Teen fresh out of high school opens a cafe and is heartbroken when it gets no customers

A harsh introduction to the world of business

Aussie teen Tom Oswald set up his own small business, called Homeboy, in Handorf, a town south-east of Adelaide.

He'd saved up to create his own little shop but when it opened, no customers turned up, leaving him gutted.

In a TikTok, Oswald shared his dismay at the empty cafe. The video has been viewed more than 1.3 million times and racked up 115.8k likes.

It probably had the desired effect as well, with many who live nearby taking to the comments to say they'll pay him a visit.

One person wrote: "We've got a group coming up to Hahndorf in a couple of weeks - we'll come in for coffee!"

Another said: "IM IN ADL!! will be visiting this weekend."

A third added: "Next time I drive through Hahndorf I'll get a coffee or pastry."

The video was shared back in July, and it looks like business has improved a little for Oswald since his underwhelming opening day.

Speaking to news.com.au, he explained why he wanted to set up his own cafe and how he'd managed to do it.

He said he learned his coffee craft from working in a cafe for two years and speaking to mentors before taking the leap of faith.

And when an ex-neighbour told him they had a "paint shop with room for a coffee shop but had no one that could run it” he jumped at the chance to set up Homeboy.

Oswald did some industry research, and opened up his own cafe.

He praised his parents for their support, explaining that his mum is "appy cooking up all the biscuits and brownies and dad is doing the pastry deliveries up to Hahndorf."

The cafe is in a venue that allows small businesses and pop-ups to flow in and out, giving them a "chance to test their business in a real store", Oswald said,

Because the space was already fitted out, he managed to open the coffee shop with relatively minimal set up costs.

“I am 18 years old, straight out of high school, currently in my gap year and this project is literally the only thing I’m ever working on,” he said.

“I’m either at the shop working or working from the outside, finding ways I can improve the business in any way I can.”

Speaking of his future plans, he said: “My plans are to keep working hard to create something special and hopefully one day Homeboy will be a success.

“I would also like to get a chance to give back to the community too, by fundraisers and charity events. In the meantime, its just one coffee at a time.”

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