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Bennet Flenniken's entrepreneurial spirit shined early in him, when at age 9, he started washing golf carts. Now, he details much larger vehicles at his Clearwater Main Street business named Shiny Solutions.

His decision to open his detailing business has proven profitable, but his real gains will come if his FFA supervised agricultural experience application awards him the champion of his proficiency area, winning a plaque, a cash prize and berth at nationals.

Jacob Goldfuss, Summlerand's Agriculture Teacher and FFA Advisor explained SAEs, "After working all year on the project, Bennet will complete a proficiency application on his proficiency area of agriservice. This application will help prove how he worked the most hours, gained the most skills, etc. It is the competitive side of SAEs."

Other teens might start businesses, but Bennet's commitment to doing it with the goal of SAEs is admirable. The support such a program provides is invaluable as he has to consider, be reflective and record and defend such things as startup costs, record keeping and other real-life experiences of starting, owning and running a business successfully. One of the reasons Bennet values FFA is that it helps him learn things that will prepare him for life, and he is getting a great start as a business entrepreneur.

Bennet decided upon Shiny Solutions after having watched TikToks, deciding that a detailing business had manageable startup costs. As with any new business, there is risk, so the young entrepreneur weighed the risk and made the mature decision to have an outside source of income in which he spends his summer mornings mowing at the Summerland Golf Course. He then spends his afternoons during the week at Shiny Solutions, which is located on Main Street Clearwater and is housed in Flenniken Plumbing building sites. For rent, he pays his portion of the electric and water bills. His space is clean, brightly lit and organized with his business materials and equipment. Vehicles can be dropped off and picked up in a nice red-rocked parking lot, free of puddles and dust.

Sonia Rittscher | SAM

Entrepreneur • Bennet Flenniken vacuums the floorboards of a vehicle, at his business, Shiny Solutions, in Clearwater. The business is part of a supervised experience, which will be presented at FFA contests this upcoming school year.

The average vehicle takes about four hours to complete, with the average time of one hour for washing the outside of the vehicle and three hours for detailing the inside of the vehicle. He has a pricing sheet, charging a flat rate. In addition to time spent on labor, Bennet has to consider upkeep costs of materials and equipment. Young Flenniken is a progressive businessman just having purchased a new power washer for his business. He is also considering getting into ceramic coating, which he explained, "is like wax on steroids, having benifits like cutting wash time down and aiding in preventative maintenance."

When asked if he likes what he's doing, he admitted that although he doesn't hate it, it's not his favorite. He has other aspirations, but for now, he doesn't see his shop closing anytime soon. As a young 15-year-old, his entrepreneurial spirit has time to shine and grow, especially considering the learning that is going hand-in-hand with his FFA project.