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Meet Hudson Lightfoot, the 16-year-old Orillia teen who started window cleaning with a bucket and squeegee at 13 (Image Credit: OrilliaMatters)
At 16, Hudson Lightfoot is balancing high school with a business he started when he was just 13. What began as a simple window-cleaning operation in Orillia has since grown into Marchmont Window Cleaning, a student-owned business serving customers across the area.
According to OrilliaMatters, Lightfoot has built a client base of 125 customers, hired his first employees and received a $3,000 grant through Ontario’s Summer Company programme. Marchmont Window Cleaning's website describes the company as a student-owned, locally operated business established in 2023.
From a bucket and squeegee to a growing business
Lightfoot told OrilliaMatters that he started the business at 13 with a bucket and squeegee. At the time, the operation was a small venture run by a teenager looking to earn money while learning how to manage a business.
He reinvested his first summer's earnings into the company. OrilliaMatters reports that Lightfoot used the money to purchase a water-purification hose system, allowing him to clean windows as high as four storeys without relying on traditional ladder work.The system also became part of the business's environmental approach. Lightfoot told OrilliaMatters that the system uses water rather than harsh chemicals or soaps.
Marchmont Window Cleaning's website similarly describes its water-fed pole system as using purified water without chemical cleaning agents. The company's website now lists several services beyond window cleaning, including interior and exterior window cleaning, gutter cleaning, gutter brightening, siding soft washing and hard-water stain removal.
It says the business serves Orillia and communities across Simcoe County and Muskoka.
125 clients and the first employees
The business did not remain a one-person operation. OrilliaMatters reports that Lightfoot's client base has grown from zero to 125, with many customers returning for additional services. That repeat business has been an important part of the company's growth. In his own LinkedIn posts, Lightfoot has described learning about sales, customer service, pricing and operations through the business. He has also written about the transition from working alone to becoming responsible for other people's work.
“I hired my first employees this summer,” Lightfoot told OrilliaMatters. He added that the community had been supportive of the business. His LinkedIn profile also describes the same change, saying that the business moved from being “just me and a squeegee” to having employees. He wrote that hiring made training and systems more important as the company expanded.
A $3,000 grant helped him expand
Another step came through Ontario's Summer Company programme.
OrilliaMatters reports that Lightfoot received a $3,000 grant this summer through the Summer Company Program administered locally through the Small Business Centre of Barrie, Simcoe County and Orillia. The provincial programme provides eligible student entrepreneurs with financial support and business guidance. Ontario's official programme information says successful applicants can receive up to $3,000, with the money divided between start-up support and completion of programme requirements.
Lightfoot told OrilliaMatters that he used the grant to register and insure the business, buy marketing materials and purchase additional equipment. Those investments allowed him to expand the operation and bring in his first employees. His LinkedIn profile also identifies him as a 2026 Summer Company Grant Recipient and lists the Government of Ontario among his honours and awards.
Learning business while still in school
Running a company has also meant learning skills that do not necessarily come from a classroom.
On LinkedIn, Lightfoot describes Marchmont Window Cleaning as a place where he is learning about sales, operations, hiring, pricing and customer service. He has also taught himself coding. He initially created a free website for the business before learning coding to build a more advanced website and create an app for the company.Marchmont Window Cleaning's website reflects that development. It presents the business as a student-owned service company, offers online quote requests and promotes several cleaning services throughout the region.
For Lightfoot, however, the business is not his only pursuit. OrilliaMatters reports that he is also a competitive freestyle skier and certified coach during the winter. His LinkedIn profile likewise lists competitive skiing among his activities.
A teenage business built one customer at a time
Lightfoot's story began with basic equipment and a teenager willing to knock on doors to find customers. Three years later, Marchmont Window Cleaning has grown to 125 clients, added employees and expanded its range of services. What started with a bucket and squeegee has therefore become more than a summer job. It has given Lightfoot experience with customers, equipment, marketing, technology and managing a team, all while he continues his education.
