- My 12 -year -old daughter manages her own handmade products.
- It has built its own website and attended the markets of local manufacturers.
- There have been some tests and errors, but letting her make her own mistakes was crucial.
It is a rite of parental passage when a child is first interested in earning their own money. At our house, it started with a lemonade stand, as is often the case. But then, I blocked my eyes, and my 12 -year -old child sort of led one full -fledged hand -made product company.
This trip was largely independent. She built her own website, participates in the markets of local manufacturers and reinvests her profits to expand her business offers. My spouse and I support his interests with tools and encouragement if necessary, but we have often discovered it, the best way to support it as a young entrepreneur is to take a step back, to provide him with the space to explore, make mistakes and understand things by herself.
We gave him space to learn through tests and errors
I will not lie; Its process may seem unpredictable, which is sometimes uncomfortable and difficult to look at as a parent. For example, when she launched her website, all shipping costs were the same. She then received an order (from one of my very kind friends) in Canada. As anyone who has sent something from the country know, it is a completely different process – and a much higher cost. My instinct was to intervene and smooth things at the post office. Maybe cover the additional cost. But I selected myself.
By remaining silent, I gave him space for problem solving. It has covered additional costs with another source of money, filled customs forms with the help of the postal worker and immediately adjusted shipping prices on his website to avoid future problems. This experience helped her consider more costs and work to ensure that her business remains sustainable – while also build one’s resilience and ingenuity.
The lesson for me was the recall that Entrepreneurship is not a question of perfection; It is a question of learning and adapting. And that the financial lessons she learns now – how to budget, plan and adapt – will be used for adulthood.
External resources have helped her grow up
Fortunately, my spouse and I are not the only resources of our daughter. At first, we found lessons for children who wish to start or manage an outside business. From 1: 1 business coaching For group camps, our daughter learned marketing, competitive analysis, etc.
She also participates in Youth Biz, a local program that manages seasonal markets and business camps. Thanks to their workshops, she created a business plan, built a mobile application and learned the basics of small businesses, including the way to pay the state sales tax.
She also experienced the networking power With other young entrepreneurs and local market sellers. She walks on the market of each manufacturer in which she participates, observing prices, product displays and customer interactions. She takes mental notes on what works and what does not work, constantly refining her approach. All of this is a continuous learning experience that helps you improve business sense.
Let the process take place is patient and confidence
Although a lemonade medium seems to be a small thing, it can be the beginning of something bigger. I quickly realized that helping my child learn to manage a business financial literacy in a tangible and significant way. While, at the beginning, she was delighted to spend her money earned for typical things of children like candy or target races, she started to watch money differently after a few months and after a sales experience on a Holiday market where she won about $ 200.
These days, she is more thoughtful; Instead of spending everything right away, she puts about half of the money she earns in savings or in her business by buying equipment to create new articles or invest in things like a card reader. In the past year, she has grown so much, both as a business owner and as a young confident and ingenious. When it presents itself to a challenge, it is more likely to consider various angles and to try to resolve it these days. Better still, she approaches it with curiosity and asking for the help of the many resources she has won.
Parenthood of a young entrepreneur was as much a learning experience for me as for her. I had to fight the desire to intervene, to repair things and to facilitate its way. But I learned that real support does not concern the deletion of obstacles – it is a question of giving it confidence to navigate them itself.