https://www.facebook.com/GaryOwen/videos/10154919219164237/
I’m not sure if entrepreneurship is inherited, or if it’s something you can create should you want it bad enough, but I do know that it’s possible for everyone. My meemaw owned several of her own businesses, from hair salons to home healthcare businesses, and this was before Google existed. In 2016 we have easy access to everything we need to know, so I can only imagine the amount of work that went into creating businesses from the ground up, to managing them as they grew 30 years ago. Whether there’s an entrepreneur bone in my body or whether I just soaked up the niche from watching her, the thought of my own hustle has always excited me.
When I was in third grade I created a legit (tax free) business selling candy, which wasn’t a big deal, right? Everyone had that house or apartment in their neighborhood that sold candy. Except I was smart enough to narrow in on my consumers, by selling it directly to them at school. Honestly, it stemmed from a selfish place. I hated sharing snacks that I’d brought for myself, so I found a way to capitalize on the want for it. I saved up my lunch money until I had $20, then walked to the grocery store everyday to fulfill my inventory. The candy sold at two for 88 cents, but I would sell each one for $1. I easily racked up $400 in three months off of 60 cent profits, which is a nice amount of money for a nine year old. I took my business so serious that I had my money organized in $20 increments, had written inventory sheets of what sold the best, and what I would need more of the next time I went to the store. I even had a notebook where I was tracking my weekly profits.
And I did all of this without my mother knowing. I was hiding my money in a cookie jar in my room, because all real entrepreneurs know that you never let anyone know you’ve got money. Until one day my mom found it while cleaning up. She allegedly knocked the cookie jar over and money popped out, even though I still think she was being nosy. When she made me explain where I had gotten all of that money from, she was thoroughly impressed with what I had developed on my own without asking a single question or needing an ounce of help. You’ve gotta respect that.
This video reminds me of how entrepreneurship as a kid is so much easier than adulthood. Why? Because you don’t care about how you look or come off, you only care about the result. As adults we’re caught up in perception. We don’t want to look stupid, or deprived. We don’t want to show the real grind of creating something that works. We’ll even opt out of trying if it’s going to require too much of what we don’t already have. I was walking to purchase my “product”, advertising it verbally on a daily basis and had no shame about it. Ride a bike, build a trailer and get to work. This young man is a reminder to lose that pride, a reminder that I so badly needed; and tap into your passions like you would’ve as a child.
