We met Carter, 11, Anneliese, 9, Laurel, 5, at a market this year in Colorado! Many customers enjoyed their tasty caramel apples and we loved their hand towels as well! Read what they had to say about running their own business:
CEM: Tell us about your business. How did you first get the idea?
We completed our first market this summer and sold several different types of things, from embroidered hand towels to candy apples. We got our business idea from what we like to eat and from our mom. Mom gave us the idea of selling embroidered hand towels, and we also wanted to sell sweet treats, so we decided to sell both!
CEM: What supplies and resources did you need to get going? How did you get a hold of them?
For our supplies, we needed plain towels, lots of thread, an embroidery machine, and caramel apple supplies. We borrowed our grandma’s embroidery machine, and we got the rest of our supplies from Walmart.
CEM: What are some challenges you’ve faced in business, and how did you overcome them?
We had some challenges while we made the towels and apples. We pricked our fingers with the needle while making towels, and we burned our fingers while we made the apples!
CEM: Do you have any advice for other aspiring kid entrepreneurs?
Carter: if you are working together with a team, like we did as siblings, have a system to determine how much each person is going to paid! We didn’t have a good system, and we ended up splitting our money equally. However, we didn’t all do the same amount of work. Next time, we’ll make sure that those who do the most work get paid the most! Also, when you’re at a market, we’d recommend staying in your booth so you can continue selling to customers.
Anneliese: You also have to be willing to talk to customers! Sometimes, you need to be willing to negotiate too!
CEM: How can potential customers get in touch with you?
While we don’t yet have a way for customers to contact us outside of markets, we are planning to make a website where we can take orders for custom embroidered towels!
Thanks for chatting with us Carter, Anneliese, and Laurel! We hope you had fun at the market!
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