Credit: Melina Barris

Reporters Melina Barris and Emma Zocco learn more about Ryan McCormack’s small businesses.

During this time of year, some upperclassmen at WHS may begin to feel the burden of an intense school year, whether it’s the application process for seniors, or a transcript full of difficult classes for juniors. However, junior Ryan McCormack has already decided a different path for himself. Running three businesses at the age of 16, he has decided he wants to dive into the world of entrepreneurship as soon as possible.

McCormack has been running a variety of businesses over the past few years. From mowing his neighbors lawns, reselling clothes and shoes, to cutting hair, McCormack has a variety of interests within business. He began his business career in middle school.

“I’ve been mowing lawns for the past five years,” McCormack said. “I started mowing my family’s yard, then my neighbor reached out and then I just gained clients.”

Another recent business venture of his is reselling clothes. He mostly sources the clothes from Facebook Marketplace before reselling them.

“I usually get the clothes on the Facebook marketplace, like the shoes and stuff,” McCormack said. “So I get good deals and then sell them for more.”

Beginning in January, McCormack began his hair cutting business after cutting his own hair one day. He found that he enjoyed cutting his hair, and realized his talent could be useful for others too. He was faced with the challenge of gaining people’s trust working with such a focal point of their looks.

“When I first started, a lot of people who cared about their hair wouldn’t come to me for haircuts,” McCormack said. “But as I branched out, more people trusted me and the better I became.”

To keep a business running, McCormack finds that the most important thing is having a steady flow of incoming clients. For McCormack, he mainly receives clients through an Instagram account that promotes his businesses.

“My instagram is huge for gaining clientele,” McCormack said. “I also see people at school with overgrown hair and then come up and talk to them as well.”

According to McCormack, he would like to continue to keep this business small, rather than eventually working at a barber shop, knowing that there are benefits to small businesses.

“I really like haircutting because I really get to talk to my clients and get to know them better,” McCorkmack said. “I’d like to keep it smaller, just with my friends.”

McCormack also has found that working with people he is comfortable with has eased him into the world of business while still teaching him valuable lessons.

“I really hope these [businesses] can teach me good life lessons and make me successful,” McCormack said.