a direct sales pitch. I spent $50 on the new campaign and finally got my first sale—three styles of the product totaling $64. I kept the campaign running to test the breakeven point, but the ad became unprofitable again after $180 in spend, so I paused it.
At that point, I gave up on the product and concluded that it wasn’t a winner. Despite the losses, I learned a tremendous amount in those five months (November to April) about ecommerce, ads, creative, and customer psychology. It was a great crash course in what not to do—and the lessons were worth more than the money lost.
Current Business: Dog Walking
After ending the dropshipping venture, I decided to pursue a service-based business—dog walking. I created a new website using the Shopify Build Plan to promote my services. I also applied for a summer youth business program that provides a $1,500 startup grant. To get accepted, I had to write a full business plan and a cash flow statement detailing how I would use the grant funds. I allocated the budget toward:
After an interview, I was accepted into the program, which begins in July. It includes mentorship and multiple networking events. I am required to commit 270 hours during the summer (July to end of August)—about 3 hours per day. I plan to use this time to go all in on the business and gain as much traction as possible.
My current service rate is $25 CAD per hour. My short-term goal is to book at least 10 one-hour walks per week. I’ve already been promoting the business by going door to door with business cards and posting in local Facebook groups. The website is fully complete and live.
Work and Investments:
Alongside my dog walking business, I also work part-time at a fast food restaurant for about 10 hours per week at minimum wage. I was just hired at a retirement home as a server and expect to work 4–8 hours per week there. So in total, I work 14–18 hours per week and plan to run my dog walking business during the summer.
My current investments are held in a Nasdaq 100 ETF index fund. Once school ends in late June and exams are finished, I’ll have a full summer to focus on business. If I hit my target of 10 dog walks per week, I estimate I can make around $2,000 per month—not including investment growth.
Future Plans:
Once the dog walking business winds down at the end of summer, I plan to start a local drone media agency. My idea is to pitch local small businesses on the value of having professional drone footage and video content for their social media and websites. I would offer a package deal—something like a $500 one-time payment for filming, editing, and posting. The camera and microphone I bought through the grant will help with this.
Eventually, I want to launch another ecommerce store—this time with smarter budgeting, better planning, and high-quality video ads featuring real people using the product. I feel like if I combine the lessons I learned with better execution, I can succeed. At the very least, I want to earn back the money I lost from my first store.
To Sum It All Up:
I know this was long, but I really wanted to share the full picture. I’m 16, just getting started in the business world, and I’ve already been through some ups and downs—from investing to ecommerce to starting a service business. I’m eager to learn, connect with others, and get real feedback on my journey and future plans.
If anyone has advice on:
…I'd be grateful to hear your insights. I look forward to meeting more of you on this forum and learning everything I can to improve and grow.
Thanks again for reading,
—Noah
My name is Noah, and I am a 16-year-old from Toronto, Canada. I came across and decided to join this forum after reading The Millionaire Fastlane and halfway through Unscripted. I joined this forum to network with other like-minded individuals. I am currently in high school in the public Catholic school board. There is really no one at my school who shares the same values as me in both entrepreneurship and self-improvement, so I often feel like I have no one to share my entrepreneurial mindset and goals with. That’s what led me to join the Fastlane Forum.
A Bit About My Background:
I was born and raised in a hardworking, upper-middle-class household. My dad is a high-ranking police officer, and my mom is a Director of Management in fundraising at the city’s hospital. Both of them strongly value a steady paycheck, a university degree, good benefits, and a pension. I agree with some of their advice, like getting a university degree for the credentials and networking opportunities it provides, which could lead to a higher-income job.
However, I heavily disagree with other parts—like the idea of climbing the corporate ladder and working a 9–5 job until you retire at 65. When I share my entrepreneurial or financial ideas and strategies with my parents, it often ends in disagreement or debate. So, over time, I’ve started to keep these ideas to myself and avoid conversations about money. I often hear things like “There is more to life than just money,” and my response is always, “I only care about money because I seek the freedom it grants.”
Currently, I’m in Grade 11 and have one more year before I graduate. My academic goal is to maintain good grades and get accepted into a strong business program at university next year.
Business Background:
I’m still relatively new to the business world. It all started last year when I had just turned 16. My grandmother gave me a stock investment book, and at the time, I didn’t even know what the stock market was. That book piqued my interest, and soon after, I read Rich Dad Poor Dad and became hooked on the idea of financial freedom and passive income. I went on to read more of Robert Kiyosaki’s books, including Cashflow Quadrant, Guide to Investing, and others.
Later that summer, I asked my parents to open an investment account under their name so I could start investing. They agreed. I initially put my money into the S&P 500 ETF. Later in September, I invested $500 in Nvidia when it was at a new all-time low. A few months later—around November or December—I sold it using a trailing stop market order that triggered a 10% stop loss, resulting in a $130 profit. At the time, this felt like magic—making money from the markets instead of working a job.
Around that time, I also discovered dropshipping. I came across Jordan Brown’s free 18-hour course on YouTube and completed the entire thing. After that, I decided to open my first dropshipping store. I subscribed to Shopify, Canva Pro, Debutify, and AutoDS. I created a one-product store selling Crystal Space Lamps, which I found by scrolling TikTok for trending dropshipping products.
I started by posting organic TikTok ads—showing “before and after” shots of the product using trending audios. I made about 20 videos, but none received more than 200 views. Then, I decided to run paid TikTok Spark Ads using the 10 best videos I had. Each video was slightly different in terms of music and editing style. I spent about $800 of my savings on that campaign and got zero sales. I was crushed.
After that, I thought maybe TikTok wasn’t the right platform and decided to try Facebook Ads instead. Unfortunately, my ad account was banned as soon as I uploaded my new videos. That was extremely frustrating. I eventually managed to create a new Ads Manager under the same account and re-uploaded the videos. I launched a campaign with a $200 budget—but again, no sales. The CPM (cost per thousand impressions) was extremely high, and I felt like I was burning money.
Upon reflection, I realized my videos were too broad, robotic, and generic. They lacked a focused solution and emotional storytelling, which made me overpay in a saturated and competitive niche (stress relief). I went back to TikTok and re-filmed 10 entirely new videos—this time focusing on emotional and fun content instead of a direct sales pitch. I spent $50 on the new campaign and finally got my first sale—three styles of the product totaling $64. I kept the campaign running to test the breakeven point, but the ad became unprofitable again after $180 in spend, so I paused it.
At that point, I gave up on the product and concluded that it wasn’t a winner. Despite the losses, I learned a tremendous amount in those five months (November to April) about ecommerce, ads, creative, and customer psychology. It was a great crash course in what not to do—and the lessons were worth more than the money lost.
Current Business: Dog Walking
After ending the dropshipping venture, I decided to pursue a service-based business—dog walking. I created a new website using the Shopify Build Plan to promote my services. I also applied for a summer youth business program that provides a $1,500 startup grant. To get accepted, I had to write a full business plan and a cash flow statement detailing how I would use the grant funds. I allocated the budget toward:
- Door hangers
- Flyers
- Business cards
- A business license
- A high-quality camera to build a social media presence
After an interview, I was accepted into the program, which begins in July. It includes mentorship and multiple networking events. I am required to commit 270 hours during the summer (July to end of August)—about 3 hours per day. I plan to use this time to go all in on the business and gain as much traction as possible.
My current service rate is $25 CAD per hour. My short-term goal is to book at least 10 one-hour walks per week. I’ve already been promoting the business by going door to door with business cards and posting in local Facebook groups. The website is fully complete and live.
Work and Investments:
Alongside my dog walking business, I also work part-time at a fast food restaurant for about 10 hours per week at minimum wage. I was just hired at a retirement home as a server and expect to work 4–8 hours per week there. So in total, I work 14–18 hours per week and plan to run my dog walking business during the summer.
My current investments are held in a Nasdaq 100 ETF index fund. Once school ends in late June and exams are finished, I’ll have a full summer to focus on business. If I hit my target of 10 dog walks per week, I estimate I can make around $2,000 per month—not including investment growth.
Future Plans:
Once the dog walking business winds down at the end of summer, I plan to start a local drone media agency. My idea is to pitch local small businesses on the value of having professional drone footage and video content for their social media and websites. I would offer a package deal—something like a $500 one-time payment for filming, editing, and posting. The camera and microphone I bought through the grant will help with this.
Eventually, I want to launch another ecommerce store—this time with smarter budgeting, better planning, and high-quality video ads featuring real people using the product. I feel like if I combine the lessons I learned with better execution, I can succeed. At the very least, I want to earn back the money I lost from my first store.
To Sum It All Up:
I know this was long, but I really wanted to share the full picture. I’m 16, just getting started in the business world, and I’ve already been through some ups and downs—from investing to ecommerce to starting a service business. I’m eager to learn, connect with others, and get real feedback on my journey and future plans.
If anyone has advice on:
- Improving service-based businesses like dog walking
- Launching a local video/drone agency
- How to approach my next ecommerce store
…I'd be grateful to hear your insights. I look forward to meeting more of you on this forum and learning everything I can to improve and grow.
Thanks again for reading,
—Noah
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