11-year-old Roya Cooper has turned her summer break into sweet profit through her latest ice cream business. Roya runs her ice cream shop, called Scooper’s Dairy Bar, in Brudenell, P.E.I.

Roya works seven days a week and runs the shop herself, checking freezer temperatures and scooping sundaes while also managing the books. Customers are often surprised to see someone her age in charge, and Roya says many people think she’s much older than she is.

Roya used some of her savings to help start her ice cream shop and got the rest of the money from a loan through the Community Business Development Corporation, which helps small businesses in Atlantic Canada. She says she’s always loved ice cream and thought it would be fun to turn that into a business. This isn’t Roya’s first venture; she was just six when she made little French books from sticky notes and sold them to tourists for $5 each. Her mom says Roya has always loved making money, and she gets her hardworking spirit from her parents, who run several businesses, including the riding stables next door. Roya’s parents are very proud of her.

Running an ice cream shop isn’t always easy. Roya says scooping from the tubs takes strength, and sometimes she has to manage employees who are much older than her. Her last worker quit because there was too much cleaning to do. Some people don’t like taking instructions from an 11-year-old, but others respect her. One of her newest treats is nacho ice cream, which comes with sprinkles, sauce, and waffle chips. Her personal favourite is peanut butter fudge crunch.

Roya’s day ends with handcrafting earrings shaped like mini ice cream cones, which she sells separately from a small display outside her shop, adding another revenue stream to her store. Roya wants to serve many more sundaes and hopes the business will grow with her.

Source: Maria Sarrouh, CTV News