Modern Entrepreneur Profile: Mississauga's Serge Boghossian
/In conversation with an ambitious and driven Mississauga teenager, Serge Boghossian, creator of Jobbli.
Mississauga's Serge Boghossian, founder of jobbli
1. What exactly is Jobbli and why does it exist?
Jobbli (jobbli.org) is a free hyperlocal platform that connects Mississauga teens aged 14 to 17 with local employers for part time work. It exists because finding your first job as a teen is harder than it should be. Indeed and ZipRecruiter are built for adults, most listings set a minimum age of 18, and the jobs that do accept younger teens are scattered across Instagram posts, word of mouth, and bulletin boards. Meanwhile, Mississauga businesses like restaurants, tutoring centres, banquet halls, and gyms tell me they want to hire local teens but don't know how to reach them. Jobbli fixes that gap. Employers post for free. Teens apply, message, and schedule interviews all in one place.
2. How long did it take to plan and strategize it before you launched?
Honestly, not long in the traditional sense. The idea hit me in November 2025 after watching friends around me struggle to land their first jobs. I spent about two weeks on research and planning before writing the first line of code. Everything else I figured out by shipping and listening.
An image of jobbli’s home screen.
3. How has the reaction been to Jobbli since its launch?
Overwhelmingly positive, especially from teens and parents who immediately get why it needs to exist. Employers take a little more convincing since I'm asking them to try something new, but once they see the platform most come around. I've had encouraging conversations with the Cooksville BIA, who are featuring Jobbli in their June newsletter, and I'm now in early talks with a reporter at The Pointer about a feature as well.
4. What was the most challenging part of the process?
Being taken seriously as a 16 year old. When I cold call a restaurant owner or walk into a BIA meeting, my age is the first thing people notice, and I've had to earn credibility through preparation and polish. I built the entire platform solo in JavaScript and Supabase, which meant a lot of late nights debugging my own code with no senior developer to lean on. But the hardest part has honestly been the sales side. Learning how to pitch, how to follow up, and how to hear no without taking it personally.
Mississauga's Serge Boghossian, founder of jobbli.
5. What's the most rewarding aspect of Jobbli?
Knowing that every employer I sign up represents real jobs for real teens in my city. Most adults remember their first job as a formative experience. Being the person who helps make that first job happen for the next wave of Mississauga kids is a kind of purpose I didn't expect to feel at 16.
6. What succinct advice do you have for other teenage entrepreneurs?
Build something for a community you actually belong to. I'm a Mississauga teen building for Mississauga teens, and that gives me instincts no outside founder could fake. And ship before you feel ready. My first version of Jobbli was ugly and half broken, but it existed, and that's what let me start having real conversations with real employers instead of just polishing something in private.
Mississauga's Serge Boghossian, founder of jobbli.
7. How can the community support you as a local entrepreneur?
Three ways. If you're a Mississauga business owner, post your next teen friendly role on jobbli.org. It's free. If you know a teen aged 14 to 17 looking for work, send them the link. And if you're connected to a local organization, school, or BIA, I'd love an introduction. Every employer on the platform means another teen getting their start, so every bit of reach matters.
