Unschoolery

Unschool of Hard Knocks: Kids Starting Their Own Businesses

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By Leo Babauta

I tell all my kids they should start their own businesses someday. I think it's an amazing way to make a living, an amazing mindset to have, and it's a school like no other that you keep learning from all the time.

Besides marrying my wife and having my kids, starting my business is the best thing I've done.

And then a little while ago, I realized that there's nothing stopping them from starting a business now, while they're young.

Yesterday my 14-year-old daughter Maia became the first to officially launch her business: a vegan cupcake venture!

I encouraged her to start one a few months ago, and in that time she's experimented with a handful of recipes, doing taste tests with her siblings (who have absolutely loved the process of course). She's found recipes that worked.

And this past weekend, she decided to take her cupcakes public.

So I helped her build a very simple webiste (a placeholder really), she picked a name and a domain, she made a hand-painted sign, she got her ingredients ready.

And then yesterday she made two different vegan recipes (cinnamon cardamon, and toasted coconut), decorated them nicely, put them on trays, and the entire family headed over to Dolores Park to sell cupcakes.

Mostly Maia sold them with her little sister Noelle, who carried the sign and yelled "vegan cupcakes, one dollar!" as they walked past people. The cupcakes sold like hotcakes. They sold two dozen in about 20 minutes, giving them $24. Maia decided to give Noelle $5 for her efforts. Win all around.

What does starting a cupcake business have to do with unschooling?

There's no better education, in my opinion. They're learning:

  • How to start something
  • How to try even when something is scary
  • How to brainstorm and come up with ideas
  • How to test things
  • How to deal with failure
  • How to learn from feedback
  • How to make a website
  • How to price, and adjust pricing
  • How to sell and deal with customers
  • How to have fun while making a living
  • Math and economics
  • That they're awesome human beings

These are incredible things to learn at an early age. I don't think schools teach most of this (maybe the math, but math is more fun when you're doing cupcake expense and revenue calculations). And what a fun way to learn -- when it's something you actually care about!

My other kids have ideas in the works for their own businesses. And now they have their sister's incredible example.

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Outstanding ideas Leo! My youngest son, now 17, started his own music business recently. He and a friend work as DJs, but the biggest thing is that he writes music for any purpose you want, especially as background or intro for a video or podcast: http://christianowen.net/ . He'll be going to college next year to study commercial music composition and film, so this is a great introduction to business, especially as an entrepreneur!

I've very much got this on the books for my boys. Especially applying a lean/startup approach to things. My eldest is 10 and is interested, but not quite ready. He is quite into Minecraft at the moment and I have a history of community building so I might try to help him build a Minecraft community and see how he can turn it into a an income generator.

- Rosie Sherry - www.unschool.me

Is there a twitter account so I can know when she'll be out selling again? I live by Dolores Park and would absolutely love to come support young women in business. :)

I love seeing kids start businesses! Three years ago our oldest started a dog walking service. He went door to door in our apartment complex telling people who he was, what he was offering and made a brochure with his rates. He had 2 regular customers until we moved away. Then he started a garden pest control business at our new place. He went around offering his services to pick each bug or egg if there were any off of the plant. He had one customer there and he got paid in all the vegetables he wanted. He loved it.

that is just awesome! I'm sure the fact that they're adorable probably helps sales a little bit, but the whole package, product, presentation is wonderful! Especially important to these days when depending on someone else to 'give' you a job isn't all that reliable….teaching how to rely upon oneself is so vital!

What a great idea ! Well done!

I completely agree! Starting your own business is such a positive approach to becoming self-sufficient and in control of your own life. I am definitely trying to instill in my children the value of working for oneself instead of working for a company, which can limit your lifestyle in many ways.

Excellent Leo. I am advocating Unscholing here in India after having a hard time finding a school for my 5 year son who is a creative genius. Your unschooling ideas have always inspired me and given me the courage that we can be Okay without a traditional school. That our kids can learn faster and better without the boundaries, walls and ceilings. Totally rocking and inspiring with downright simplicity. Love it!

I love this! Jen and I approach our parenting with the understanding that we are training our kids for adult life. We help them find their passions and then find ways to start using them now. We have six kids, so there's always something going on. They have multiple YouTube channels, kids writing and illustrating ebooks, sewing doll clothing to sell on Facebook, etc. It's a lot of fun, and it helps them learn to value work and appreciate income. Jen just finished an ebook about Helping Your Kids Be Creative and Change Their World. It officially releases on Thursday, and will be FREE to downlad Thursday - Saturday, Dec 5-7.

-Mike Burns, theothersideofcomplexity.com

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