Dallas Crilley’s Kidpreneur Blog — Ways Kids and Teens Can Make Money

Jordan Culpepper and Tavis Smiley

The Story:

Ever since he was old enough to hold a crayon, Jordan Culpepper was an artist. After winning art contests in elementary school, he decided to start designing buttons for his family and friends.

Pretty soon, everyone wanted one. He realized that there was money to be made. He remembers borrowing $500 from his parents to start his bedroom business called Buttons by Jordan.

When the media heard about his story, it caused a button bonanza. He even sold 5,000 buttons to nationally syndicated radio host Tavis Smiley.

He’s already saved $7,000 towards college, and every one of his customers is a walking billboard for his business.

The Secret:

Jordan recognized an opportunity when it hit him on the chest. It would have been easy for him to be safe and keep it as a hobby, and borrowing $500 from his folks surely pinned him down. However, he knew he was investing in himself, and his business would live or die based on his own ability to button-up new business.

Now It’s Your Turn:

When was the last time that someone complimented you on a talent? Do you play an instrument? Maybe you should make some money tutoring other kids. Are you good at video games? I bet someone would hire you to teach them your secrets. Who knows, like Jordan, you may discover that starting your business is as simple as pressing the Easy Button.

John Paul Pigeon

The Story:

His mom always knew he was gifted.  After all, how many 7-year-old boys are learning Greek and reading at a 12th grade level?

While other boys his age were playing Nintendo, John Paul Pigeon was reading the Wall Street Journal and breaking into the latest business book.

By the age of 10, he had taken the stage, and was speaking to crowds of hundreds on the importance of financial literacy.

John Paul, now 14-years-old, travels all over the country not only teaching finances but also building his bank account along the way.

The Secret:

John Paul dared to be different.  It would’ve been very easy to do the same things his friends did, but instead he decided to continue fueling his passion for profits.

Speaking in front of a crowd can be a terrifying experience if you allow it to be one.  John Paul Pigeon faced his fears and found himself coming alive on stage, captivating his crowds.

Now It’s Your Turn:

What’s stopping you from taking flight?  Many teens I know seem to be just passing time until they turn 18.  Your future can begin today.  And like this tiny Tony Robbins, you may discover that there’s a financial freedom of speech that can only be found if you get yourself out there.

The Story:

As a child growing up in a foreign country, Barry Soetoro remembers feeling disconnected.  He was African-American, but he was living in Indonesia and didn’t look like his friends.

Barry was taller than the other kids but that didn’t stop others from picking on him.  He remembers coming home with a lump on the side of his head after he got in a fight with an older kid.

He would spend much of his life fighting — fighting to prove that people should not be judged by the color of their skin, but the content of their character.

His third grade teacher gave all of her students an assignment titled “What I Want To Be In The Future.”  Barry wrote, “I want to be President.”  If you don’t know who I’m talking about, then you probably don’t know that as an adult he took his father’s name, Barack Obama. And on Tuesday that little boy’s dream comes true.

The Secret:

Like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama used society’s prejudices to fuel his passion.  Perhaps had he lived in a different set of circumstances he wouldn’t have been as driven.

He knew that the important thing was not the number of times that you get knocked down, it’s about how many times you get back up.  Everyone should have something worth fighting for.

Now It’s Your Turn:

Motivational speaker Les Brown once said that you should never let someone’s opinion of you become your reality.  On Monday we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, and on Tuesday we celebrate the inauguration of the first African American President of the United States.

Maybe it’s time for you to start dreaming with your eyes wide open.

The Story:

In 2005 while most of the world was watching the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, 12-year-old Talia Leman was determined not to leave the rebuilding to grown-ups.  She went to her school and organized a trick-or-treat campaign where the kids would ask for donations to hurricane relief instead of candy.

It caught the news media’s attention and after it hit all the network news programs, every school in the state wanted to get involved.  Before it was all over she had raised $226,000.

The Secret:

You can either sit on the sidelines or get in the game.  Millions of kids watched the news and were touched by the tragedy, but Talia knew that in order to organize an army of adolescents it would take a student leader — not an adult.

Now It’s Your Turn:

What’s going on in your community, and how can you make a difference?  Is there crime in your neighborhood?  Form a crime-watch club made up of kids, then call up the news and tell them about it.

Everyone can make a difference, and you don’t have to wait until you’re 18 to do it.  Live your life with passion and purpose and there’s no telling what you can do.  And like Talia Leman, you’ll discover that even the forces of nature can’t keep you down.

The Story:

For as long as 14-year-old Evan Ducker can remember, he was different.  He was born with a birthmark on his cheek.  It’s known as a port-wine stain, similar to the one former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev had on the crown of his head.

His mother at first was ashamed to take him outside, but as he grew older she decided that the mark wasn’t something to be embarassed about, instead it was what made him special.  Evan and his mom went to the library to read up on birthmarks, and were shocked to find there was very little written. So they decided to write one themselves.

The children’s book, called “Buddy Bobby’s Birthmark,” was an instant hit and has earned him interviews on CNN, CBS, and USA Today.  Evan says his dream is to raise $100,000 for the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation, and he’s well on his way with speaking engagements that take him all over the country.

The Secret:

It’s not about how many times you get knocked down, it’s about how many times you get back up.  Too many kids use setbacks and difficult circumstances as an excuse not to try.  Not Evan.  Instead of playing the blame game he got busy and did something about it.

Now It’s Your Turn:

What excuses have you been using?  Born into the wrong family?  Too young?  Not attractive enough?  I don’t want to hear it.

Evan should be inspiration to us all.  When it comes to overcoming obstacles, he literally wrote the book.

The Story:

When Ephren Taylor was just 12-years-old he remembered not being able to afford video games, so he decided to start making his own.  After learning how to program computers, he started duplicating copies of the games he made and selling them to his classmates for $10 each.  He ended up selling over 100 copies.

His early success only fueled his passion. He discovered he was “Taylor made” for business and by the time he was 17-years-old, he had created a multi-million dollar technology company.

Now in his 20s, Ephren is the youngest African-American CEO of a publicly traded company of all time.

The Secret:

Ephren didn’t use his humble beginnings as an excuse.  It only made him hungry and driven to succeed.  He also didn’t see his age as a handicap.  While other kids his age were playing video games, he was creating and selling them.

Now It’s Your Turn:

It’s never too early to begin your dash for cash.  What’s your dream job?  If it doesn’t exist, do what Ephren did — create it.  Many people find themselves years down the road in a job that they hate.  If you do what you love it’s not work.  But if your only motivation is money, it’s game over.

The Story:

15-year-old Jennifer Sharpe from Dearborn, Michigan knows how to make a mint when it comes to selling cookies — a thin mint, that is.

Earlier this year Jennifer began selling Girl Scout cookies. However, instead of going door-to-door like most Scouts, she set up a stand in her church parking lot. Rain or shine, every day she was out there smiling and determined.

By the time the cookie selling season was over, Jennifer had set what is believed to be a new record — she sold 17,328 boxes… enough to send her entire troop to Europe for a week.

The Secret:

It may have seemed like a half-baked idea to some, but setting her stand up in a church parking lot was genius. When a Girl Scout comes to your house she only has one chance to make a sale. By setting up shop in one place, Jennifer’s customers knew where to find her and they could keep coming back for more.

Most importantly, Jennifer had a goal. She was focused on sweet success and knew that the pay-off would be in the satisfaction of sending all her friends on the trip of a lifetime.

Now It’s Your Turn:

The problem with many teens is they don’t have goals. If your goal for the day is to not wipe out on your skateboard, it might be time to reevaluate.

What are you passionate about? Whether it’s saving up to pay for your college tuition or to set a new record, Jennifer Sharpe proved that all you have to do is dream and come up with an idea you can sink your teeth into.

The Story:

All kids know what a problem crayons can be after a little use. They become broken and hard to draw with.

11-year old Cassidy Goldstein decided to do something about it. She took a small plastic tube used for holding flowers and after fashioning it into a crude creation, the “Crayon Holder” was born.

Her father helped her get a patent and the device was picked up by Wal-Mart. This clever endeavor has earned her more than six figures!

The Secret:

Your life is a blank canvas. What are you going to do with it?

Cassidy didn’t just see a problem. She saw a solution and decided that the art of business doesn’t have an age limit.

Now it’s Your Turn:

What’s stopping you from doing the things you want to do? Is it the fear of failure or the fear of success?

It’s time to pick up the broken crayons in your life and start coloring your dreams. You may draw attention to yourself, but as Cassidy discovered with a little bit of ingenuity you’ll find yourself a picture of prosperity.

The Story:

14-year old McKay Hatch decided last year too many of his friends were using foul language at his junior high in South Pasadena, California. So he challenged his friends to stop swearing. But for some of them that was easier said than done. So he decided to form a club to remind them all of their oath — he called it the No Cussing Club.

Soon word spread around the school and before long 50 kids had signed up and taken the oath. Then the local media found out about him, and his story took off. In the last year McKay has done hundreds of interviews with everyone from BBC London to Dr. Phil. And he’s watched the membership in his club grow to 50,000. It doesn’t cost anything to join but McKay has a store on his website. With 50,000 members one could see that McKay is well on his way to paying for his college tuition with a business that no one would ever cuss him out for.

The Secret:

Like many of the Kidpreneurs that I’ve covered in my newsletter and in my book McKay’s business was almost an accident. He started a club to help his friends clean up their language and now he’s just plain cleaning up.

Now It’s Your Turn:

I don’t believe in accidents — I believe that everything happens for a reason. So if you see yourself being put in a situation where you need to take action, look a little further and see if there’s a business behind that door. And like McKay you may discover another 4-letter word: C-A-S-H.

The Story:

At the age of six, Sami Fitzgerald was looking for a book about gratitude.  So she and her mother started hitting the bookstores. There were lots of grown up books on the subject of giving and being thankful, but nothing for kids.

And so Sami announced to her mom, “Well, I guess I’ll just have to write one.” And that’s exactly what she did. A few months ago, this Kidpreneur from Mansfield, Texas came out with a workbook called “Fish Sticks, Books and Blue Jeans – Teaching kids to be thankful for everything (yes, even Fish Sticks) everyday!”

She hasn’t been on Oprah yet, but she’s already been featured in dozens of local TV, radio and newspaper articles.  And she’s already sold close to a thousand books and is putting away a nice stash of cash for college.

The Secret:

Sami saw a need.  She looked for a book for kids about giving and couldn’t find one. But instead of stopping there, she decided to write one.

She was passionate about it.  No child will see a project through unless they love what they are doing. Sami is just a giving little girl. She had to share her message of gratitude with the world.

Now It’s Your Turn:

The next time you find yourself saying, “I wonder why no one has ever invented..” don’t stop there. Get busy and do it yourself.  Look around you. Every invention started with intention.  Sami discovered her passion at the age of six. Don’t wait till you’re 66 or 106 to find yours.

For more information about Sami and to order her book, go to www.samifitzgerald.com