Kasen has been a vendor at 4 of our past markets here in Washington State. We interviewed him at the Woodland Washington market on July 26!
Tell us about your business. How did you get started?
Kasen: My business has a lot of cool things. One of my coolest things in my opinion is our tic-tac-toe boards. These are made of wood and I use acorn tops. I also have cool ornaments. They are fantastic.
First my mom told me there were these markets where I could make and sell things and get money and I was like “Yay I can make money and have lots of fun”. Then I started putting together my ideas. I started with the tic-tac-toe boards by gathering wood, then using the blow torch to make the lines and found the acorns to paint and make a complete set.
What supplies and resources did you need to get going? How did you get a hold of them?
Kasen: Well, first we had to get our canopy and then the supplies so I could display my crafts. I also had to buy the wood burning equipment and the stickers. I also had to get money from the bank so I could make change. Because if you don’t have that it could be really, really bad. I had to find a tree that had the acorns. Luckily I had seen a tree that had them so I kind of knew where to go. I had to clean them and wash them two times. It took awhile, but it was really fun.
What are some challenges you’ve faced in business, and how did you overcome them?
Kasen: One of the challenges I faced was at the very beginning; it was speaking to people I didn’t know. I was kind of scared then I have to try and get them to buy the things that I have. So I was really scared, but after 4 or 5 people I was good and I could do it.
I have done four markets with you now and I have learned if you are quiet and don’t say anything, they won’t come into your booth and even if you say something like “How’s your day going” they will just walk by. This time and at the last market, I changed it to “Hey come in look at my stuff ” and most of them would say “sure” and they didn’t even really look like they wanted to come look, but after they were in, they bought something usually! So that has helped me get more buyers. The other lesson has been that each market seems to bring different buyers. At my very first market a lot of my fans sold, and my tops and rocks. But then the second and third market my tic-tac-toe boards were number one, everyone loved them. This market no one was really into the tic tac toe boards, most of the people have bought fans. I think this market the buyers seem to like more low-priced things.
Do you have any advice for other aspiring kid entrepreneurs?
Kasen: If you are new to this and you are scared, don’t worry, just go into it and talk to the people, pretend they are your best friend and you are showing them your room in a way. You can make money which is really good for you so you can put it into your savings for college that can help you later.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your business?
Kasen: This one time, someone got confused when I was giving them change. They gave me a $10 bill but they thought they gave me a $20 bill. I had put it into my money bag so I had no proof of what they actually gave me. I gave them the cash back they wanted and I learned from this. Moving forward, I now put the money they give me under our new “money rock” while I count back the change so we can all see it.
You can find Kasen and his Kool Kreations at other upcoming local Washington markets or find him on Instagram @KRKM_KOOLKREATIONS
Great words of wisdom, Kasen! We hope to see you at another market soon!
