‘Dreams will come true’: 13-year-old in Byron Center launches pickup dog-walking business
A 13-year-old in West Michigan has launched his first business after investing in the purchase of an old miniature school bus.
By Michael Martin
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BYRON CENTER, Michigan (WXMI) — A 13-year-old in West Michigan has launched his first business after investing in the purchase of an old miniature school bus. Aleksander Slott is operating Wagging Riders in the Byron Center area alongside his mother and younger sister.
Aleksander’s mom, Amy Oostveen, has been homeschooling him and his sister for about four years. Recently she asked him what kind of business he would start if he could.
“And he’s like, ‘I just want to be with dogs,’” Oostveen told FOX 17 Tuesday.
Aleksander has been walking dogs in his neighborhood for a few years now.
In November, mom saw a video online from someone in Alaska running a dog-transport business.
After showing the short video to Aleksander, they decided to jump into the idea entirely.
By December, mom and son had launched Wagging Riders.
A write-up on their Facebook page describes Wagging Riders as a “dog bus that picks up your pup at your house, brings them to a local park for walks and play, and drops them back off at your house.”
While mom is helping out with the day-to-day operations, Aleksander has taken the lead on the project in many regards.
“This is what we created,” Oostveen said Tuesday.
“He came up with the name on his own; he’s doing a ton of the work on his own; he invested in the bus on his own.”
They run Mondays through Thursdays right now, starting their pick-up run through the Byron Center area at 12 p.m. before going to the dog park, and then returning your pooch afterwards.
It costs $25 each day/ride, and owners sign up by the day.
Interested in getting your dog in on the adventures? They ask that you send them a direct message either on their Facebook page or their Instagram page.
“If you have a passion, I would just stick with it and try to ride it out,” Aleksander said Tuesday.
“There’s gonna be ups and downs, but you just really got to stick with it, and then your dreams will come true.”
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