Scene One: It's a scorching 28 degrees in the sun and the kids in the playground are having a blast. From under the wide brim of your straw hat, you glance up occasionally to make sure no one has fallen off the monkey bars or been trampled by the herd of soccer players on the neighboring pitch. You've got a Nalgene full of ice water so the kids don't dehydrate. You also remember to smear them all with sunscreen before heading out to the park. And another proud Calgary Mom drifts off contentedly into that half-nap-while-on-full-alert state that only mothers seem to know how to do.

Scene Two: Two students from the University of Saskatchewan are driving home from a brief holiday at Whistler. There is the usual talk about men, relationships and student life. But there is also an urgent tone to some of the conversation. Now, history doesn't record whether it happened on the Coquihalla, the Salmon Arm stretch or the hairpin turns past Golden, but the two students reach a momentous decision to start their own business.

Scene Three: The main dining hall of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. It is a room which has hosted prime ministers, statesmen and some of the most powerful business leaders in the world. Today at the podium, a young woman is outlining her business plans to a crowd composed of young entrepreneurs, veteran bankers and experienced business people. Shortly after her talk, she is presented with a cheque for $10,000. It's not a huge amount, but it is enough to kickstart another new venture in the city.

If you wind those three strands together, you have in the briefest form the story of the Body Blocker Co. of Calgary, a brand new business venture by two young entrepreneurs who are tackling the market for sun protective clothing. But the real story, of course, more closely resembles pushing a heavy object up a long hill, as it took years of hard effort and a lot of persistence to even get to the launching stage.

But if Shashi Behl and Lila Lewandoski have an edge, it is probably that both of them determined some time back that they were going to be in business someday. They didn't know when and they didn't know how, but they just had a very strong push to become entrepreneurs. One of the earliest manifestations was they both switched majors in college. Shashi, from Punnichy, Sask., left psychology to study economics, and Lila, from Cudworth, Sask., dropped physical education to study commerce.

Friends at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, the two often talked and dreamed of business ideas. Of all the tracks they pursued, the most promising seems to be the manufacture of sun protective clothing aimed primarily at children. They researched the subject and got to know a lot about ozone depletion, UV rays (both A and B), and even got the university to begin testing the sun blocking qualities of various fabrics.

What the research told them was that despite growing use of sun blocking creams against the harmful effects of UV-A and UV-B rays, there was still little awareness about the impact of clothing. The Canadian Cancer Society recommends, among other things, that people wear wide brimmed hats, long sleeved shirts and long pants as part of the protection package. But can you imagine keeping kids bundled up in long garments on a hot day, especially when they're playing near a wading pool?

Some manufacturers did have swim suits and other limited apparel with sun blocking qualities, but it wasn't widely available and there was little consumer education about the role of clothing in protecting against the harmful effects of the sun. With the beginnings of an idea, they first went to the economic development office in Saskatoon, but officials there didn't provide a lot of positive reinforcement.

Lila, one of eight children, had a sister living in Calgary, who urged them to come here. They checked in with the Calgary Economic Development Authority in 1995 and were stunned to be given a packet of ten booklets containing lots of useful information and by the positive environment emanating from CEDA.

"We figured Calgary is a large and growing market with just a lot of things happening, so it was a pretty easy decision to move here," says Shashi.

The next year-and-a-half was spent refining the concept. That involved more research into the market. Learning the science of skin cancer. Sourcing and testing fabrics. Designing clothing and making prototypes. Test marketing. Revising. Developing a business plan.

And more. To pay the rent and keep food on the table, both women worked full time jobs, usually waitressing. When the shift at the bistro was over, the kitchen table in the apartment was cleared and it became their business office and manufacturing centre.

But they could taste success as early products went over very well.

"The kids really liked the stuff," says Lila. "It's very spirited looking and one mother told me 'my daughter doesn't want to take it off.'"

Parents were also very receptive when they learned about the importance of sun-protective clothing. And that helped spread the word to other concerned parents.

"Based on a sale to one person, we had five other calls," says Lila. "Word of mouth is huge for us."

Guerilla marketing - selling one swimsuit at a time - is a good way to earn pocket money, but it's a long way from a full-fledged business. That's when Shashi and Lila got serious about a business plan and got in touch with the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (Youth Business). Through the foundation, their plan was scrutinized by a team of experienced business people and they were ultimately awarded a $10,000 loan - the first loan provided by Youth Business in western Canada. Also through the foundation, they have access to continuing mentoring and the services of individuals with specialized expertise should their business need it.

With their own savings and the green light from Youth Business, the two entrepreneurs said goodbye to their waitress jobs in May and are now full time business people, with all the risks that entails.

In July, they expect to open their first retail outlet in the new Stockyards Market and will have a kiosk in Eau Claire Market. The outlets will be supplied by a just-in-time manufacturing system involving out-sourcing in Calgary's needle trade industry. They will also launch a mail order service for a full line of products ranging from sun-protective clothing to sunglasses to sun screens.

"We are a one-stop sun shop," says Lil.

They project sales of just under $100,000 in the first year. As for the future? Well, in their mind's eye they see themselves developing as the L.L. Bean or Lands' End of the sun-protective industry.

And they could be right as they have a big technology jump over anyone else in what is still a fledgling industry, but one that is certain to grow dramatically as consumer awareness increases about the need for sun protection.

"Part of what we want to do is education for the consumer," says Shashi. To this end, both women volunteer time to the Canadian Cancer Society's Sun Awareness program.

So far, Shashi and Lila are pleased with their progress and are running on all cylinders. And they do have a word of advice to other young people making the plunge into the world of business. "Be prepared for a humbling experience," says Lila.