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

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

The Story:

11-year old Leanna Archer has to juggle doing her homework with running a successful hair-care product company out of her home. For as long as she can remember she had been using her great-grandmother’s recipe for shampoo oil to condition her long locks. And when schoolmates would compliment her on her hair she would cook up another batch and sell them by bottle. She was only 8 when she founded LeannasHair.com.

Through media interviews the word has spread and now her home-based business is filling orders for salons across the country.

Leanna says, “I would love for kids to know that it is never too young to start a business.” For Leanna there really isn’t such a thing as a bad hair day.

The Secret:

The secret for Leanna’s hair-raising success is that when her classmates complimented her on her beautiful hair she didn’t just say thank you and move on. She took the compliment and turned it into cash.

Now It’s Your Turn:

Getting started in a business isn’t that complicated, folks. Somebody has a need, and somebody who fills that need makes money. Leanna’s great-grandmother came up with a recipe that had been handed down for generations, but it took an 8-year old to finally figure out there was a business.

Be like Leanna: don’t let a good idea curl-up and dye.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqxU-T3H31U

The Story:

When Emma Kragen was just 7-years old she wrote the words to a book that would become a best-seller on the back of a restauraunt place mat. In her young mind instead of the 12 Days of Christmas, Emma saw the 12 Dogs of Christmas. Her father, a successful producer in the entertainment field, knew they had a hit.

The book, aimed at children, has sold more than half a million copies and has been turned into a movie. They’ve even sold more than 100,000 stuffed animal dogs.

The Secret:

There’s an old saying that says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and there’s a certain amount of truth to that. By the time you’re older, you might be so consumed with negative “I could never do this” habits that it may be too late. Emma didn’t wait until she was 18 to write her book — she didn’t even wait until she could spell all the words right. This girl had the dogged determination to know that she had a great idea and just go ahead and do it.

Now It’s Your Turn:

If you really want to be bad to the bone, don’t be like all of the other kids in the kennel who just have all bark and no bite. Be the kid that gets a good idea and doesn’t just roll over and play dead.