Jaxen Doucette has been an entrepreneur from a younger age.
When he was 9, he began his personal ironmongery shop in a child barn in his yard, promoting issues like instruments and sweet — principally to different children in his space.
Doucette mentioned he made a bit of cash, principally as a result of sweet was an enormous vendor.
“I used to be at all times doing that. In my earlier teen years I used to be shopping for and promoting lots of stuff, four-wheelers and snowmobiles and all that stuff,” Doucette mentioned.
“I at all times needed to do one thing with enterprise and by no means, ever needed to work for any individual else. I at all times needed to do my very own factor. And right here we’re.”
Now, he runs the fibreglass boat-building enterprise in Miminegash, P.E.I., along with his household’s title over the door.
Retaining it within the household
Doucette’s Boat Constructing builds 45-foot fibreglass fishing boats and employs 12 folks year-round, although they take an prolonged break in the summertime because of the warmth.
The corporate normally has 4 boats on the go, Doucette mentioned, and finishes one per thirty days.
“It is just about simply an meeting line,” he mentioned. “Since [lobster] fishing’s been good, we have been busy. But when there is a drop within the worth of lobsters it impacts the whole lot. It is a domino impact.”
The corporate was based in 1990 by Jimmy Doucette, Jaxen’s grandfather. He took over earlier this 12 months after the elder Doucette died.
“He constructed six or seven of his personal picket boats after which they took a mildew off the final picket boat, which supplies us our fibreglass boat.”
The corporate is presently engaged on its one hundred and twenty fifth fibreglass boat. The crew just lately constructed a 45-foot cruising yacht that featured luxurious finishes, however they concentrate on fishing boats with customized interiors.
A rising market
Doucette’s boats will be present in P.E.I., New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and within the U.S.
“We have been right here now for 20 some years and, , folks appear to love our boats, from phrase of mouth,” he mentioned.
“And we go to fairly a couple of boat reveals from right here to Halifax and Moncton, proper all the way down to Florida. And the web’s an enormous factor — Fb and Instagram … there’s at all times folks sharing it and commenting and I am getting telephone calls.”
Doucette mentioned his love for the enterprise got here naturally, and his household has been behind him since he opened that first ironmongery shop.
“I used to be at all times round. My grandfather and my grandmother and my father at all times labored right here, and my uncle at all times labored right here. And I’ve simply been round. We’re a detailed household.”
Doucette hopes to broaden the enterprise ultimately, which might require an even bigger store and extra staff.
I at all times needed to do one thing with enterprise and by no means, ever needed to work for any individual else … and right here we’re.— Jaxen Doucette
“We’re gonna preserve rocking and rolling right here,” he mentioned.
“The entire financial system factor proper now with COVID and inflation and all that — we’re simply going to, , play it by ear for now. And a few day we’re positively going to be constructing an even bigger boat, one thing slightly bit greater than this one.”
However on the finish of the day, Doucette mentioned it is all a tribute to his grandfather Jimmy, who taught him rather a lot — and never nearly enterprise.
“Just remember to’re at all times, you are at all times placing your coronary heart into it…. And at all times just remember to’re doing an excellent job and by no means minimize corners. And simply at all times be certain the client is happy and also you’re doing it to your full capability.”
