CAN YOU FIND THE MONEY?
Many Times, Kids Simply Don't See the Opportunities That Surround Them. The Money's Everywhere--Here's How to go Find It.
By Bonnie Drew
What would you do if someone said there was a $20 bill lying in your front yard?
(A) Stay in the house and watch TV.
(B) Argue with your brother about whose job it is to pick up money lying in the front yard.
(C) Be the first one out the door to find the $20 bill.
Of course! You'd go outside and nab the cash! Now. Picture your neighborhood.
Your neighborhood is full of $20 bills just waiting for you! Are $20 bills lying in people's yards? Not exactly. You'll find these $20 bills in the form of business opportunities: yards to mow, pets to sit, kids to tutor, products to sell to neighbors. Catching on?
You can find lots of chances to earn $20 bills if you look for these money-making signs.
1. Look For Things People Are Too Busy to do: Dishes, Laundry, Dusting, Yardwork. When Mike Tetrault was 15, the Somerset (MA) teen knew a lot of people who were too busy to do yard work. He made more than $1500 one summer with a lawn-mowing service. How much is that a week? 125 bucks!
2. Look For Things People Don't Like to do: Wash Windows, Pull Weeds, Paint Fences. At 15, Megan Petty of Topeka (KS) heard a neighborhood mom complaining about cooking dinner every night for a family of four kids. Megan, who loved to cook, turned this opportunity into an easy $5-per-hour job two afternoons a week. The happy family loved her meatloaf, spaghetti and cherry pies.
3. Look For Things That Get Dirty Over and Over: Cars, Boats, RVs, Pets. When Annie Wheliss was 12 years old in Fairfax, VA, she lived next door to a goldmine (actually a horse stable that got dirty every day). She cashed in on that opportunity with a horse-grooming service.
4. Look For Things People Throw Away: Empty Buckets, Carpet Samples, Used Furniture. In Galveston (TX), James Simmons had just turned 13 when he found two five-gallon plastic buckets in the trash. He turned the buckets into a set of drums and became a street musician, earning $100 per day.
Take a walk in your neighborhood this afternoon and see how many opportunities ($20 bills) you can spot. Make a list of jobs or services needed in your community. Then choose one business opportunity, make some flyers and get started letting your neighbors know you're ready to work. Before long, you'll be at the bank depositing all those $20 bills into your account.
Bonnie Drew is the author of FAST CASH FOR KIDS (2nd edition), published by Career Press (1-800-227-3371). She is also the creator of the KIDS BUSINESS software for young entrepreneurs, available from Homeland Publications (713-332-9764).
Drew is also Editor of Young Entrepreneur magazine, published by Kid's Way, Inc., a company that helps youth prepare for business and the workplace of the 21st century. For more information, write to Kid's Way at 5589 Peachtree Rd, Chamblee, GA 30341 or call toll free 1-888-KidsWay (1-888-543-7929).
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