An overgrown garden inspired middle schooler Enoch Ball to start his own business. Three years ago, everyone in Enoch Ball’s house was busy. His mother, Katrina Ball, had just started a new job, while his father, Vic Ball, was running the Trampoline Park in Dockyard.

Enoch had just started at Bermuda Institute after being home-schooled.

“We lost steam in running the garden,” Enoch said. “Everything was overgrown.”

One day, he and his family, including older brother Elijah, 15, set to work, bringing the space back to order, cutting down trees, pulling weeds and mowing the grass.

“It was very fun, except for the mosquitoes,” Enoch said. “I started wondering if other people had the same problem taking care of their lawns.”

Plantscaping was born, offering lawn mowing services.

So far, his clients have included his own school, The Bermuda Institute.

“They have a back area that was super overgrown,” he said. “We cleared out the flower beds for them, took out the old stuff and put down mulch. Then we left it to the school to do whatever they wanted with it.”

The hardest thing about running Plantscaping for him, has been balancing it with all of his commitments such as school, homework, and projects.

“The hard part is finding the time to do everything,” he said.

To help him learn more about running a business, his mother signed him up for an online business camp this summer run by Inertia Academy, an online educational platform for children ages 10 to 13.

“We were looking for something to do for the summer, outside of the regular camps,” Mr Ball said.

“My son already had the beginnings of the landscaping business, so we thought this would add to it,” he said. “He was already doing lawns so we thought we would add on creating gardens for people, as well.”

“The camp was fun,” Enoch said. “We did mock stock market investment and fun business-related activities.”

A lesson on rejection made a big impression on him.

“I wouldn't say I had a problem with it, but rejection was challenging for me to accept,” he said.

Campers were asked to call a local shop and request something for free. Dutifully, Enoch called a local eatery.

“I said it was my birthday, and asked for a free pizza,” he said. “I was hoping for a yes, because a girl in my group, from Boston, got a free soup from Olive Garden after she called. The person on the other line said I’m sorry, I will have to talk to the manager. They never came back to me.”

He was unsurprised by this outcome since experiencing rejection was the point of the exercise.

During the month-long camp, students also learnt a bit about advertising.

“The main thing was how to efficiently go door-to-door,” Enoch said. “For example, if you know someone in your neighbourhood does not like children, then it is probably best not to go to them to try to sell your product. It is about knowing your customer.”

At the end of the camp, Enoch won a $25 Amazon gift card in a pitch competition called the Prequel Launchpad Challenge.

“I practised for a week before the competition,” he said. “It was not really that hard to craft the presentation.”

Later, a camp counsellor wrote to Enoch’s mother to praise his pitch.

“I want to take a moment to highlight Enoch’s exceptional presentation,” she wrote. “It stood out as one of the best in the cohort. His dedication and hard work have significantly contributed to the success of our programme.”

However, Enoch said the most important business lesson he has learnt was actually gleaned from watching his father at work.

“He has taught me that challenges are a way to grow,” Enoch said. “You cannot say, I failed once, so I am done. You have to push through the failure until you get things right.”

The youngster is not yet sure what he wants to do as a career. So far, landscaping is a means to an end. “I might be a detective,” he said, “or maybe an accountant.”