I’m no different than the next entrepreneur - always thinking of new and innovative ways to make money. I tend to do most of my “thinking” in the shower, and tonight was no different. But for whatever reason, I got to thinking back to some of my earlier entrepreneurial schemes, which I thought might be interesting to share with everyone.
The earliest endeavor that I can remember was in 5th grade. One of the many fads back then were these keychains made from craft beads. Everyone seemed to love them, so I decided to make a few and try to sell them at school. As Borat would say, “great success!.” I took the few bucks that I made that day and bought more supplies. Within a week, I was coming home with $20-40 per day; quite the haul for a 5th grader with a $10 per week allowance!
My next experiment was in 8th grade and involved selling gum. I would purchase a pack of ten 5-packs of gum for $1.25, then sell each pack for a quarter, netting me $2.50 for my $1.25 investment. Of course, the teachers didn’t really like me doing this… I guess because it interrupted class and may have broken some kind of rule.
The problem that I found with both of these ventures is that I didn’t diversity, and thus, the “business” ultimately went under. Had I offered other bead products (bracelets, anklets, necklaces) or different kinds of candy, I most certainly would have made more money.
Once I hit high school, I started experimenting with my first tech site, and ever since, I have focused my efforts at online ventures. This time, however, I am keeping my past experiences in mind and am experimenting with new methods, new projects… not just sticking with what works at first and running that into the ground.
I know many of you are also into several different “money-making” projects. What was your first endeavor and ultimately, how successful was it?
