My 12-year-old son came home from a family visit down the Jersey Shore last week. He was really excited to show me the brand new snow cone maker he bought at a garage sale for a dollar. He showed me how it worked and then informed me that he wanted to start his own snow cone business.
A few days after we’d discussed the logistics and found out that no permit was needed in our town, I headed to Wal-Mart to buy a few flavored syrups for him to use. At $2 each, I picked up 4. Not to be outdone my 10 year old son requested that I get him chocolate to sell along side his big brother. My nephew then got in on the action and decided to sell chips, which his mother provided for him.
A trip to the dollar store netted me colorful coffee stirrers, foam cups and $10 worth of 10 pack mini candies. I also picked up a 6 pack of bottled water, just to see how they sold.
We decided on a price list and wrote the offerings and prices on a poster board.
– Snow cones – $1
– 1 mini chocolate – .25 Cents
– Bag of chips – .50 cents
– Bottled water – $1
They had their grand opening on Friday and set up shop again on Saturday. And even through the scattered showers, they prevailed.
One gentleman summed it up nicely when he handed them a quarter and said it was his contribution to entrepreneurism.
After about 4 hours on Saturday I had them pack it in. Between them, they made $28, and my nephew made $5, not bad at all in my book. And they will be back at it 3-4 days a week until school starts.
Although I started them out and did not request to be paid back, they will be replenishing their supplies from their profits. They will also be donating 10% as well as saving 10%.
If your child is interested in starting a business, read on. Below is a list of things that my sisters, brother and children have done over the years to make their own money.
Selling Iced Tea with a Twist
My daughter and her best friend used basic powered iced tea mix and added a dash of pure vanilla extract. They sold out in 90 minutes and netted $17.50. Considering each cup was .25 cents they did really well.
Talent Showcase
My sister and a fellow cheerleader wanted to buy some Chinese food, after being told no, by our mother because she had already started dinner they came up with this idea in 5 minutes flat and went outside, armed with an old hat. They sang a cappella in front of my mom’s house with the hat by their feet. And like street performers in New York City, they cleaned up. 30 minutes of singing and they had about $15, which they happily spent on Chinese.
Carrying groceries
When we were younger my 10 year old brother and his friends would hang out at the local grocery stores and supermarkets and offer to carry groceries to cars or even home for any one leaving, they never had a “price” to charge but always got tipped. On a good day, he could make $20 for a few hours work.
The tried and true – Babysitting
In you are uncomfortable with your child spending time in the home of a stranger, or even just being away from home, you can have them do their babysitting at your house. This is the set up for my son. He baby-sits for my family and my friends and charges $3 an hour. He gets to make his money and the parents feel better knowing that an adult is on hand to supervise.
Cookies at Lunch Time
My son came home from school one day and was desperate to speak with his sister, who was at cheer leading practice. When she came home I finally found out what all the hullabaloo was. He said the kids in his grade were spending a lot of money on vending machines at lunch time and he had an idea. He asked my daughter to bake up some of her butterscotch peanut butter cookies. After the calculated how much it would cost to make each cookie they sold them 3/$2. Totally I’d say they sold about 8 dozen before my daughter started a regular job in addition to school and cheer leading and no longer had the time to bake. (I had him ask for permission to sell on school grounds)
Some of the above ideas are better utilized in a high pedestrian traffic area, but think outside the box. If you live on a quiet street, your child/ren can post flyer’s or IM their friends to let them know when the will be starting their stand or selling those cookies.
Or perhaps you have a family member or friend that does live on a busier street.
Making their own money gives children a sense of pride and teaches them the value of a hard earned dollar.
TIP:
Call your local City or County Clerk to see if your child needs a permit to sell in your town.
Contact the Red Cross about CPR and babysitting certificate courses. In my area it runs $40.
Best of luck to you and your mini entrepreneur.
