As most of you know teaching my boys entrepreneurship I view as one of my most significant jobs as a parent. Wyatt and I have been testing businesses, having meetings, we created his “Business Idea” book. I love feeding his brilliant ideas, some of them include:
- Lemonade stand
- Recycling business (collecting bottles and cans)
- Professional video game player (I am not so keen on this one, but he thinks it is brilliant)
- Sell his old toys
- Create an “Art Stand” draw pictures of people. If you need a stick drawing of you and your family Wyatt is taking commissions : )
- A massage business (he gives a wicked massage!)
- A cleaning business
All of these things ideas I have been pleased with not necessarily for the quality of the idea, but because Wyatt has ideas, he is willing to try different things I am thrilled!!
By the way I want to plug a fantastic book, “Young Bucks, How To Raise A Future Millionaire” By Troy Dunn a self made millionaire who had an amazing Dad who supported him to become financially free and he is passing on his wisdom and experience to his kids and yours if you read and apply the ideas!
http://www.amazon.ca/Young-Bucks-Raise-Future-Millionaire/dp/0785221859
Now the purpose of this post is to acknowledge the simplicity and brilliance of kids and specifically my oldest Wyatt.
Last week Wyatt shared that he has a new business idea, and that is he is going to look around the house and pick up money he finds. Now this at first seems to me to be kind of cute (that is until I cannot find change to wash my cars!)
So Wyatt, has discovered all the little baskets and trays that keys and change get dropped off into throughout the house and is soon walking around the house holding a huge zip lock bag full of change asking me to feel how heavy it is because of ALL his $$$ money.
So far, so good…cute.
Now this is where it gets interesting last week Wyatt is talking to Cory while she is doing laundry and he watches Cory pull money out of pocket after pocket after pocket.
Shortly after Wyatt announces to Cory that his new business is “Taking the money out of the pockets before they are washed” and that Cory from this point forward is to call him prior to washing clothes so that he can do his business.
Now when Cory first told me about this honestly my first reaction was “That little s*&%” he does not want to do the REAL work of some of his other business ideas” Then my old Saskatchewan conditioning goes to “That is Lazy!” Which whenever that thought hits me I know that is a RED FLAG of epic proportions. For years I have worked on ease and flow and have done my best to release the old belief of “It has to be hard to be good” clearly it still holds some real estate in my belief system.
I also have a mission as a parent to raise “conscious, independent contributing member of society” not an entitled, self righteous, dependent burden on society. Thus I want my boys to be WILLING to work hard, yet wise enough to know that it is not necessary.
Back to the point; after my initial reaction of that is too easy and potentially lazy…YIKES my body and beliefs react even as I write that!!
After more thought I came to really appreciate the beauty and simplicity of Wyatt’s new business. He has mastered in one simple model many of the aspects of business that I have worked far to hard at for far to long. Think about it for a moment. He has the following going for him.
1) He is placing himself precisely where the cash is, literally emptying the pockets!
2) He is taking advantage of something that is happening anyway, Cory washes clothes on a regular basis and he has Cory calling him when there is an income opportunity!
3) He is accessing money that we do not even realize is there and it is now his.
The more I think about, timing, location and support I love his business model.
Well done Wyatt, I love you and I am proud of you!
