By Olivia Norby

When Jonathan Scott-Lewis started his cleaning company, his goal was relatively simple: make enough money to pay his bills and stay in university.

Four years later, the Bishop’s University student and rugby player is using that business to sponsor both the men’s and women’s rugby teams. Scott-Lewis started JJSVCS in 2022, when he was 22 years old, beginning with window and gutter cleaning. The business later expanded into residential cleaning after a suggestion from his mother and eventually into commercial cleaning after Scott-Lewis saw an opportunity in the market.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Scott-Lewis

The company now takes on a variety of jobs, including residential and commercial cleaning, move-in and move-out jobs, summer cleaning and larger specialty jobs.

For Scott-Lewis, however, starting the company was never simply about becoming an entrepreneur. He was looking for a way to support himself while balancing university and rugby.

“I thought about working at Maxi, to be honest,” Scott-Lewis said. “And I was like, you know what? No. I’m going to try to make something on my own.” His original goal was straightforward. If he could complete enough cleaning jobs each month, he could cover his expenses and continue funding his education. “I’m really just self-funding my university,” he said.

That financial independence became particularly important last year, when Scott-Lewis said he was struggling to afford university. “I wouldn’t like any other kid to be in the position I was in last year,” he said. Going into August, Scott-Lewis said he had only $300 to his name and was unsure how he would pay for school. “I was struggling a lot and I had, I literally had $300 to my name coming into August and I was wondering, how am I going to pay for school?” The situation became serious enough that Scott-Lewis questioned whether he would be able to remain at Bishop’s.

“It came to a point where I even questioned if I’m going to be able to be in school,” he said. His financial situation also affected his ability to participate in rugby. “I even spoke to Tom and I told Tom, like, ‘Hey, I don’t think I’ll be able to play rugby,’” Scott-Lewis said. Scott-Lewis said Bishop’s rugby coach Tom Whyld supported him financially so that he could continue his season.

That experience is part of what makes Scott-Lewis’s decision to sponsor Bishop’s rugby particularly meaningful. Supporting the rugby program was something he had considered since starting his company. “I always thought sponsoring the Bishop’s rugby team would be so cool,” he said.

When the rugby program began looking for sponsors, Scott-Lewis approached the team to ask what sponsorship would require. He ultimately decided to contribute $1,250. His sponsorship supports both the men’s and women’s rugby teams. For Scott-Lewis, being a sponsor is different from simply watching the team from the sidelines. He is also a player and an active member of the rugby community. “I have daily conversations with them and I understand them on more of a deeper level than other people, let’s say spectators that just watch the game,” he said.

He said the current team’s commitment to the sport and its desire to win reminds him of Bishop’s teams from previous years. “I’m just really bought into how much they’re bought in in winning and the environment and playing,” he said.

Scott-Lewis describes his sponsorship as a “full circle moment.” The same community he is now supporting has also played a role in his own university experience. His time as a rugby player has also influenced the way he approaches his business. After facing challenges with his playing time last season, Scott-Lewis said the experience forced him to develop patience and resilience.

“It allowed me to become stronger mentally and it also allowed me to just keep going, always finding something in order to push me forward even though I wasn’t playing,” he said. “I thought it just taught me a lot of patience and resilience.” Those lessons have become part of his approach to running JJSVCS while balancing school and rugby. But Scott-Lewis’s ambitions for the company extend beyond his own financial independence.

He hopes JJSVCS can eventually become a source of employment for other students and athletes who need flexible work while pursuing their education. “It just means quite a bit to me that I’m not only able to sponsor the team, but to have a business and then with that business to be able to help out, not only just students, but other athletes that need work and that need jobs,” he said.

For Scott-Lewis, JJSVCS began as a way to make university financially possible. Now, it has become a way to give back to the community that has been part of his university experience. “I just find it like a full circle moment, to be honest.”