Young entreprenuers forge their own paths

How does a business begin?

For a 2026 Goshen High School graduate, the idea began simply because he liked to help his dad clean the car. That, plus he enjoyed spraying the hose everywhere.

For a young man about to enter seventh grade at Monroe-Woodbury Middle School, it was the most basic motivation: He needed to make money, specifically for a dirt bike.

And for a Warwick Valley High School senior, who will be the first in her family to go to college, it was figuring out how to take the tests and to apply to schools.

And at one point, it seemed, each of these young entrepreneurs asked themselves: “Why not start myself?”

What follows are the stories of young entrepreneurs who wanted more than a summer job.

It’s in the details

Grant Musson founded Gmusso Detail Corp. when he was 16 years old. The 2026 Goshen High School graduate recalled that he always wanted to help his dad wash the family cars. He eventually learned how to detail his own car.

Then, with the help of Frank Zellner, a Goshen businessman and owner of Zellner Family Renovations, Grant began promoting his services.

He charges $95 per car. He was booked all of last summer.

“My success has been great because of my customers that have shared their experience about me on my social media post,” Grant said. “It’s important to me to make sure that my customer is satisfied with me and their car. I have been blessed with a ton of referrals and repeat clients. I have built a ton of great relationships in the past two years.”

Grant will be attending Quinnipiac University in Connecticut and hopes to expand business there, saying his dad working in the state is helpful.

He advises younger would-be entrepreneurs to research social media groups and see where businesses post. He encourages them to get their name out there and just start somewhere.

Shoveling snow

Another Goshen High School graduate, Declan Burns, founded Orange County Exterior Services, which he runs with fellow Goshen High School graduate Eamonn Mulleady.

The Class of 2025 graduate and current student at Rutgers University, said the idea for his business came when it was snowing a lot and he helped neighbors with shoveling. He thought it would be smart to offer services in the spring as well. The business now includes landscaping, lawn care, power washing and related services.

The jobs range in price from $300 to five-figures.

Declan said he has always been good at social media, with a strong understanding of how to use the algorithms and key words to drive business. He also has a successful YouTube channel.

A member of Greek Life at college, Declan succeeded in recruiting several of his fraternity brothers to help with his business. And even with commuting four hours per day from Rutgers in the spring, Declan said he managed to maintain a high GPA.

Over time, Declan said his business’s reputation and respect has grown.

“At first it was about people helping out college students,” he said. “Now we have people hiring us as professionals. It is way better, way more efficient.”

Declan advises would-be entrepreneurs to watch the history of companies on YouTube to learn their success stories.

No car, no problem - thanks to mom and dad

For one entrepreneur, the lack of a car, let a lone a driver’s license, did not deter him from getting out there to provide a service for the community.

Jaxson Behr, a Monroe resident entering seventh grade at Monroe-Woodbury Middle School, started his Splash Kid, trash and recycling bin cleaning business at the end of the school year to keep busy over the summer and earn money to purchase items he wants. That includes a dirt bike, which he’s about a quarter of the way to having enough money to buy.

Jaxson said he was inspired to start his business when he saw others online were offering to clean garbage cans and thought, “why not start myself.”

He made a flyer to share with neighbors and his mom, Kristin Behr, posted online.

Jaxson acknowledges the strong support from both his parents. His dad provided the tools he needed, including the power washer. Both his parents drive Jaxson to his appointments. Kristin joked that she is Jaxson’s secretary, helping her son book appointments.

While mom and dad help with driving and managing the business, Jaxson does all the cleaning on his own. He charges $20 per can and has made about $500 since he started.

Even with camp and summer lacrosse, Jaxson is managing four to six jobs per week and is hoping to continue once school starts. Kristin said he may need to scale back to just weekends to accommodate his fall sports schedule.

Kristin added that this experience has taught Jaxson a great deal about budgeting and other aspects of owning your own business.

Jaxson’s advice for fellow young entrepreneurs: “If you wanna do it, stick to it, work hard, follow your dreams. Believe in yourself.”

Teach yourself

Madison Burke, who enters her senior year at Warwick Valley High School this fall, started College Prep Initiative last spring.

“I realized I had to apply to college, except I didn’t have much preparation for it and I didn’t know what to do, since I’m going to be a first-generation college student,” Madison said.

Madison’s goal is to help students and parents get information about the college admission process that’s not readily available, such as the importance of SAT/ACT in scholarships, schools offering financial aid that doesn’t have to be paid back, information about service academy admissions and the advantages of applying early. She also offers free study plans for the ACT/SAT/PSAT to help students achieve the best score they can.

Madison and her mom have been sharing College Prep Initiative with people they know and putting up flyers at their local church.

Madison’s advice: “I would encourage students to start their own business because it helps you get a lot of experience doing things that you may not have gotten otherwise. Being the owner of a business or initiative is a bit of a challenge, but that’s how you learn valuable skills.”

’Get your feet wet’

Vincent Maviglia, a 2025 graduate of Goshen High School, started Heritage Landscaping his sophomore year of high school.

Vincent said he was inspired by his mother, a local school teacher who would come home from school and continue working on her own business.

Vincent had some help at first thanks to his dad’s old Subaru and his grandfather’s pressure washer. After his first year he was able to buy his own truck and, as business grew, he was able to buy more tools to perform more services.

While he will do landscaping occasionally, he is mainly focused on power washing. He charges between $450 and $600 per house.

Vincent attends online school and works in sales at the Suresky dealership in Goshen.

Vincent advises young entrepreneurs to ignore naysayers who have never started a business and may discourage them from trying.

“Always get your feet we and get some experience,” Vincent said. “At least you tried.”