Brandon Twp – At 12-years-old, Tyler Traynor is learning how to manage a blossoming business, his own finances, and a savings plan.
Traynor, a Brandon Middle School student calls his business Ty’s Produce on Wheels, providing a door-to-door service of fresh produce delivery to suburban neighborhoods outside of Brandon Township.
‘I just started knocking on doors and asked people if they wanted to buy fresh produce,? Traynor said adding that nearly everyone buys the green goods.
‘Most of the produce I sell comes from my garden,? Traynor said, adding that his dad taught him how to tend and care for the green goodies, which he grows in a 15 by 60 foot patch.
‘If I don’t have it in my garden I call a farmer for it,? he said.
Cultivating two ideas at the same time, the traveling merchant developed the notion of delivering the fresh veggies after longingly passing a local roadside stand one time with his mother.
Traynor explained that he asked his mom to stop at a local stand for some fresh produce, but she could not stop because she was running late for work.
‘She said she didn’t have time to stop so I thought of the idea of bringing fresh produce to people who work and don’t have time to get it,? said Traynor.
Secondly, money is a motivator because Tyler knows he wants his first car to be a 1969 GTO, which he plans on buying with the money he earns from his produce business.
‘All he thinks about is money and how he can make this bigger,? said his mother, Cathy Traynor.
With a quick start in Waterford, Traynor’s business is growing so steadily that he is now delivering six days a week, taking orders for the next week at the same time.
Cathy says most of her son’s customers stopped buying produce from the grocery stores and now invite friends and family over on delivery day to order for the next week.
Although the business continues to grow, Cathy says her son will not sacrifice quality and often gives his customers a break on the cost of the veggies because he wants to insure freshness.
‘At the end of the day he starts cutting people deals because it’s all fresh and he doesn’t want to sell anything but fresh,? Cathy said.
With the help of his 7-year-old sister, Angel, and his mom as the driver, Tyler starts delivering the goods 4 p.m. and finishes his route by 9 p.m. every evening , except Sundays.
As Tyler jokes about not hiring family because they want their money too quickly, his mother says Tyler recently expressed concern that he may have to hire help to get the fresh produce to all of his customers.
‘His service has grown just by word of mouth,? said Cathy, who drives her son to the area where he takes onto his route with his cart.
While he is concerned about hiring a helper to handle the increasing volume of orders, Tyler has conversely added another aspect to his home delivery service.
With the help of his mother’s cooking skills, the entrepreneur has now offered homemade zucchini and banana nut breads to the cart.
Although he says he doesn’t want to hire family, Tyler may find it necessary to add sister Jessica and brother Jake to the payroll.
‘It’s getting bigger than we wanted and he hasn’t even hit Ortonville yet,? joked his mom as she urges her son to join her in baking 46 loaves of zucchini bread.
For further information on Tyler’s Produce Wagon contact Cathy Traynor at (248) 431-7392.