Kids as Entrepreneurs
How many times have we felt our sleeves tugged and looked down to see our sweetie pie staring up at us with such beautiful eyes, saying, "Hey Mom, can I have a lemonade stand today?" Our brain instantly powers down as we review the 16 thousand things we would have to do to prepare for a spur of the moment lemonade stand. But let's pretend you say, "Yes" and you spend all day sweating like mad as your daughter sells four cups of lemonade for a total profit of $2.00 and a total time investment of 4 hours. Lesson learned? Perhaps... if we embrace it, teach it, and encourage other avenues of entrepreneurship.
Case Study: Our sweet Claire Bear
Our daughter Claire is a hilarious, off-the-wall, sweet, playful spirit that can't decide if she wants to be an inventor, a scientist, an artist, a hairdresser, or a "fashioneer" as she calls it, when she grows up. One winter's day, she asks if she, her sister, and some friends can have a "cookie, hot chocolate, and old toys sale". They did, and her sister sold 4 cups of cold hot chocolate and they sold 3 toys (all to each other) in about 4 hours. Claire decided that was not worth her time. Then one day she gathered tons of toys that she is ready to purge from her life and asks if she can have a yard sale. It was a Monday morning in the summer and she sat outside under an umbrella for another four hours trying to sell her goods; she made a total profit of $0.00. So we took the toys to a resale shop and she made quite a bundle. That got her jazzed beyond belief. Her next idea was her best yet: a gallery night for family and friends to view and bid on her artwork. She made invitations and sent them out, then hosted her gallery night. Thanks to the good humor, kind hearts, and understanding friendships of our family and friends, she made $97.00. And we all had a ball getting to spend the evening with friends and family! She determined the menu (donuts and grape juice), made the invites (complete with a request to "be sure to wear your extra fancy clothes"), prepared her artwork, and ran the show. It was great fun, especially to see everyone's "extra fancy clothes", and she is working on her next entrepreneurial venture as we speak. The best part was that she took her proceeds and put the majority in her GIVE IT bag, and the least in her SPEND IT bag. Makes mom and dad proud.....
See pictures and details of her gallery night on our website, www.myfisher-family.com under "Kids Business".
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& the winner is...
the winner of our blog contest giveaway is the COOPER FAMILY!They have won one of my favorite things...a family movie night package for four! To check out this package, visit our online store! |
MAKE CLEANING MORE FUN!
Check out some new products to help motivate your kids to do chores!
So
we don't all LOVE chores and I know that's a fact of life. But
remember that kids find joy in the strangest places....pots and pans as a
drum set, turning a dishtowel into a cape, sharpie markers on the walls
(no, wait....that one is fun). So while they are learning what we
refer to as "independent living" (learning to live and function
responsibly on their own and what it takes to keep a household running
healthy and smoothly), why not make it more fun with these new
products? You can view these items online at our
storefront. |
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Greetings!
Holy smokes....it's back to school time already! Summer has flown by for some; dragged on for others; regardless, it's nearing its end. Time to prepare school supplies, backpacks, lunchboxes, school clothes, new shoes, and get your cameras ready for our babies' first day of school!
Our quote for the month is "It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn't." (Barbara Kingsolver) What I love about this quote is the thought that while our children are growing up, we are their parents not their best friends. The best friend role comes later when we have done our first job correctly. So it's bittersweet to watch our children grow up, but the next stage in our relationship with our children will make it all worth it.
This month, we have some products to make school days a bit easier, some new items to make household chores a little bit more fun, a local seminar, and another giveaway! Thank you all so much, and don't forget to completely overuse the words "I love you" to your children.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Beck
fisherkids
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LIMITED SEATING!
Introductory discussion at the Shoppes at Brownstone Village
We are graciously hosted by The Shoppes at Brownstone Village in Arlington, TX on Wednesday, August 18th! We have limited seating available, so if you are interested in finding out more about our program, please join us! Bring your little ones, too....we will entertain them at The Sweet Bar at Brownstone Too with a kids' menu featuring homemade marshmallows, lollipops, and chocolates! To reserve your seat, please contact Taylor Gray at taylor@brownstonevillage.com,
If you are interested in hosting an event for your school, church, or family friends, please contact us at jennifer@fisher-kids.com or 817.343.1929 to set up a private training appointment.
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GIVEAWAY!
(lots of chances to win this one)
This month's giveaway might land you a $50.00 credit towards anything we sell (Hey...that's one kit!) Here are all the ways to spread the word; FEEL FREE TO DO EACH ONE! Drawing will be randomized and held on August 31, so get your entries completed before then!
2. Sign up to follow us on twitter and receive 1 entry 
3. Go to our facebook page & comment with your name for 1 entry 
4. Sign our guestbook on our website & receive 1 entry  5. Connect with me on LinkedIn and receive 1 entry  6. Heart me at my etsy store and receive 1 entry  7. Link to our website on your facebook, twitter, blog, or website &
receive 20 entries (just email me confirmation of the link!) |
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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT:
"Time to go, everyone!" you scream out to your children as the clock strikes 5 minutes-til-tardy. As your kids cavort towards the front door, one of them says, "Oh, mom....I need a note to ride the bus home with Olivia!" Eek. Now we're tardy.
If this scenario is remotely familiar, you've got to have one or all of these products...check out our school correspondence notepads and our correspondence envelopes. MUST HAVES for school! Whether it's communicating with the school nurse, the teacher, or sending money for a field trip, ask anyone who has these and they are invaluable. Notepads are topped with a ribbon and perforated for easy tear-off; envelopes are color-coordinated with your school colors (sold as a pack of 25). Order now at www.shop.fisher-kids.com!
Envelopes: $15.00 for a pack of 25 plus s&hNotepads: $10.00 each
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FAQ OF THE MONTH
"What is the difference between having all my children on one board versus each child having their own board?"
Excellent
question! There are several parts to this answer, so let's get
started. For reference, here is an image of the system being used for
one child....
....and here is the system being shared among three children.
We
designed the add-on kit because not every home has space and not every
budget has room for one board per child. Ideally, though, each child
will have their own board and here is why: first, during our market
research prior to launch, we tested the product out with several test
families. One of the most common responses was that their children
loved having their own little nook of the house that was all theirs, and
siblings couldn't mess with it! It gave them more ownership, more
responsibility, and more accountability for the system. Second, we have
designed several accessory products that complement the program (like
the magnetic nameplates, week-at-a-glance calendars, checkbook
registers, after-school checklists, etc) and it is very difficult to put
all of these on a board with multiple children. One of our goals with
the system is to teach organization and the accountability that
increases because of it, and when the board is too crowded, it becomes
chaotic rather than organized, which defeats the purpose! Finally, when
multiple children share a board, the one part of the program they are
sharing is the responsibility magnet. We discussed this in last month's
newsletter, but basically, this is where you will list their
responsibilities as being a member of the family team (not their
chores....the things you EXPECT of them while they are under your
roof!). If multiple children are sharing a board, they must also share
the same duties around the house. This is just fine if they are close
in age. It becomes a bit confined if there are older children sharing
with younger children.
The add-on kit is a great option, but before you purchase, we just want you to know the ins-and-outs of the two options!
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What Our Customers are Saying
Our customers' satisfaction is our number one priority. Always. "I cannot believe how this program is SO working wonders!
[My husband]
heard the baby crying this morning & went up to change her wet
diaper, & [our daughter] came in the room & said, "Daddy, changing [her diaper] is MY job on my chore chart!"
It's hilarious! And
she was so excited to start the 1st day, she could hardly go to sleep
& said I'm the most awesome mommy in the world!!! She's done extra
chores every single day!"
-Kelli from Texas
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