Just imagine being able to spot your child’s gifts and passions and then encouraging then to use them to bless others.  Wouldn’t you agree that their would be a lot more joy and excitement in your house if everyone was using their gifts and following their passions? I truly believe that as parents we can take on the role of helping our children discover their gifts and passions and then supporting them in creating a stream of income from it for themselves or to give to others. I recently talked to Beth Daniels, founder of Around the Table Games and then mom of Kate Daniels, CEO Kid. Here’s the interviews I did with her on how she helped her daughter turn her gifts and passion into profit! Sarah:  When did you notice that  Kate was interested in making money or being in business? Beth: When Kate was about 8 years old, she expressed an interest in photography.  She saw an opportunity at a church event (the blessing of the animals) to take photographs. She volunteered to take photos of the pets and their owners. She made a backdrop, bought supplies, etc.  She took donations but donated most of her money back to church.  Since then, she has identified other needs , such as the need for “kid focused” conversation games to add to our existing line of conversation games.  She also has recently started painting and taking orders for her paintings. Sarah:  That’s fantastic!  How did you go about introducing her to mentors? Beth: Her dad and I act as mentors since we own our own business.  She seeks inspiration from numerous people (ex:  her cousin who is an artist, etc.) Sarah:  Beth, since you own your own business, do you think that has given you an edge in raising a CEO Kid? Beth: Yes, Kate will tell you that she saw the positive impact our games had on families, that’s why she suggested kid versions of our games and went on to write and create those games. Sarah:  What you just said is so true – she SAW YOU and what you were doing.  Entrepreneur parents often have that advantage of being able to show their kids what business is all about.  What a blessing to be able to be an example for your daughter in the business world!  What did you to do support Kate along the way? Beth: Help her to bring her ideas to market, help match her ideas with situations where she can express her interests, and simply encouraging her. Sarah:  OK – So how do you help Kate stay balanced in all the other things she has to do in her life? Beth: She does a good job herself of retreating for some “me time” when she is feeling overwhelmed.  She juggles everything very well most of the time. Sarah:  That good to hear that she has already learned how to take time for herself. What role besides that of parent do you in Kate’s business? Beth:  We help promote her ideas and share her ideas with people who might be interested in her work. Sarah:  What were some of the challenges that you all faced in helping her become the success she is today? Beth: Actually one challenge we still need to do a better job of is teaching her the financial side of things. We have paid for some of her supplies at times….later to realize that she is not learning the real concept of expenses related to income. So we are working on that! Sarah:  That is so important Beth.  I know that once we made sure our children had a clear understanding of the expenses they did better in business. What would you share as your TOP 3 – 5 tips that every parent of a CEO Kid should implement? Beth:

1. It is important to put family, friends and school first.
2. The best products result from including your target market into the creation of the product.
3. Share your gifts and passion in order to create a positive impact on others.
4. GO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD!!!!!

I love those Beth, especially the last one – GO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD!  If every parent taught that by modeling it and every child embraced that, the world would be a different place.

Sometimes it takes a parent’s business to inspire a child to start their own business.  Kate Daniels created “Buddy Talk” and “Camp Talk” because she was inspired my the other products in her mom’s company, Around the Table Games No matter where the inspiration comes from, it is so important that we encourage our children! Here’s my interview with Kate: Sarah:  So Kate, tell where you’re from and how you got started in business. Kate – I’m from Missouri and I got started by, watching my mom make the games and I thought it was really cool so I created two games myself. Sarah – That’s awesome.  I understand that you do some other things too.  Your mom was talking to me about pet portraits and some arts and crafts type things.  So tell me a little bit more about that. Kate – A few years ago I really liked taking photos; I would go around the house taking pictures of everything.  And I also really love pets.  So I decided when my church had a blessing of the pets, I went up there and I took pictures of the pet owners and their pets. Sarah:  So what made you start thinking about being in business was it is just the fact that your mom was already in business?  Is your dad in business too? Kate - No – he’s actually a firefighter. Sarah – That’s fabulous! Kate - He has had his own business.  He cut lawn. Sarah – Okay, that’s great.  And so what do you feel like are the most important skills that you would really need to have to be in business? Kate - Creativity. Sarah – So true! You definitely need creativity!  So what have been the biggest obstacles that you’ve had to overcome as a young entrepreneur? Kate – Coming up with the pricing. Sarah – That’s really hard for a lot of people, even adults.  You don’t want to price it too high and no one buys it.  You don’t want to price it too low and then you don’t make any money.  So that definitely is a real big obstacle.  How do you feel like your age has affected you?  Do you feel like it’s been really good that you’ve gotten a lot of attention from people that say, “Wow, you’re in business, good job.”  Or do you feel like it’s been really hard to be your age? Kate - I think it’s been good. Sarah – Awesome.  So what about college?  Are you planning on going to college later on? Kate – Yes.  I want to be an interior designer and an architect. Sarah – That’s awesome. Kate - I’m planning on going somewhere in California. Sarah – Well, California is definitely fabulous!  There’s not a lot of snow here unless you’re in the mountains, which I really love.  So what were some good surprises?  What are some things that you think, wow, I didn’t know business could be this good, I love being in business? Kate – I usually like going to the toy fairs in New York, those are really fun.  And meeting new people. Sarah – You know what’s so great about the connections is that because you’re so young, you can keep those connections forever.  You can continue with those connections and so later on when you’re starting your interior design business and you can follow up on those connections that you’ve had before and say, “Hey, I would love to be able to show you what I’ve learned and give you some ideas.”  Your connections will likely help start your  next business because your connections are really, your network and your connections are really equal to the income potential that you have in your business which is awesome. Kate - Yeah. Sarah – So do you do everything by yourself or do you have a team of people that help you?  Do your parents help you? Kate - With my games, my mom and my dad help me.  With And then creating the game, I had my friends help me come up with some of the questions too. Sarah – Oh, that’s good, that’s good.  And I bet your friends like to be involved in that, so that’s awesome.  So tell us a little bit about marketing -  where do you find the clients, how do you start getting the games out there and people buying them and things like that? Kate – I usually just give them to family members and then they tell other people and it just keeps going around. Sarah – So word of mouth? Kate - Yes. Sarah – Awesome.  So what do you feel like are some tips that you can give on balancing everything, balancing business and family time and school time and maybe church time or whatever else you’re – music time, whatever you’re doing.  How do you balance it all? Kate – I take some time for myself. Sarah – Good.  Do you use a calendar, do you use a white board, what do you guys do to keep everything straight in the family? Kate - We use a calendar. Sarah – Perfect!  So if you could give tips to kids around the world, what would be some tips that you would give to young entrepreneurs, CEO Kids? Kate – Just do what you like and like what you do. Sarah – I love it!  Kate – tell us one more time where kids and parents can find your games. Kate -  You can find them at aroundthetablegames.com and we’re giving away free shipping with a promotional code of FREESHIP. Sarah – FREESHIP, okay fabulous!  What I love about them is they are pocket size so they can just fit anywhere – like doctors’ offices,  bank lines, road trips, camping and more! All right.  Always when you do what you love and you love what you do like you said, then you can definitely find the joy even if it’s a hard workweek or something like that or there’s deadlines.  So keep doing what you’re doing and doing what you love of course and we’ll watch for you as you launch the next phase of the games or become the architect that you want to be or the interior designer that you want to be.  When you live your dreams, there’s always going to be a great future for you.

Awesome Article by Guest Author: Lisa Nicole Bell of http://www.lisanicolebell.com/

“A setback is a setup for a comeback!” -Willie Jolley

This week I want to share some notes with you about setbacks. We often think of setbacks as being obstacles on our paths to success, but I submit that setbacks are blessings & opportunities in disguise. When people tell me of hardships they’re facing or problems they’re having, I’m always excited for them. I say “Congratulations” and they look at me like I’m off my rocker. But here’s the secret: a setback is always a setup for a comeback for a child of God. God is in the business of prospering His children. We see countless promises in the Bible – a comforting word that God will provide, a thought about the pointless nature of worrying, the tenet that everything works to the good of those who love God. There should be no doubt in our minds that God is always prospering us…so why do we allow fear, anxiety, and depression to steal our joy? Part of the problem is that we don’t truly understand the blessing in the storm. Take a moment to think back on the darkest nights and most difficult seasons in your life. As we go through a storm, we sometimes struggle to find meaning in the hardship. However, the purpose and value of the struggle is usually revealed long after the difficult time has passed. Over time, God’s unfailing love for us should build our faith muscle – it should be a reminder that His timing and His ways are perfect and that if we just keep going and trust Him, we’ll be blessed beyond our wildest dreams. Jimmy Dean says, “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” The other part of the problem is that we insist on having control. We want to give God part of the problem and keep the rest to ourselves to worry and brood over. But God is infinite! How silly of us to continually weigh our minds down with the cares of the world when God has promised us that He would never leave or forsake us. When we find ourselves drifting off course, we can “adjust our sails” so that we can reach our destinations. God gives wisdom generously to those who ask so in seeking Him and His will for our lives, we can use the bricks of hardship to build the foundation of our victory. There’s silver lining to every cloud of doubt – it’s up to us to find it! If you’re facing tough times, fret not! In fact, celebrate and praise God because something amazing is on the way. Your breakthrough starts with you! Inspired Journaling Prompt: Write about a difficult time from your past. Ponder how you felt as you went through the tough time and then write, in detail, how the situation worked out. Note any elements that revealed God’s hand at work in the situation. Now write about a tough situation you may be facing now. Then read Matthew 6:25-33, Matthew 7:7-11, and Psalm 37:4-6. Write about what those verses mean to you and what God has promised you. Inspired Action: Do something this week that you’ve never done before! Step out on complete faith that God has not left you and that He will provide all of your needs. Think thoughts of abundance! You are a child of God, and your cup should run over! Inspiring. Fearless. Magnetic. Powerful. These are just a few of the words that are often used to describe Lisa Nicole Bell, a world renown lifestyle expert, media personality, entertainment professional, and  multimedia creator. Using entertainment, publishing, multimedia, and personal development training, she achieves her simple mission – to inspire ordinary people to live extraordinary lives. As seen on ABC, CBS, Essence.com, Under 30 CEO and more, Lisa is the author of Divine Inspirations: Keys To Living A Divine Life in addition to being a dynamic speaker, award winning actress/filmmaker, and socially conscious entrepreneur with nearly a decade of business experience. Starting her first company at just 19 years old, Lisa went on to start multiple training and consulting companies. Today, Lisa is the CEO of Inspired Life Media Group where she and her team create lifestyle solutions and inspiring content using theatrical productions, printed and electronic publications, teleseminars, empowerment events and more. Lisa is the founder of the world’s first international lifestyle brand for teen girls blending new media, traditional media, and personal development. Fortune 500 companies, organizations, churches, colleges, and every day people turn to Lisa for her expertise as the nation’s leading expert on lifestyle design and social change.