I spotted a headline that read, “Young entrepreneur has business bean for marketing coffee.”
The article was about a ten-year-old “yoot”* named Stephen who was running a three person business from his front lawn, all while learning about the rudiments of turning a buck. Little does he know that what he is learning today will serve him well for the next 50+ years.
*yoot: (youth/youngster) – if you haven’t seen the movie My Cousin Vinny, do yourself a favor and rent it before they archive it.
Says the young man: “It takes a lot of hard work to show up every morning.” There are literally thousands of adults today who were apparently sick on the day this lesson was taught. FACT: Too many of today’s working class reluctantly show up for work physically, but remain in the sack mentally.
Listen to the young lad’s take on customer service:
To keep customers coming back (it appears he already understands the primary purpose of a business), Stephen said he “started with a business plan that included training for his three paid employees. “ What a concept! Do you mean that it is a good idea to train your people? This kid is miles ahead of the curve.
Get a load of this comment from the next potential Bill Gates: “Employees are expected to be nice to customers; be quick, because people might be in a rush; be on time for work and get the orders right.”
This kid is in the fifth grade and he is successfully running a business from his front lawn thanks to a few time-proven business-building principles. And you’re telling me how tough and competitive it is out there. Maybe all you need is a lesson or two from a ten-year old.
Let me recap before we go to market this week.
- Show up for work. (Both physically and mentally.)
- Train your employees. (On the basics, then review the basics again.)
- Treat your customers well. (Just as if they were the ones with the wallets in their pockets.)
Out of the mouth of babes. Stephen my man, I think you are my new hero.
