Sarah:  When did you notice that Steven was interested in making money and being in business?

Jacqui: Steven from about 13 years began looking at ways of making money for himself.  He started a radio station for his friends at school, he would make CDs for his friends for a small fee.  He became interested and started the web design and hosting at 15 years of age.

Sarah:  How did you go about introducing Steven to mentors?

Jacqui: Steven has found his own mentors and is very independent.  His brother who also started a business at 14 years-old and has given him some good advice and has been one of his mentors. They are also competitive and one of Steven’s drives is to do better than his brother.

Sarah:  Are you or your husband in business and if so – do you think that has given you an edge in raising a CEO Kid?

Jacqui: I have been a single parent for almost all of their childhood.  I always worked for myself so that I could work around my children.  I think without even knowing it, they picked up on what I was doing and it seems to have given them an edge.

I have always worked hard with a positive attitude.  My eldest son surprised me when he repeated ‘if you think you can you are right, if you think you can’t you are also right’.  I am a believer in positive mental attitude but until recently I had not been aware of how much my sons had taken this on board.

Sarah:  So, what did you to do support him along the way?

Jacqui: I give advice when he asks, I help him with administration and how to organize things correctly to be legal.  When he asks, I will give my opinion on his designs and I will assist him with customer service.  I also help financially when I can and I support him for everyday living.

Sarah:  What a wonderful blessings to be able to work along side your son in his business!  How do you or did you help Steven stay balanced in all the other things he was doing in life?

Jacqui: I do not need to help  Steven as he is already mature and well balanced.  He has many friends and an active social life.  He has a good morality and knows what he does and does not want.  If he needed help and support he would just ask me.

Sarah:  What were some of the challenges that you all faced in helping him become the success he is today?

Jacqui: I think the biggest challenge was for Steven to accept that I totally believed in him and wanted him to succeed.  For a while he thought I did not want him to run his own business and sometimes this caused a barrier. Financing the business was a challenge as I am not wealthy and he did not have any investments or investors.  Both my sons have achieved by their own resources and have built successful business out of nothing. Age is also challenging as some people do not take young business people seriously.  Both my sons have had to work twice as hard to prove themselves as being professional, reliable, mature business people.  They have proved themselves and receive great feedback and respect from their clients.

Sarah:  Is there anything you would have done differently that you would be willing to share with other parents of CEO Kids?

Jacqui: I do not think so.  This is a voyage of discovery that Steven has to take for himself.

Sarah:  Would you share your TOP 3 – 5 tips that every parent of a CEO Kid should implement?

Jacqui: “Believe in your child”. Do not put them down even if your experience tells you that maybe what they are saying and trying to do may be difficult. Let them try and find out for themselves. Never tell them they cannot do something.  Put forward a couple of alternative suggestions and let them think about it and come to their own conclusions. Times change.  As parents we do not live in their world, we are not part of their generation therefore they understand a lot more about what their worlds needs than we do. Be non-judgmental and totally supportive.  Be there and be prepared to do some problem solving and put together some pieces every now and then… even in the middle of the night!

Imagine this . . .

Imagine staying at one of the grandest old hotels in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, skiing for three days with lessons included.

Every bite at the hotel’s lavish breakfast buffet – and the rest of the stay – is complimentary.

Or how about this . . .

Picture yourself standing at the balcony of a beautiful lakeside hotel converted from an old church. Earlier that day, you luxuriated in a spa treatment. And later you’ll amble downtown to dine at one of the hotel’s innovative and delicious restaurants – all on the hotel’s dime, not yours.

Now if this seems like a fantasy – it’s not. It’s my work. It’s the wonderful life of having a freelance travel writing business.

Essentially, as a travel writer, I get paid to take my family and investigate an activity or place and write an intriguing or entertaining article about it.

We’ve gone skiing in several places, mountain biking, and horseback riding.  We’ve climbed mountains, ate sumptuous steak dinners, and explored new places.

All because I found a way to create a business reporting on these different places and activities.

A few blog posts ago, Sarah Cook wrote about ideas for how to get VIP treatment and tours as you take business trips around the globe.

Freelance travel writing offers another superb entry into this world.

And while I’m the chief writer of the family, it’s really a family affair. My kids and husband help me write my articles as co-researchers and reporters.

Taking this a step further, while my kids haven’t made this move yet, there are plenty of kids magazines that are eager for youth reporters who can tell their peers about places to go and new things to do.

My guess is there is a kids’ travel writing market out there just waiting for youth writers to tap into it.  Look at the magazines you like to read and think about whether you could write for them!

So if you’d like to find a way to try new activities, travel near and far . . . and make money doing it, read the next few paragraphs carefully.

They frame the doorway that leads into a world of exploration. A world you can turn into a nice business for yourself and your family.

A Brief Guide On How To Become A Travel Writer

Essentially, here’s how it works.

All kinds of media – from magazines, to blogs, to TV shows – are looking for people to provide good reporting on things to do and places to visit.

While some of them have staff to write the stories, many use additional freelance writers or are completely written by freelancers.

Here are some great online resources that can help you carve out a freelance travel writing business.

·    The Travel Writer’s Life
·    The Renegade Writer
·    The Writer’s Market
·    Media Kitty

There are some important details that go into creating a freelance travel writing business. And these resources will provide them for you.

But to give you a taste of what it takes and how to get started, I’m including a brief description right here:

7 Steps To Your First Travel Writing Success

1.    Brainstorm what kinds of things you’d like to report on.

Take some time, perhaps on your own or as a family, to brainstorm all the kinds of things you’d like to report on.  You can consider things you do all the time and would like to tell the world about.  Or you can think up things you’d like to try that you’ve never done before.

Think about where you could go to do this activity and report about it.

By the way, travel writing doesn’t mean you have to travel around the world.  In fact the best way to start off is where you’re already somewhat an expert yourself.

Much of my travel writing gigs have been within an hour from my house. Remember, there are plenty of people who would love to come visit your neighborhood or city. Think of yourself as a potential host.

Better yet, this can be a trigger for finding out new and wonderful activities near your home that you never knew about or never got around to trying.

Also, while the trips I highlighted in the opening of the article are standard vacation fare, travel writing doesn’t have to be stuck in that mode.

I’ve gotten editors’ interested in articles about Jamaican cooking with Scotch Bonnet peppers. I’ve interviewed a host of farmers who provide for a local community-supported agriculture venture. And I know writers who have covered historical battlegrounds for military mags or Ecuadorian traditional healing ceremonies.  The stories you choose can take you all kinds of interesting places.

Sarah’s earlier suggestions about biztripping fit beautifully into this category. You might find editors interested in your insider scoop on businesses.

2.    Research what magazines might be interested in your story.

This is a critical step.  You’ll have a hard time getting a story on white water rafting into a golf magazine. Similarly, if you’re going to write about activities for families with younger kids, you don’t want to target Seventeen.

Finding the right magazine and audience for your story is critical.  Editors look for writers who seem to understand their readers and are ready to write for them.

The public library’s magazine section is a great place to browse through magazines and find your best candidate.  The other place to look is in the yearly directory for freelance writers, The Writer’s Market. You can get the latest copy in your public library’s reference section. And you can usually check out the copy from the year before.

Finally, don’t overlook free magazines outside of the supermarket or your local newspaper.  While writing an article for Disney’s Family Fun or the New York Times pays well and gets you some great writer’s creds, they’re tough magazines to get into.

3.    Write a query letter

A query letter is the letter you write to an editor proposing a story.

Query letters are a strategic part of any smart writer’s briefcase. Query letters will save you lots time.  Instead of writing the whole article first and sending it to editors, you simply send them a summary proposal in the form of a query letter.

And, just as importantly, using a query letter sets you up perfectly for capturing the perks of travel writing. I’ll explain this in the next section.

There’s a whole art to writing a good query letter. And you can find more detailed discussion of this in some of the resources I cited above.

Essentially, here’s what’s in a query letter:

·    A riveting opening paragraph that captures the editor’s attention. This should be pretty much how you might open your full article to give the editor a taste of how you’d report the story.
·    A brief summary of the story you’re proposing, length, perspective, etc.
·    Your sources; and
·    Your personal experience that qualifies you to write the story.

While some magazines still insist on hard copy letters, many accept query letters by email. Just make sure you get the right contact information which you can find through the Writer’s Market, in the magazine you’re querying itself or from the website of the publisher you’re contacting.

You’ll usually have to send out several before you get a bite. (I’ve sent out dozens on many occasions!) And don’t be afraid to follow up after a couple weeks have passed. Persistence pays.

Once you’ve gotten an acceptance, and agreed on a contract, then you’re ready to roll!

4.    Contact The Place Your Story Covers

Contact the PR department or owner of the business you’re proposing to cover and tell them that you’ve been contracted by a magazine to write a story about them.  Note: Some places request an email or copy of the letter from the editor confirming that you are contracted to write a story for them.

Let them know when you’d like to come and ask them if they can provide you with a complimentary visit or reduced rate.  Don’t be shy about this. Outline specifically what you need for the story you’ve proposed i.e. rentals, lessons, etc. and see how they can help you out.

Sometimes they’ll cover everyone’s expenses – like when my kids got free skiing lessons because I was writing about it. And sometimes they’ll only offer gratuitous services for the writer – like when I took telemarking lessons.

Remember, they gain the best kind of advertising out there through this kind of publicity.  Every business I’ve worked with has offered some kind of free or very low-cost service to make my visits possible.

5.    Enjoy The Visit And Document It!

Take some time before you go to research what you’re doing and plan out what you need to see, who you need to talk to, what you need to bring, etc.

Make sure you bring

·    A small notebook and pen for notes;
·    A digital recorder for interviews; and
·    A camera.  While some places have stock photos you can use for the story, it always helps to get some yourself. (BTW, there’s a whole world of freelance travel photography jobs as well!)

Also, bring  a small ziplock bag for any odds and ends – receipts, tickets, brochures, menus, article clippings etc. that will help you remember the details of your visit.

6.    Write Your Story And Submit It To Your Editor

How to write well is a whole article in itself – actually a library’s worth.

However, here’s one tip: I find it’s easiest to write my article while I’m on the trip or right after while everything is still fresh and accurate. It’s much easier to vibrantly describe people and places.

Also, keep in mind that the businesses that hosted you are expecting you to do a nice job in spreading the word about them in exchange for their hospitality. Do them justice by writing your best.

Once you’re satisfied with your article and you’ve checked your information for accuracy, send it in to your editor.

You’ll probably have to do a revision or two.  Or at least approve revisions from your editor. And you may have to do some follow-ups with your sources. (Make sure you collect contact information when you’re on the road.)

7.    Thank You’s and Follow Ups!

This step is critical. When your article is finally published, make sure you send a copy to the business(es) that hosted you.  Include a nice thank you note as well. Many will eagerly request you contact them again for future stories – or even suggest new angles for you to cover if you can get a publishing venue for it.

Similarly, stay in touch with your editor and move quickly to propose another idea while you and your article are top-of-mind. Editors are eager to find good, reliable writers. If they like what you wrote once, they’ll be more than happy to hear about other proposals from you – or even assign a story to you.

This saves you lots of time in writing and sending out query letters.  Allowing you to do more of what you want to do –

Explore and write!

About Sarah Clachar:

Published in magazines like Health, Mothering, Taste For Life, Around Concord and more, Sarah Clachar loves to write her own tickets to family adventure with her travel writer’s credentials.

When she’s not writing, Sarah’s busy working on her family’s small farm or hiking and biking around their home with her husband and two kids (ages 11 and 14).  If you’re looking for a bunch of great ideas for fitting more fitness activities into your family life, check out her family fitness website Fit Family Together.com.

And for all you home biz entrepreneurs, Sarah’s created a special online resource for creating a healthy home business.

Look around your house, how many items can you see that you could really stand to part with?  What if you could make money from it?  People in your neighborhood could ask themselves those same questions but I bet they don’t have time to do anything about it!  You or your CEO Kid could be the answer to the CLUTTER problem and you could make an income doing it.

Selling on Ebay is one of the easiest “businesses” to get started with today.

Here is what you need to sell on e-bay:

1. An e-bay account – This part is simple as it involves filling in a few forms online.

2. Download the turbo software – This helps you set up your items on Ebay.

3. Computer – Pretty much a given at this point, since you’ll need to be ON Ebay and have the software.

4. Stuff to sell – Whether your CEO kid collects this in your own home, from neighbors and relatives, or you purchase items low cost at garage sales, auctions and thrift stores to “resell” you can truly have a business quickly.

5. Decide what market to sell in: Junk market or the Collectible market – This will make a huge difference in the kind of money you will attempt to make on the items.

6. Advertise for as little as $10: Promoting your items can be a key to being successful, you want to set yourself apart from the many, many others on Ebay.

There are certainly more fees than there used to be so the profit margin on some things may not be as good as when e-Bay first opened but there are still opportunities for making money as well helping others to de-junk their space!

You should consider checking out Susan Whitehead’s new video course and her blog!  She has been selling on eBay for years!  http://mrshomeschool.com/blog/288/win-a-copy-of-my-auction-video-course/

When I talked to Alex Hodara about the Real Estate empire he has built for himself marketing to college students I knew I also had to talk to his parents!

Here is the interview with them:

Sarah:  When did you notice that Alex was interested in making money and being in business?

Alex’s Mom: Alex, even as a very young child, was always thinking of ways to start interesting businesses.  He loved selling lemonade when he was really little.  His lemonade stand expanded quickly to included items like: baseball cards, magic cards, toys, etc.

When Alex was about 7, he was great at Yo Yo tricks and magic sticks.  When we were on vacation in Berkeley CA, Alex he saw street people asking for money, so he bought a big hat and stood on a corner in Berkeley and earned himself some tips.

Early in High School, when poker was the rage, Alex started Poker Chip King, a business where he imported sets of clay poker chips directly from China, (he incorporated his company, got an import agent, etc) and sold them to high school kids, to businesses for corporate Christmas gifts, and on the Internet.

Alex was the business manager for his high school newspaper, where he helped raise funds by opening a profitable school store.  At age 16, Alex was hired by a local company to help start an e-bay business.

Alex always gave a percentage of his profits to charity, which he continues to do today.

Sarah:  Wow! So Alex has really had a series of business ventures.  That is fabulous!

Alex’s Mom: We always tease Alex by telling him all we did was “water” him.  He is an entrepreneur by nature!

Sarah:  That’s funny!  I guess there are some kids that are just wired as entrepreneurs! So are you or your spouse in business and if so – do you think that has given you an edge in raising a CEO Kid?

Alex’s Mom: I am a social worker and my husband is a corporate lawyer.  My husband, Fred, loves his work, and definitely influenced Alex by his enthusiasm.  Fred would always share details about new industries he was involved in and the intricate details of his work.  Fred and I both helped Alex develop a strong social conscience.

Sarah:  That’s great!  What did you to do support him along the way?

Alex’s Mom: Being a very cautious person, Alex would not have been successful if he had followed my advice.  Although I still play devils advocate with him, once he is committed to an idea there is no stopping him.  Eventually, our whole family encourages him and supports his enthusiasm.

Sarah:  I think there are a lot of parents that are extra cautious like that.  Looking back, how did you help Alex stay balanced in all the other things he has to do in his life?

Alex’s Mom: Alex was and is able to keep his own life in balance.  As parents, we encouraged our children to succeed, but emphasized that happiness and loving relationships are the most important ingredients to a well balanced life.

Sarah:  That is very wise counsel.  What role besides that of parent did you play in Alex’s business?

Alex’s Mom: Cheerleader and Proud Mama!

Alex’s Dad: I never made sports or other competitive events easy for Alex. If we played basketball together, I wouldn’t “stuff” him or block his shots, but he couldn’t double dribble, walk or get away with any other infraction. We had similar approaches to all sports. In each one, a day came when Alex finally beat me, fair and square. That’s a win-win. It was the same in Alex’ business endeavors. He had to work through the problems himself and come up with solutions. I would introduce him, in the early stages, to people or concepts, but he was the decision maker. In one business, we were equal partners with a formal contractual agreement. In a short period of time, Alex bought me out.

Sarah:  That’s great that he had both a cheering section and a real business mentor in the same house.  What were some of the challenges that you all faced in helping him become the success he is today?

Alex’s parents: Alex has really succeeded on his own.  We never gave him money and many times we were not supportive of his business ideas.  He has done this completely on his own.

Sarah:  What would be the TOP 3 – 5 tips that every parent of a CEO Kid should implement?

Alex’s parents:

1. Encourage your child to talk to, and if possible, go to work with, people who are in a variety of fields.  Having exposure to as many different jobs people do is an excellent way for a person to find their niche.
2. Encourage your child not to be afraid of authority figures.  Include your child in adult discussions and encourage them to participate.
3. Let your child experiment and take responsibility for both failures and accomplishments.  Let kids have a great deal of independence, as long as it isn’t harmful.  The only two rules we had in our home was no bouncing balls in the house (except the basement) and absolutely no tolerance for lying.  If my kids wanted to do something that was not allowed, they had to stand up for themselves and take the consequences, but no sneaking or lying.
4. Lots of love and laughter.

Sarah:  Those are such great tips.  So if you could have done things differently what would you have changed?

Alex’s parents: If we could have seen the future, we would have not have discouraged Alex as much as we did.  We were always way too skeptical of his wild ideas.  We would have been more supportive.

Financially, we wouldn’t have done anything different.  Alex has always gotten a “normal” allowance and all his entrepreneurial endeavors has been with his own money.  Except for Poker Chip King, which Alex started with $1,700 of winnings from a football fantasy league win Alex and his Dad did together, we have not given Alex any money for his businesses.  He has truly done it all on his own!

*** Note from Sarah – Alex has truly made a name for himself.  Be sure to check out his website http://hodararealestate.com/ Alex started small and rolled one success into another to create the big success he has today!

The Weekly Podcast has LAUNCHED! In this Raising CEO Kids podcast you will hear the tips, tricks, and strategies supporting your kids in making money and starting a business using their gifts and passions!

What was it that started you in business?  What was it for your kids?  I remember a big motivation for me was a trip to Europe! I need BIG money for that trip and I was highly motivated to get it!  For my son it was TECH toys and tools!  For my daughter it was MORE SUPPLIES – craft, cooking, sewing – you name it!  For Kohl it was an Xbox 360!  When you know your child’s motivation – their WHY you will be able to inspire them to accomplish almost anything!

Here is my interview with Kohl:

Sarah:  Kohl please tell me how you got started in business.

Kohl: I wanted an Xbox 360. My mom said she couldn’t afford a brand new one. She could afford $60.00 – $80.00. So I went on the Internet & the only Xbox I could find for that price was broken. I wondered how hard it would be to fix one. I did some research by going on YouTube and such and saw some videos on how to fix one. I decided to take a chance and bought a broken Xbox for $60.00.  My mom took me to Lowe’s & Radio Shack to buy a solder gun and electronic supplies. I fixed the broken Xbox and sat there looking at it thinking “that was pretty easy”!  I decided I could buy more broken ones & sell them.  I sold my first one & started a business.

Sarah:  That is fantastic!  What do you think are the most important skills you have that help you in business?

Kohl: I research well. I’m smart when it comes to fixing things. I’m practical when putting my Xboxes for sale, I price them well.

Sarah:  Good for you – research is so important!  What were the biggest obstacles, problems you had in getting started in business?

Kohl: There aren’t enough broken Xboxes for sale. Prices started getting higher, so my profit on reselling them would be lower. Then Xbox lowered their prices for new Xboxes, so I had to lower the price for repaired ones.

Sarah:  How about your age?  How does that affect you?

Kohl: It really doesn’t affect me.  Most of the people I sold to were in their 20’s & 30’s and they just wanted an Xbox.  They didn’t care that they bought it from a 12 year old.

Sarah:  That’s what my son has found too.  People don’t care how old you are as long as you get them what they need and want.  What about college?  Are you planning on going?

Kohl: Yes.

Sarah:  Fabulous! What kind of expenses or start-up costs did you have when you started your business and  where did you find the money or capital to start?

Kohl: It cost $80 in supplies and the broken Xbox and my mom paid for it.

Sarah:  That is a pretty inexpensive way to start a business!  Kohl, were there any good surprises that you found in starting your business?

Kohl: I bought anXbox that was still under warranty, so instead of fixing it, I returned it to the company & got a new one & it came with a month of free LIVE Internet Xbox access. I kept the card & sold the new Xbox, from then on, I was focused on finding broken ones that were still under warranty that gave me free LIVE cards.

Sarah:  Wow!  That’s amazing.  So do you do EVERYTHING by yourself or do you have people on your team that work with you?

Kohl: My mom drives me for supplies, but I do everything else.

Sarah: What ideas and approaches do you use to market your business and what do you find works best for you in getting the word out about who you are and what you are doing? and

Kohl: I list everything on either Criag’s List or on eBay so the marketing is pretty easy.

Sarah:  That sounds simple.  What advice or tips can you give to other CEO Kids and entrepreneurs?

Kohl: Be smart about what you buy.  Make sure there’s a demand for what you want to sell. If someone sells you something that isn’t good, tell them to make good on their sale or you’ll report them to eBay. Don’t back down when you’re right. Be fair when setting a price.

Sarah:  Those are all great tips Kohl!  Thanks so much for sharing your time!  Keep up the great work!

Whether your kids want to start a non-profit to help others or start a business for profit, many things are the same.  You still need good record keeping, marketing/advertising, and more.

I had the opportunity to interview Denise Barta whose daughters Lexi, Romi, Marni, and Berni started a non-profit to help bring joy to kids in hospitals!

Here’s my interview:

Sarah:  When did you notice that your girls were interested in starting Kidflicks?

Denise:  In the Spring of 2002, a friend of theirs, Alex was treated for Leukemia and they decided to donate our family’s old movies to the hospital where she received chemotherapy.  Coincidentally, there oldest sister, Lexi–who was in High School at the time, wanted to start her own community service program, so one night at dinner, all four sisters (another one was in Middle School at the time) came up with an idea that everyone could be involved in.

Sarah:  What a great reason to start something!  So how did you go about introducing them to mentors?

Denise:  There really were no “mentors” involved–the girls figured it out as they went along!

Sarah:  That is so great Denise.  So, are you or your husband in business and if so – do you think that has given you an edge in raising a CEO Kid?

Denise:  My husband is a lawyer.  I am a retired journalist and I do a lot of volunteer work and hopefully that influenced the girls!

Sarah:  I’m sure it has!  What did you to do support them along the way?

Denise:  Initially, before they started shipping “movie libraries” all over the country and before they were old enough to drive, I would drive them on weekends to deliver the “movie libraries” to all Southern California hospitals that were within a five-hour round-trip driving radius.

Sarah:  Wow!  You are quite a mom!  I would much rather ship something than have to drive anywhere!  How do you help your girls stay balanced in all the other things they have had to do in their life?

Denise:  I can’t take credit for keeping them balanced–they are all great students and each spent their Middle and High School years very involved in extra-curriculars.  They are remarkably good at time management!

Sarah:  What role besides that of parent do you/did you play in Kid Flicks?

Denise:  I spread the word when I am in social situations and help them brainstorm new sources of movie donations and publicity.

Sarah:  Those are two very important things! What would you share as you TOP 3 – 5 tips that every parent of a CEO Kid should implement?

Denise:  I would have to say:

1. Offer advise, but mostly let them figure it out themselves so that it is their project.
2. Encourage them by making sure they understand there is no reason young people cannot undertake a project.
3. Tell them to start small and grow from there.

Sarah:  That’s wonderful advice! Thank you so much Denise!

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.

When you go to Jason’s site you will see this intention:  To share my knowledge of many trades.. Photography, Cameras, Entrepreneurial efforts, Digital Marketing, SSM, SEO, Persuasion architecture, Persona development, Blogging, San Diego, College lifestyle, Fraternity Parties, Professional Networking, Presenting in front of large groups

Pretty amazing don’t you think that one young entrepreneur has so many interests and fields of expertise!?!

Sarah – Jason, how did you start in business – tell us your story and where people can find you on the web.

Jason – People can find me on my website as well as all my social profiles listed there:  www.jason-kirby.com.  I got started in business after reading a few books one summer.  It was my first summer after my first year of college.  I didn’t want to end up being like my father, stuck to work, having to work for someone else, not having a free time.  So I kind of thought of a few things, read a bunch of books, got into the stock market and then I realized that wasn’t where I wanted to be.  I actually wanted to start my own business and be associated with different people, hire employees, that kind of thing.  So I just kind of followed my passion which at the time was photography and kind of started a small photography company that actually didn’t start off too strong but now it’s actually doing really well seeing a lot of consistent business.  And there’s also a few other ventures I’m pursing as of right now as well.

Sarah – That’s awesome.  So was it in college or was it before college that you started your entrepreneurial passions?

Jason – My parents always noticed that I kind of had a desire to be different and to go after whatever I set myself to.  So I had the traits very young around 12 years old.  That’s kind of where they started picking up on it when I started going out there and being adventurous as far as testing out new ideas, but I didn’t actually execute on anything until my first year of college.

Sarah – That’s awesome.  So what were the things that influenced you most?

Jason – I would have to say my parents and my brother.  I love them to death but I don’t necessarily want to have the same life that they do.  I don’t want to follow the same path they did being stuck to an employer, having to depend on that monthly paycheck that any time especially during this economy, they can pull that away from you.  I want to be in control of my own destiny. So that was probably the biggest motivator that got me started.

Sarah – It’s so true that our parents influence us – either to be just like them or to be exactly opposite.  So what do you think are the most important skills that entrepreneurs would need to have?  If you were to talk to young entrepreneurs, what would you tell them that they would need to develop to be successful?

Jason – Most important skills is people skills.  You got to be able to communicate.  It’s one thing to have a really good idea.  That’s probably the tip of the iceberg as far as an entrepreneur goes, having the idea.  What makes the entrepreneur is the ability to go out and actually execute on the idea.  It is so important that they also have time management because as much as you want to pursue your own idea, you have other obligations in your life whether it be school or friends, family, that kind of stuff.   You have to learn how to juggle several different responsibilities at the same time.  Most people can’t do anything completely on their own so building a team is critical as well.  Other people have to be involved in adventures, you have to hire employees, that kind of thing.

Sarah – Those are all really good points Jason.  What were some of the biggest obstacles that you had to overcome?

Jason – One of my biggest obstacles was getting my parents behind me as far as what I wanted to do.  It was hard convincing people around me that my ideas and the places I wanted to go, were going to work out. Being an entrepreneur is about taking risks.  When you’re going out there trying to get business, pursue ideas, cause change, and that kind of thing, you may find people are very hesitant.  Overcoming those obstacles and communicating your vision to people can be one of the hardest things to do.  It was for me.

Sarah – So true.  So how did you do research as far as photography goes in starting that business?

Jason – It started in high school as a class where I could get an “easy A”.  I ended up just falling in love with photography the moment I put my hands on a camera. I got the formal education as far as photography background and then I knew what I was good at.  I already had the equipment to kind of get started.  Photography was the business with the lowest barrier to entry so that’s what I started with.  As far as research goes, photography’s one of the most competitive or more fragmented industries out there because just about anyone and everyone can be a photographer.  Knowing what I want to do to differentiate myself and set myself apart from the other photographers out there was critical for me creating a successful business.

Sarah – So how have you done that?

Jason – It comes off as I work for a marketing consultancy and what I’ve learned from them was targeting your customers, giving them what they want.  Most photographers do what they want.  They want to share their photos, they want to show how great they are and talk about how good of a photographer they are.  But as a customer, at least my target customers which are corporate companies like corporate events and corporate headshots, that kind of thing.  Those people want to know that they’re going to get the results.  They want to know how much it’s going to cost and they want it do it quick.  They don’t want to spend a lot of time doing research.  So I just targeted my marketing by taking on a really strong marketing position with my website and online marketing and stuff like that and it’s actually proven to be very successful. I’ve found such a good niche and I’m actually teaching photography classes here in San Diego.

Sarah – Oh, that’s great. So you developed multiple streams of income then for yourself?

Jason – Yeah exactly.  The classes have been by far my most successful.  I also really have a lot of fun teaching other people to follow their passion and things along those lines.  That’s probably my favorite thing to do.

Sarah – That’s awesome.  So what were some of the best surprises?  You talked about being able to follow your own dream and have the flexibility.  What are some of the other things that you found that you love by being in business for yourself.

Jason – What I love most about it is -  I control it.  Granted, I’m always susceptible to my customers if things change in the market but all in all I control my destiny.

Sarah – That’s so true.  So what do you feel are your daily efforts for growing your business?  What would you recommend to other people just starting out?

Jason -  The most important thing is wake up early and get your day started immediately.  Get that momentum going.  That’s what I do! I get my mind set on the right things, get clear focus as I workout in the morning whether it be riding my bike several miles in the morning or going for  jog or something like that.  Get your metabolism up and going!  From there it’s all about being persistent – being able keep going when people tell you “no”.  Use the what other people say as a motivator to keep going – to prove to them that you could do it – to show them what you are capable of!

Sarah – I know, that’s a good feeling – when you can show someone that YOU DID IT!

Jason – Yeah, exactly.  As far as day to day – that’s hard because every day is different.  My schedule is usually packed full.  I usually try to have as many meetings as possible, as much human interaction because a lot of my stuff I do is via computers.  One scary thing about our generation is we’re getting too attached to technology and loosing face to face interaction which I think is one of the most valuable skills sets a person can have.  Never be cooped up at home if you have a home based business or something along those lines.  Find a way, go have lunch with friends or find new people to meet.  I’m at networking meetings every week either hosting my own or going to other ones and broadening my network because that’s the most important thing.  Your network increases your income.

Sarah – So tell us about hosting your own networking events because I know that there are some other CEO kids that have mentioned that they would like to do something like that.  So how did you start that?  Did you find a place that would it for free and you brought all the people in?  Tell us a little bit more about how you developed that?

Jason – It’s tough.  It takes guts, especially being young.  It’s interesting because as of right now I’m only 21 and everyone that I’ve ever brought together as far as networking as been in upwards of 30 to 60 years old.  As far as setting them up, it comes down to figuring out what you want. W hat is it that you want to get from the networking event and finding other people in the similar situation that want to network.  It’s basically like starting a business.  Seeing if there’s demand for it and then marketing it.  Get the people first.  Then build an event to support the people’s interest.

Lucky for me I had several locations lined up just from people I know, people I’ve met so that was the easy part.  It was getting the people that was harder.  I host an event in San Diego for event professionals also related to my photography business and it was just kind of a lucky situation.  I use meetup.com which I find to be the easiest platform to get people together because there’s already millions and millions of members constantly searching for different things of interest.

So if you have something interesting that other people might be interested in, pay the $15.00 a month and host your own meet up and its totally worth it as far as – it gets traction must faster than building out your own website So I recommended some kind of platform.  I recommend meet up and marketing your meet up page rather than just word of mouth.

It’s much easier because meet up attracts, you can have people pay for the meet up and that’s actually a good tip to bring up.  Make people pay to come.  The reason I say that is through experience.  So make sure you always charge.  It also builds credibility, it makes people respect it more and also expect more of the event.  So make sure if anyone out there is doing this, make sure you have a set plan and review it with a few people that are coming before you actually do it; make adjustments and then go out there and come out very professional.  This is like your first impression.  If your first impression fails, you pretty much can say goodbye to the idea so it’s very important to have a very strong professional first appearance, first impression.  Then it’s all about being consistent.  If you have a meet up once a month, stick to it. I have 250 people on net professionals meet up and I got about 450 on my photography class one and all these people are expecting you to be consistent.  If you are not you just start seeing people leave and that’s where you lose your credibility.

Sarah – So true.  This has been so good Jason! So in closing – what would you love to share with parents about raising kids in business because you know you said your parents were not in business?  So what would you tell me about raising my three children?

Jason – First of all, I’d never encourage parents to force their children to go into business or anything along those lines because it takes a certain personality to handle that kind of responsibility.  So never push it on a kid, let your children do what they want.  If however, they naturally fall into pursuing some kind of entrepreneurial effort or getting into business on their own or anything along those lines, most important thing just support them and just reassure them that you love them no matter what.

It’s good to just know that if stuff goes wrong at least you have your family.  That’s the most important thing and also let them make mistakes and know that it’s okay to make mistakes because it’s going to allow them to grow.  Most kids are hesitant to make mistakes because they are either afraid of losing things they have or being discouraged by something like that.  So as a parent, you’ve just got to be really supportive and let them know that there are other options out there – other opportunities, you just got to keep your head up.  Most kids are going to experience a certain amount of failure.  It’s very rare that people are extremely successful right off the bat.  It’s probably better to not experience HUGE success off the bat because then you get used to it and when failure comes it will hurt much more.

Sarah – So true!

Jason – Also, I think it’s important for kids not to get into debt that you can’t cover.  If parents have the financial backing, don’t necessarily give them all the money they need to get started but it would be great to help them some.  Make them come up with all or some of it on their own.  I recommend a day job for kids or perhaps even working for someone else so that they can build a strong work ethic.  Kids need to learn the value of work and the value of money and they won’t do that if mom and dad give them everything!

Tender loving care,  endless support and a financial safety net would be awesome things for parents to provide.  If they have business experience then of course they can share that too! The first three things are critical  Those are kind of the three foundation things that I found to be the reason why I was able to be where I’m at now.  My parents provided those three things for me.

Sarah -  Thank you much Jason for sharing today.  I appreciate you being willing to give your advice and share your experience with kids around the world and parents that are raising these kids in business.

Kristyn Heath is founder of http://www.passivedevices.com.  She came up with the idea for her product when she was only 15!

Today you get to enjoy the interview I did with her father, Allen.

Sarah:  When did you notice that Kristyn was interested in making money/being in business?

Allen:  She has always wanted to make her own money and had a bank account very early at 10 or so years old although she wasn’t thinking specifically about business more just about having her own money.

Allen:  I was a business owner since she was a little baby so she she always had knowledge of what it meant to be in business.  We didn’t really go out of our way to introduce her to other mentors. I think that because I was in business, it gave Kristyn a good start and it has also developed within her an obvious desire to be in control.

Allen:  I worked as her business development manager and advisor, while her mom provided branding and marketing ideas.

Sarah:  How did you help Kristyn stay balanced in all the other things Kristyn has to do in her life?

Allen: Mostly her mom took charge of the balancing part of things.  We reminded her constantly to give back and how important that objective is for everyone.  She started Kristyn in Girls Scouts as one of her first opportunities to give back.

Allen:  Mentor and coach.

Allen:  Allowing her to make decisions without over-ruling her and allowing her to make mistakes so she can learn from them

Allen:

1. Be patient, they are kids after all.
2. Allow them to learn as much as possible even if it means a few dollars wasted.
3. Remember that the things you do now will pay off later.
4. Make them sign all of the checks so she knows where the money goes.

Allen:  A serious effort by the state of California to support kids with businesses.  They don’t allow kids to own their own business bank accounts.  It would be awesome if  CA would give them an easier way to provide protection for their ideas.  A serious investment group dedicated to promoting young entrepreneurs would be awesome as well!

Sarah:  I agree Allen!  Being a CA resident myself I wish there was more support for young entrepreneurs.