A year 11 student from Euroa, in north-east Victoria, has opened the doors to his own business.

Seventeen-year-old Charlie Mawson officially opened Charlie’s Pies, Cakes & Chocolates on June 11, 2025.

The son of Mawson Bakery Cafe owners David and Gayle Mawson, Charlie said he had saved as much as possible throughout his childhood in order to achieve his dream.

Speaking with WIN News, Charlie said he would spend Monday to Friday in the classroom before heading to Charlie’s Pies, Cakes & Chocolates on the weekend, which will also be stocking the family’s own chocolate range in the cabinets.

“You can’t do everything by yourself. If you do you’re just going to fail – you’ll burn out. You need to work together as a team. You need to delegate, learn what people are good at. It’s really about identifying what people are good at and what they want to do and putting them into the situation where they can achieve that,” he said.

“I could be having franchises across Melbourne or Sydney – or even internationally – you never really know.”

His mother, Gayle, said Charlie had been working at Mawson Bakery Cafe since he was four or five, and that being a business owner had long been on the cards.

“He’s so interested in business and economics, and he wanted to open his own [business],” she said.

“Business is what he wants to do, and who knows? The sky is the limit.

“I’m super proud, and I think any mum would be.”