School’s out! Holidays are here and you know what that means. If you’ve got kids, they’ll either be causing chaos around the house, or parked in front of the TV. If you have space you could give them something much more interesting to do and teach them a few life lessons along the way.
We’ve all probably done the lemonade stand back in the day, but that’s so 1985. Why not get them to start a little mini business to have fun and learn some business skills? Today the options are way bigger if you have space to do something a little more enterprising. Here are some low cost and low risk ideas that they can set up in the garage or shed that will help kids earn a few extra dollars on the side and get their first taste of entrepreneurial excitement.
After all, kids need to be prepared for the new world of work and this is a great way to introduce them to it.
Gift basket making
This is the time for giving and companies, schools, churches and other establishments are all in the mood for gifts. Get a load of lollies, nuts, chips and other goodies and the kids can put together a little production line and turn out awesome goodie baskets to make some sweet profits.
Teach Music to other kids
Got a child with a gift for music? Perfect! Why not clear a space in the shed and get them set up to teach the neighbourhood kids? Students will bring their own instruments so it’s almost free of start-up costs. You could offer one-on-one lessons or group rates. Plus, it’s loads of fun.
Bicycle repair
A lot of bike shops charge big bucks for simple things like changing tubes, replacing chains or even just cleaning bikes. If your son or daughter has a knack for fixing things, they only need a few tools and perhaps a bike stand or two, which are available cheaply at places like Kmart.
Computer repair.
We all know someone who thinks a CD drive tray is a coffee cup holder. Kids who are good at computers can make a mint helping doing simple things like setting up printers and running virus scans.
Those are just a few ideas to explore. You could also do your own research and come up with an idea that really excites you, but once you’ve decided on a business model, now it’s time to market it!
Today that’s so much easier than before. There are loads of free tools you can use to create marketing materials and social media channels to connect with customers. For instance, at www.easil.com you can create great-looking marketing material in seconds with no design skills. It’s super-simple to start an Instagram account, an if they’re over 13 they can start a Facebook page. Moms Facebook groups are a great place to post a small picture advertising your services. There’s a lot of goodwill in those communities and moms love to see kids doing it for themselves so they will be very likely to spread the word.
Our kids are growing up in a world that’s changing fast. It never hurts to develop entrepreneurial instincts at a young age. It makes them better people and one day it might make them smarter professionals. A holiday business is a great way to teach business principles to kids. They’ll make money and have fun at the same time. All you need is a place to help them make it happen. Naturally, that’s something we at ShedBoss are always happy to help with.
