Getting Kids To Start Their Own Business

I taught the children of our dear family friend how to make polymer clay accessories.  I enjoyed it so much because I saw how enterprising they were.  From the first workshop that we had, the kids were able to sell accessories to their classmates in school.  One of the children, Zes was able to create his own multiply site and has also added human nature products to his budding business! 

What I love about teaching kids how to start their own business is when I get to hear their ideas and see their eyes widen or sparkle if they have that "aha" moment for a business idea.  At his age, he's got brochures and has a notebook with his prices and marketing ideas. Aside from that he is a fast learner and quickly absorbs instructions.

Ask Zes about retail and wholesale and its like talking to an adult!  Place an order and he will diligently take down your orders and process everything in a timely and professional manner!  On top of this, he still manages to enjoy life a kid!  This should be always the case.  He's got the genes for business!  After all aside from his enterprising parents he's got a grandmother who is a fabulous crafter!  I'm a big fan of her sewing abilities and her style ideas!

Another idea of his that totally amazed me and won my vote was when he would buy candies and snacks and sell it to his siblings.  Smart kid!

His sister, Isse on the other hand would sell alphabet and number clay charms along with other handmade polymer clay accessories.  Such is their love for things that are handmade!  She was interviewed on her 16th bday no less by ABS-CBN's Kabuhayang Swak Na Swak during her bead party which consisted of beads, clays, and party favors! (She's the one on the right.  Shown here with her friends during her bday) At 16 she's got an amazing video skills!  At her young age, she's already got quite a bevy of clients ranging from students to professionals.  Older people are simply amazed and immediately become loyal clients.  She's also quite a techie who can operate a GPS tracking device.  Give her a gadget and she'll be able to figure it out in a jiffy! Nice!!!

The great thing about teaching your kids early about business is as parents, you get to develop their business acumen, how they interact and how they manage their money too.  All kids, including the youngest (8 years old) know how to manage their "baon" or earnings from their business.

E is for Entrepreneur and E-Commerce

As I have mentioned in my previous post, I have become acquainted and familiarized with e-commerce and online auction sites.  So much so that I was even able to start shipping overseas my products.  Happy with the outcome, I proceeded to create my own business online.  Even before I ventured into accessory making and conducting workshops and livelihood programs, I was already selling online like any ebayer,

Like many others, I didn't give much thought about selling my used stuff or in ebay parlance, pre-loved.  But being the diligent researcher that I am, it dawned on me that like the accessories business there too was a big market for pre-loved stuff!  As if seeing all those ukay-ukays wasn't a sign!  If only I had more hands then I would probably be back on the auction sites selling also more of my pre-loved stuff! 

I sold my pre-loved stuff, then I went on to sell brand new clothes, hand made export quality shoes (I was overjoyed when it was featured on a magazine for call center agents!).  I got to export it overseas along with lots of maxi dresses, beach cover-ups.  

E-commerce allows people to pay with different payment methods and receiving your item by courier is far more economical than driving off to a mall for a meet-up (hello gas prices and hot weather!).  I always love the sound of our door bell ringing especially if I am expecting a package! HAHA!! I don't know if its just me but I love unwrapping parcels!  The e-commerce sites allows sellers to create their own sites, sell their products and do business with other people.  Its a virtual highway consisting of buyers and sellers!  

On the downside, there are buyers who are not familiar with the policies for online shoppers so they sometimes end up on the BOGUS BUYERS list and get a negative feedback or a negative strike if its in an auction site.  One can't just click away or order without paying for it.  There is a certain level of responsibility to it.  Make sure you are able to pay for your purchases before you buy.  If you can't then don't buy.  Pure, plain, and simple logic.  No excuses. Period.