I taught my kids how to be entrepreneurs and they made $10,000

• I help people combine their skills and make money from them, and I’ve helped my children do the same.
• Since their youth, they have published books, sold baked goods and much more.
• I encourage these activities and talk to them about budgeting and saving money.

I realized early in my work as a personal branding and executive coach that I had the gift of seeing my clients as they were unique. I was able to quickly identify a clear opportunity that they could take advantage of to tell their story, share their expertise, or earn money from a unique skill.

So when my two teens were in elementary school, I purposely wanted to teach them how to do that boldly package their genius Once they demonstrated skills and services, I thought they could be marketable.

My sons were open to my suggestions

When my then nine-year-old son Connor wrote a hilarious short story as a fourth-grade assignment, I encouraged him to go ahead and make it longer. I told him that if he wrote some more, I would help him publish his story as a book on Amazon.

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That motivation proved powerful for a fourth-grader, and he completed it during winter break that year his book “Zombie Tag”, which became a playground hit. He wrote two more titles in a series, and they are all still available on Amazon. He held a few book readings and book fairs, and all his money from book sales went to one high efficiency CD. He still sells a few copies of his book every month, and any new royalties go directly into a liquid high-yield savings account that he watches grow through an app on his phone.

The author’s son has written several books and published them on Amazon.

Courtesy of Amanda Miller Littlejohn

Logan, who is a year older than Connor, helped with the book marketing and got a percentage of early sales when they did things like setting up book fairs. Since then, the two have also both made money from their shared skills; For example, a few years ago they both had a joint podcast audio editing studio with a small number of clients.

Additionally, they pursue their individual passions, which I encourage. Logan has sold digital art portraits, blank coloring pages, and postcards with original art, and Connor has sold his electronic beats, original podcast theme music he produced on GarageBand, and, most recently, homemade cinnamon rolls. When there is a demand for something they do, I challenge them to package it in a way that the customer can buy – if they are open to it, which is usually the case.

I try to teach them about money and how to save and budget

I think it’s important to show them that they have agency; they may want to buy concert tickets or new sneakers, but they are not at the mercy of my bank account. My goal has always been to show them that opportunities to make money are as unlimited as their own creativity.

When my children started earning money on their own, I encouraged them to save 10-50% of what they earned. I also talked to them about what makes a major purchase “affordable.” One lesson that seems to have stuck is that if a purchase takes up more than 10% of available cash, it may be too expensive and should be reconsidered.

The author’s sons have been selling digital beats.

Courtesy of Amanda Miller Littlejohn

That said, they still spend money like teenagers and come to me when they want to buy something out of their budget. But I do believe that once they are on their own and fully financially responsible for themselves, they will have the basic framework to help them. make good money decisions.

I want their creativity to give them a sense of freedom

As a coach, I work with adults who find it difficult to give themselves permission to package their expertise and skills in different ways. I see how difficult it is to mentally shift from expecting a paycheck to automatically appear every two weeks to getting creative when you need to make extra money.

There will inevitably be lean times, and you may have to adapt when fortunes change, or be forced to do something different when the job market slumps. I’ve seen how difficult it can be for my clients to make the transition to monetizing their work. But once they unlock that important skill, they also unlock the peace of mind of knowing they always have what it takes to earn more.

The author encourages her children to be creative.

Thanks to Amanda Miller Littlejohn

I want my kids to have that now so they’re never at the mercy of one toxic boss or a job that doesn’t suit you. I want them to be aware of their innate ability to create opportunities so that they don’t always have to wait until they get one. As a mother, I want to give them a sense of their personal power early on so they don’t fall into the trap of overworking to prove their worth – a trap that too often leads to burnout.

As of now, they have made about $10,000 from book sales, baking, audio editing, and digital art sales combined. But whether they make a lot of money from their efforts or not doesn’t really matter to me. I just want them to be aware that they are powerful and that they always have the power to change their financial future – no matter what happens in the economy.

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