Starting a business can be a rough job for just about anyone, but for junior Colton Stovall that is another story.

According to the New York Times, starting a business takes many crucial steps to get where you want to be.

“Writing a business plan seems like a chore, but it’s critical [starting a business]. It doesn’t have to be formal or long — just a few pages is fine. But try to cover the basic sections, especially if you expect to make a pitch to investors or lenders,” The New York Times said.

Instead of doing the whole business planning thing, Colton’s holiday lights company started out with just him and his father decorating the house for Christmas.

“Back when I lived at my old house, I didn’t like the way my dad was doing our lights. So I said, ‘Hey, dad, I don’t like this’ and he said, ‘Okay, then you do it,’ and that’s how I started,” Colton said. 

Colton freelanced for 5 years and expanded his business last year. “I actually hired helpers this year, so I have 3 friends who work with me,” Colton said. 

He gets his customers through referrals from friends and family.

“His lights were good and he did very professional work. He was very accurate and he knew what he was doing,” junior Alessandra Garza said. They had Colton put up their lights after they found out about his business from her sister, sophomore Karina Garza.

It takes long hours and effort to put up lights for the holidays. The amount of hours it takes depends on the house. “It depends on the roof and difficulty of the roof and angles. You have to do a lot of math, which I [am not good] at,” Colton said. 

Christmas isn’t the only holiday Colton sets lights up for. He also decorates for Diwali and Halloween, but will decorate for any holiday you like. He will come to your house, give you an estimate, bring the lights, and get them put on your house so you can be festive the whole year through.