Hey Moms! Let’s Support Little Businesses0 comments

Just when I thought they didn’t exist anymore, I saw him.

I was driving in my car, headed to a doctor’s appointment.  Driving a familiar route, I admit I was almost on autopilot.  Stopped behind several cars at a four-way stop intersection, I had a chance to look around.  That’s when I spotted the table at the corner with a multilevel cake rack with cupcakes on the plates.  Then I spotted the boy behind the table, who couldn’t have been more than 10 or 12.

As I moved forward with each car that made it through the intersection, I saw more of his set up.  I saw the sign advertising cupcakes, lemonade and water for $1 each.  I saw the red cups lined up on the table and the pitcher of lemonade.  I saw the bottles of water.  I saw that the cake rack was only half full of cupcakes and I hoped that meant this young boy was being successful.

Yes, I actually found a kid entrepreneur in my own neighborhood.

I have lived in my neighborhood for about 16 years now and one thing that has struck me is the lack of kids trying to make some money with their own home-grown businesses.  This is surprising because in my neighborhood, there with lots of families with kids of all ages, from babies to teens.  Business opportunities abound.  There are parents who need babysitters, lawns that need to be mowed, dogs who need walking and pets and plants that need looking after when families go on vacation.  There are elderly or disabled neighbors who might welcome a helping hand.  And as long as there are hot days in Summer, a cold glass of lemonade will always hit the spot.

I guess modern life makes it difficult for parents to find the time to foster their childrens’ business undertakings.  But I for one wish I had neighborhood kids I could hire to help me out.  Maybe it’s time to reconsider the importance of encouraging kids to create their own businesses.  After all, it’s not just about earning extra money, but gaining valuable skills like:

• managing time, money and materials
• working with and getting along with other people
• making decisions and solving problems
• communicating effectively
• building self esteem
• applying school subjects like reading, writing and math to the real world

So Mom, if you want to get your kids started, and you didn’t grow up in an kid entrepreneur friendly household, a good place to start might be the bookstore to pick up a business book for kids.  For online resources, start by checking out the advice from Entrepreneur.com , CNNMoney.com and Life123.  Encourage your child to become an entrepreneur and you might be surprised at the positive response they get when they start their own little business.

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