Kids in Business in Nebraska!

This alert came to my inbox in the last couple of weeks twice! But I only needed to see it once to get excited. 150 kids showcased their goods and services at a fair where they were not only able to sell their products but local business owners were kind enough to provide feedback. As I'm in Portland, Oregon, I wasn't in attendance but if I could have been there this is the feedback I would have shared plus 3 immediate takeaways.

Feedback

1. If you sold nothing today, you are still rock stars. Success isn't just in the making money piece of business ownership. It's that you gathered your courage to make an effort! Thousands and thousands of adults really really really want their own business but let fear hold them back. You are already WAY ahead of many.

2. Based on the limited video I got to see via the TV report, it appears most of you have tackled projects, products, and services in which you know something about or have a passion for. Super smart, young people. You have picked a business lane that is already familiar to you so you're not starting from scratch in what you have to learn. Some business owners pick a business based on what they think will make money even if they know nothing about it. That's possible, but a much bigger hill to climb!

3. I was impressed by how crowded the venue was. Clearly an effort was made to gather an audience and shoppers to see what you've accomplished. Maybe some adults helped to make this happen. Maybe you utilized social media to spread the word about the event. Maybe you begged certain people to come. Having an audience for your products matters. Kudos to everyone who did something to help spread the word about your work. You should be very proud. 

Takeaways for Me

1. I looked up the program that facilitated this entire endeavor in Nebraska. Check out Acton Academy Omaha. I was super impressed with a school committed to helping kids think big picture and how to solve real problems. I've decided to reach out to them to offer my words of encouragement, maybe I'll get to be a guest speaker via Zoom. I want to tell every kiddo there they are remarkable. 

2. We need to do more to share positive stories of kids building main street across state lines. Unfortunately, until our awareness of kids doing amazing things in business grows, lots of kids will have to spend time on lessons others have already figured out.