young entrepreneurs

Young Entrepreneurs: What Happened to Our 7 Enterprising Kids

Enterprise For KidsTeam Family Enterprise Stories, Our Enterprising Kids Today , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments
The Howitt family together in a recent photo for their young entrepreneurs story

Young entrepreneurs can grow from the smallest real-life moments: selling honey at a market stall, selling lolly bags at a soccer match, repairing and upselling a rabbit hutch, having business conversations at the dinner table, or dealing with real-life responsibility in a range of settings.

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It has been a while.

If you have been with us since the early days of Enterprise for Kids, you will know this site has always been a reflection of our family’s real life — the projects, the lessons, the experiments, the conversations around the dinner table, and the belief that children learn most deeply when they are given real experiences and real responsibility.

“`

Jai Kit Chayse and Akaisha goofing around on holiday on the Cocos Islands
Jai, Kit, Chayse and Akaisha enjoying a family holiday on the Cocos Islands.

Young Entrepreneurs: What Happened to Our 7 Enterprising Kids

We started this blog back in 2012 when our seven children were young. We shared about market stalls and honey businesses, kerb painting, goal setting, the value of leadership camps and all types of money lessons. We wrote about mindset, mentors, purpose, business ideas and the kind of life we were trying to build together as a family.

As you can imagine with seven kids, life got full. The kids grew up. The blog went quiet.

But we never stopped living the journey.

So, Here We Are Again! But Who Are We Exactly?

For those of you who are new here, we are Cathy and Trevor Howitt, parents of a large family from Western Australia, who have spent the better part of two decades asking one big question:

How do we raise children who are confident, creative, capable and free?

Not just free financially, but free in the way they think. Free to pursue something meaningful in their lives. Free to take a risk on an idea they believe in. Free to design a life rather than simply fall into one.

We are not perfect parents. Far from it! We have made plenty of mistakes along the way.

But we were always intentional. We surrounded our kids with mentors, conversations, real-world experiences and the unshakeable belief that they could shape their own path. Looking back, these were the early foundations that helped shape them into young entrepreneurs in very different ways.

Now, all these years later, we get to watch the proof of that walking around in the world. These are not just entrepreneur stories from somewhere else. These are the stories that grew out of our own home, our own questions and our own family entrepreneurship journey.

Young Entrepreneurs Australia: Our Kids Are Grown Now

As mentioned earlier, we wrote regularly on this blog when our kids were young, ranging in age from 18 months to 17 years. We followed and documented their journeys.

Then life became busy with everyday parenting, working, living in beautiful locations and growing our own side hustles.

Again, the blog went quiet.

But we were always inspired by how our kids showed up as young people in this world, and as they grew, what they were up to in their professional and personal lives.

We picked up the pen briefly again in 2021. The last entry written was when Kaitlin was nearly in her mid-twenties working online, Jai was in his early twenties with a warehouse and big dreams, Flynn and Amber were looking into UGC content to generate extra income, Kit and Chayse were in high school, and our youngest, Akaisha, was in primary school.

Life became busy once again, so priorities changed. But the lessons didn’t. Our kids continued to grow and change, develop their own tastes in what life had to offer, pursue their own dreams, or push them aside until it was time to pick them up again.

And our blog was much the same. It has been a dream to document and share our family’s journey, and now is the time to pick it up again and share what has been happening in those intervening years.

And here we are.

Today, our seven children range in age from 15 to 29. The stories they are living now are better than anything we could have scripted. Not because they are all success stories living a true entrepreneurship lifestyle, but because our children are human, living in an unpredictable world, experiencing success, failure and everything in between.

Some are building businesses as young entrepreneurs in the entrepreneur space. Some are creating art, writing and music. Some are exploring digital entrepreneurship, content, apps, leadership and community. All of them are still learning, stretching, succeeding, failing, succeeding again, but most importantly, finding their own way.

That is the part we love the most. We did not raise seven identical children. We raised seven individuals. And each of them is showing us that young entrepreneurs do not all look the same. Some are loud and visible. Some are quiet and creative. Some build companies. Some build communities. Some build stories, songs and ideas, and some are building futures not even thought of yet.

The Short Version of Our Seven Young Entrepreneurs

Kaitlin (29)

Kat Howitt as part of the Enterprise for Kids young entrepreneurs story
Kat has followed her own creative path through motherhood, community, writing, self-development and women’s connection.

Kaitlin has become a mother to two beautiful little boys, which makes us very proud grandparents. She has spent her adult life as an entrepreneur, running online courses, building communities, and pursuing her deep passion for creativity, women’s connection and self-development. She writes poetry, publishes on Substack, and her next chapter involves building retreats for women.

She has always followed her heart, no matter what that looks like to the outside world. She is deeply obsessed with finding out who she truly is in all the social constructs of our society and experiences it all — the good, the bad and the ugly.

Kaitlin was the child who walked to the beat of her own drum and, quite often, the drum we were beating as parents was a different rhythm to hers. But it is amazing how the rhythm of two drums can sound good together, and we can say with certainty, Kaitlin has also been one of our greatest teachers, and us hers.

Jai (28)

Jai Howitt as part of the Enterprise for Kids young entrepreneurs story
Jai has built Art of Mondays into a global community for entrepreneurs, founders and creative thinkers.

Jai has built something genuinely remarkable. His business, Art of Mondays, or AOM for short, is a multi-million-dollar community for entrepreneurs. He runs residencies in beautiful locations around the world where founders gather to connect, collaborate and grow together.

He has written a book, acquired businesses, and travelled the globe doing what he loves. He left school unsure of his direction. He has been wildly successful, failed miserably, shaken himself off and continued building success again on this entrepreneurial journey.

True to form, and never resting on his laurels, Jai has a burning desire to build something bigger than himself. His fuel is to make a positive difference to others. He has found his path and follows it. Much like a hummingbird searching for nectar, Jai is willing to change direction when needed and bring life’s lessons with him.

Flynn (26)

Flynn Howitt as part of the Enterprise for Kids young entrepreneurs story
Flynn has grown into a creative connector, working across community, content, crypto education, photography and videography.

Flynn is the connector and the creative. He works closely with Jai on AOM in the sales team, but also runs his own crypto trading and education community. He creates UGC content and teaches others to do the same.

Flynn’s passion for photography and videography has opened him to many opportunities, all involving brand deals and travel. He has always found a way to be involved in whatever is interesting, whatever is a growing trend and whatever is full of possibility.

But more importantly, Flynn does what makes him feel happy. In a world where so many are in jobs they hate, working in systems that don’t serve them, it is refreshing to see a young person full of life, willing to take on challenges, but not at the sacrifice of what brings him joy.

There’s a lesson in that for everyone.

Amber (24)

Amber Howitt as part of the Enterprise for Kids young entrepreneurs story
Amber is building a creative life through writing, poetry, music and quiet, consistent commitment to her craft.

Amber left school not really being clear on the direction she wanted to take, only that it would involve writing and being creative.

Making money has been a means to an end, allowing her time to grow into how she wants to show up in this world. She has dabbled in many pursuits whilst honing her craft as a barista. She has travelled Australia, created UGC content for extra income and is currently writing her first novel.

Amber also writes poetry on Substack and makes beautiful music when her soul feels inspired. She is working quietly and consistently on the creative life she has always wanted.

Amber reminds us that success does not have to look loud to be real. Sometimes the most important work happens quietly, consistently and with deep commitment.

Kit (20)

Kit Howitt as part of the Enterprise for Kids young entrepreneurs story
Kit’s path has been shaped by adventure, outdoor education, leadership, real-world learning and practical enterprise.

Kit loves adventures and pushing himself out of his comfort zone. It probably came as no surprise to us that he took on jobs that involved outdoor pursuits.

His certificates in Business, Outdoor Education and Sport and Recreation have all contributed to allowing him this lifestyle. He is currently in the United States in a leadership role at a summer camp in North Carolina.

He has always been someone who learns by doing and experiencing things firsthand. To earn money to get himself to America, he started his own window cleaning business where he quickly built up a client base.

His path shows how real-world learning can build confidence, adaptability and practical skill.

Chayse (18)

Chayse Howitt as part of the Enterprise for Kids young entrepreneurs story
Chayse has chosen a digital path, building websites, apps, AI projects and creative business opportunities.

Chayse finished high school last year with great ATAR results, and whilst others around him were gearing up for university, he has chosen a different path. He has barely paused for breath before building a range of digital products for clients.

Chayse has bought and sold websites, created apps, taught himself all about AI, and is currently being considered for a role managing a team of content creators at a startup doing serious numbers.

At 18, the Candy Man is growing up.

But what really impresses us about Chayse is his ability to back himself. Even if he hasn’t quite got the experience or know-how, he is resourceful enough to find out and upskill himself in his pursuit and journey of being a young entrepreneur.

Akaisha (15)

Akaisha Howitt as part of the Enterprise for Kids young entrepreneurs story
Akaisha is already finding her voice through writing, music, digital art, Substack and creative uses of AI.

Akaisha is still at school and is inspired daily by what she sees her siblings achieve and pursue in their lives. She was only a toddler when we created Enterprise for Kids, but the lessons in our blog are just as relevant today as they were all those years ago.

Fundamentals don’t change, but the opportunities and technology have expanded beyond anything we could have comprehended 15 years ago. In some ways, Akaisha will have opportunities the others could only dream of, but in that fast-paced world also lie challenges.

Navigating them all is a journey she is currently on.

Akaisha is already writing short stories, playing music, creating digital art in Procreate and exploring how AI might help her develop an app for writers to tell better stories. She also publishes on Substack.

Akaisha is fifteen and already finding her voice.

What Raising Young Entrepreneurs Really Taught Us

Looking back, the honey businesses, lolly bags, market stalls and money lessons were never only about money. They were about confidence. They were about courage. They were about helping children realise they could have an idea, take intentional action, solve a problem, communicate with people, handle mistakes and try again.

That is why Enterprise for Kids has always been about more than business. It is about raising children who can think, create, adapt and contribute. It is about helping children understand that they do not have to wait until adulthood to practise responsibility, leadership, creativity and initiative.

When people talk about young entrepreneurs, they often imagine a child making a lot of money or launching a flashy business. But for us, the deeper goal was always broader than that. We wanted our children to feel capable in the world. We wanted them to see opportunity. We wanted them to know that ideas matter, effort matters, relationships matter and courage matters.

That is the real story behind teaching our family entrepreneurship values. We were trying to raise kids who could meet life with imagination, confidence and purpose, and if it suited their nature, to do it in an entrepreneurial way.

For families wanting to start those conversations early, the Australian Government’s MoneySmart guide to teaching kids about money is a useful resource for making money part of everyday family life.

Why We Are Sharing These Young Entrepreneur Stories

We have been talking about relaunching this site for a while, and the timing finally feels right.

Trevor has been working hard behind the scenes rebuilding and updating the site, making it easier to navigate and better to read. That work is nearly done. And we have so much to share.

Over the coming months, we want to do something we have never quite done before: go back and connect the dots. We want to show you not just what we did with our kids when they were young, but what those early lessons actually led to today.

We want to tell each of their stories properly: the ventures, the mindset shifts, the failures, the wins, and the moments where you could see everything clicking into place.

We also have some new projects of our own to share when the time is right. But for now, this is us, saying hello again.

Where to Start If You Are New Here

Cathy and Trevor with their grandson Rafi as part of the Enterprise for Kids family story
Cathy and Trevor with grandson Rafi — a beautiful reminder that the Enterprise for Kids journey is now moving into the next generation.

If you are new here, welcome. A good place to begin is with our Family Enterprise Stories, where you can get a feel for where it all began.

You might also enjoy exploring our Kids Business Ideas, Money Lessons for Kids and Our Enterprising Kids Today sections, especially if you are interested in how young entrepreneurs grow through everyday family life.

If you have been here before, thank you for coming back. We have missed this.

The best chapters are still ahead.

— Cathy and Trevor

Key Takeaway

Key takeaway: Young entrepreneurs do not appear overnight. They grow through small, real-world experiences that build confidence, creativity, responsibility, resilience and the belief that their ideas matter.

Explore More Enterprise for Kids Stories

Keep exploring: These pages will help you follow the Enterprise for Kids journey from the early family projects through to where our children are today.

Entrepreneurial Kids: How to Teach Purpose and Success

Enterprise For KidsTeam Mindset, Confidence & Leadership, Raising Entrepreneurial Kids , , , , , , , , , 6 Comments
Natalie Cook diving for the ball at the Sydney Olympics beach volleyball final

Entrepreneurial kids need more than a good idea or a burst of enthusiasm — they need a strong sense of purpose that helps them keep going when the path becomes difficult.

This lesson became very clear to me after hearing Olympic gold medallist Natalie Cook speak in Perth. Natalie is a five-time Olympian and one of Australia’s most inspiring beach volleyball champions. Her message about success, purpose and the mindset of high achievers was powerful not only for athletes, but also for parents raising entrepreneurial kids.

Natalie Cook gold medallist sharing lessons for entrepreneurial kids
Natalie Cook, Olympic gold medallist, shared powerful lessons about purpose and success.

Why Entrepreneurial Kids Need a Strong Purpose

Natalie Cook is a wonderful example of the connection between sport, business and personal success. She won Olympic gold with Kerri Pottharst at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and went on to become a respected speaker, leader and businesswoman. You can read more about her Olympic journey on the Australian Olympic Committee’s Natalie Cook profile.

When Natalie spoke in Perth, she explained that professional athletes and successful business owners have many things in common. Both need discipline, courage, focus and the ability to keep moving towards a goal, even when the obstacles are real.

Her message was captivating, humorous and very useful for cultivating a mindset for success in entrepreneurial kids — and, just as importantly, in their adult counterparts.

Natalie Cook’s Five Ps for Success

Natalie built her talk around what she called the Five Ps. These were principles that could apply to children, athletes, families and business owners alike.

Over a series of posts, I wanted to share these Five Ps and connect them to the way we raise enterprising, confident and purpose-driven children. I will also be adding one extra “P” of my own at the end. After hearing Natalie’s five, I wonder if you can guess what mine might be.

For this first part, we begin with one of the most important foundations of all.

Entrepreneurial Kids and the Power of Purpose

A person who truly reaches for success has a mindset that carries with it a very strong “Why,” or purpose.

Your “Why” must be stronger than your “Why not?”

If it is not, you may not have enough purpose to muster up the will to make your goals happen when barriers appear. A strong purpose gives children something deeper to hold onto. It turns a vague wish into a reason to keep trying.

Your “Why” has to be specific and close to the heart. It does not need to be complicated.

A friend of mine is driven to succeed because she desperately wants her mum to be happy and not have to work anymore. Another wants to buy a villa in Tuscany so that she can reconnect with her Italian family roots and create a sense of belonging.

These “Whys” are very different from saying, “Why not?” They are clear purposes, not poor explanations.

Teaching Purpose to Kids Through Real Conversations

Your “Why” will often come from one of two emotions: pain or pleasure. Usually, pain is the stronger of the two.

Think about the rags-to-riches stories we often hear about well-known success mentors and creators such as JK Rowling, Colonel Sanders, Sylvester Stallone, Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, Susan Boyle and Richard Branson. Their difficult experiences helped shape a strong “Why,” and that purpose became part of what carried them forward.

For entrepreneurial kids, this does not mean they need to experience hardship before they can succeed. It means they need to understand what matters to them. They need to begin asking deeper questions about contribution, growth, family, freedom, creativity and the kind of life they want to build.

Cathy and Trevor with Natalie Cook after a talk about purpose and success
Amy, Cathy, Natalie, Tracey, Kym and Trevor after Natalie Cook’s inspiring talk.

I recently carried out a “Why” exercise with my son, Jai.

We had just returned from a career pathway meeting for his upcoming senior class. Every pathway the school presented seemed to end in landing a j-o-b — just-over-broke. Whether the route was through university, technical school or straight into the average 40-year career, the end result sounded much the same.

There was nothing for an enterprising teen to really grab hold of.

Worse still, because the students were nearing the end of high school, the pressure was on to make a choice. It felt like a limited choice, based on hastily presented ideas rather than a deeply considered purpose.

The result was confusion. Jai seemed torn between going to university with his mates because it sounded like fun, or leaving school with his cousin and going to make money in the mines.

This inconsistency told me that Jai’s “Whys” for both of these career paths were too vague.

Purpose quote for entrepreneurial kids learning their why

Questions That Help Entrepreneurial Kids Find Their Why

So, we got to work.

We discussed why these two ideas sounded interesting to him. We talked about the difference between a strong “Why” and a casual “Why not?” We also explored why “Why not?” is unlikely to carry a person through the hard parts of either choice.

Then I asked Jai to ponder three questions:

  1. How do you want to contribute to this world?
  2. How do you want to grow as a person?
  3. How do you want to be remembered when you pass?

These are big questions for a teenager. In fact, they are big questions for adults too.

But they matter.

If we want to raise entrepreneurial kids who can think for themselves, create opportunities and build meaningful lives, we need to help them move beyond surface-level choices. We need to help them understand what drives them.

Purpose Comes Before the Plan

Many children are asked what job they want before they are asked what kind of life they want.

They are asked what subjects they will choose before they are asked what they care about.

They are asked which pathway they will follow before they have had time to discover the purpose behind the pathway.

This is why purpose matters so much. A plan without purpose can become a list of tasks. Purpose gives the plan energy, direction and meaning.

For entrepreneurial kids, purpose is not just about making money. It is about knowing why they want to create, serve, solve, build, lead or contribute in the first place.

Next, we continue the journey in Part 2: People and Passion, where we explore how the right people and passions can help shape entrepreneurial kids and enterprising teens.

Natalie Cook’s Five Ps Series

This article is Part 1 in our series on Natalie Cook’s Five Ps for helping entrepreneurial kids and enterprising teens develop purpose, people, passion, perseverance, planning and a mindset for success.

Where to Next?

We are always looking for feedback on our entrepreneurial kids articles. What is your “Why”? Leave a comment and share the purpose that keeps you moving forward.

Enterprising Teens: People, Passion and Success

Enterprise For KidsTeam Mindset, Confidence & Leadership, Raising Entrepreneurial Kids , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments
Jai thinking about people and passion as an enterprising teen

Enterprising teens need more than a career pathway or a good business idea — they need the right people around them and a passion strong enough to keep them moving forward.

After my son Jai and I discussed the first of Natalie Cook’s Five Ps, Purpose, I asked him to make a timeline of his life. I wanted him to focus on his surroundings, but more importantly, on the people who would be with him.

Jai thinking about the people and passions that support enterprising teens
Jai thinking about the people and passions that could help shape his enterprising teen journey.

Why Enterprising Teens Need the Right People

Natalie Cook’s second P is People.

Attracting the right people in life is key to building a successful young entrepreneur. But whether Jai chose to be an enterprising teen or follow a different path, what mattered most to me was his mindset for success in whatever direction he chose.

So, I asked him to imagine where he would like to be sitting five years from now — and with whom.

Then ten years from now.

Then forty years from now.

I asked him to picture what was around him, who his associates were, and what made those people so valuable to him that their presence would still be visible in his future decades later.

People quote for enterprising teens learning about success

What Natalie Cook Taught About People and Success

Natalie Cook’s career is a powerful example of what the right people, passion and support can help create. Her official Olympic profile describes her as a five-time Olympian and Olympic gold and bronze medallist in beach volleyball, making her a strong real-world role model for enterprising teens. Read more about Natalie Cook’s Olympic journey here.

Natalie discussed the value of surrounding herself with the right people while training to become an Olympic gold medallist. Around her were coaches, mindset mentors, professionals and peers whose encouragement lifted her up rather than criticism that tore her down.

This is a powerful lesson for enterprising teens.

The people around our children influence how they think, what they believe is possible, and the standards they quietly begin to accept for themselves. Friends, mentors, coaches, teachers, family members and business role models can all shape a child’s confidence and direction.

As parents, we cannot choose every influence our children will meet. But we can help them become more conscious of the people they allow close to them.

Helping Enterprising Teens Choose Positive Influences

It is important for enterprising teens to spend time with the sort of people they would like to learn from, grow with and, in some ways, emulate.

This goes beyond simple peer pressure. Children and teenagers absorb attitudes, habits, language, confidence and expectations from the people around them. If they are constantly surrounded by people who complain, criticise or limit possibility, that can become their normal.

But if they are surrounded by people who encourage, create, question, build, serve and keep learning, that can also become their normal.

This does not mean they need to abandon old friends or judge others harshly. It simply means they can learn to ask better questions:

  • Who encourages me to become better?
  • Who helps me believe more is possible?
  • Who lives with values I respect?
  • Who makes me feel more confident, creative and capable?
  • Who would I love to learn from?

These are not just business questions. They are life questions.

Enterprising Teens Learn Success by Helping People

One of the things I love about business and enterprise is that, at its heart, it is about people.

It does not matter whether the enterprise is large or small. It could be a child’s first market stall, a family business, a service project, a creative idea, or a future company. When young people learn to be genuinely helpful to others, their chances of success increase.

Helping people gives enterprising teens and adults an energy that attracts the right people into their lives. It teaches them that business is not only about making money. It is also about solving problems, creating value and building relationships.

This is a lesson children can begin learning very early.

Why Passion Matters for Enterprising Teens

Natalie Cook’s third P is Passion.

People are naturally attracted to those who have passion for what they do. Passion gives energy to an idea. It helps a young person keep going when the excitement wears off and the work begins.

Natalie has spoken about the importance of loving the process, not just the outcome. That is a valuable message for enterprising teens, because the process is where most of the growth happens.

Success is not only found in the final result. It is found in the practice, the learning, the mistakes, the conversations, the courage and the small daily decisions that eventually become a life.

Passion quote for enterprising teens developing a mindset for success

Jai wanted something he could stick with for the long term.

Having him visualise himself, his surroundings and his companions far into the future helped him reach a place that felt more connected to his own passion. It was something apart from what others were expecting of him. It was a desire that felt less likely to fade with time.

His spirit was guiding him, rather than the social conditioning of school, friends and family.

People and Passion Come Before the Pathway

This is one of the problems I see with the way many teenagers are asked to make career decisions.

They are often asked to choose a pathway before they have deeply considered the people they want around them, the kind of contribution they want to make, and the passions that might sustain them over time.

For enterprising teens, this matters.

A pathway without people can feel lonely.

A pathway without passion can become heavy.

But when a young person begins to understand who inspires them, who strengthens them, and what lights them up from the inside, their decisions become clearer.

That does not mean every choice becomes easy. It means the choices begin to come from a deeper place.

Natalie Cook’s Five Ps Series

This article is Part 2 in our series on Natalie Cook’s Five Ps for helping entrepreneurial kids and enterprising teens develop purpose, people, passion, perseverance, planning and a mindset for success.

Where to Next?

If you could enlist three people in the world to personally be your friend and mentor, who would they be? Mine would be Richard Branson, Robert Kiyosaki and Michael Clouse. Leave us a comment and share who would be on your list.

Business Ideas for Young Entrepreneurs: Burekup Fair Success

Enterprise For KidsTeam Family Enterprise Stories, Family Projects, Kids Business Ideas , , , , , , , , , , 12 Comments
Chayse making a sale at the Burekup Fair as one of the business ideas for young entrepreneurs

Business ideas for young entrepreneurs come alive when children have the chance to prepare products, talk to customers, handle money and experience the excitement of making real sales.

The day of the Burekup Country Fair started with a mad rush. Seven enterprising kids needed to be ready and set up down at the Burekup Country Club grounds by 8.30am. It required four trips with a trailer carrying tables, pram, signs, eskies, TV, banners and all the products we planned on selling.

Amber and Flynn with Fish in a Bottle showing business ideas for young entrepreneurs
Amber and Flynn with their Fish in a Bottle idea.

Business Ideas for Young Entrepreneurs at the Burekup Fair

On arriving at the Burekup Fair, we discovered that someone else had set up in our designated spot. We milled around waiting until the problem was sorted, and once a new space was allocated, we busied ourselves with setting up.

A very strong easterly wind challenged us with erecting banners and keeping tablecloths on the tables. It was obviously going to be a hot day. Thankfully, the red gum trees overhead would keep us in shade all day.

Bargain hunters were quick to do the rounds of the stalls well before we were ready. While we were still trying to set things up, people were already asking questions and making purchases. We will have to be better prepared for this next time round!

Amber with succulents as one of the kids business ideas at Burekup Fair
Amber and her succulents.
Enterprising kids making a sale at the Burekup Fair
…and making a sale.

The kids’ anticipation and the joyful growing crowd created an air of excitement. It was a real country fair without all the commercial jazz that you see at many fairs today.

Visitors and locals first joined in with the Australia Day barbecue breakfast. Following the brekky, the crowd moved on to all the stalls and activities. There were old machinery displays, a free bouncy castle and water slide, a dunk tank, fairy floss, pat-the-animals, thong-throwing contests, face painting, and people selling their wares — from homemade fudge, plants and toys to live pigs, chickens and crafts.

Other enterprising kids were also selling their toys, bikes, clothes and things they had made. It was the perfect place to see business ideas for young entrepreneurs being tested in a real community setting.

Setting Up Business Ideas for Young Entrepreneurs at a Kids Market Stall

A market stall is a wonderful way for children to test their ideas in the real world. It gives them the chance to see whether people are interested, practise talking to customers, learn how to display products, and understand that business is about far more than simply having something to sell.

The Australian Government’s business.gov.au page on market stalls explains that a market stall is a temporary structure used to sell products or services, and that stallholders may need to think about registrations, permits, food safety, insurance and other requirements. Read more about setting up a market stall here.

For children, the lesson can start simply:

  • What are we selling?
  • Who might want to buy it?
  • How should we display it?
  • What price should we charge?
  • How do we speak confidently to customers?
  • How do we count money and work out profit?
Kids market stall set up with business ideas for young entrepreneurs at the Burekup Country Fair
All set ready for the customers!

Novelty Products and Business Ideas for Young Entrepreneurs

Having a novelty product is one of the keys to drawing interest, and we had the perfect product.

Flynn and Amber’s “Fish in a Bottle” were an absolute hit. Kids came from everywhere dragging their parents over to look at the fish. Once at our stall, we were able to show them our other items too.

This was a powerful business lesson. Sometimes one unusual product can bring people closer, start conversations and help customers notice the rest of what is on offer.

Fish in a Bottle products waiting to be sold at a kids market stall
Products waiting to be sold.

Learning to Ask for the Sale

Chayse soon got the hang of it. Whenever a customer wandered past, he would hold up a lolly bag and ask if they would like to buy one.

Many people bought lollies from him simply because he had asked. How can you refuse a little five-year-old?

There was another little boy walking around selling his mum’s homemade fudge. He was not shy in coming forward and asking customers if they would like to make a purchase. Talking to his dad later in the day, he said that his son had sold more fudge walking around than they had sold at their stall.

I guess there is a lesson in that.

For young entrepreneurs, learning to politely ask is powerful. It builds confidence, communication skills and resilience. It also teaches children that customers often need a friendly invitation before they buy.

Customers, Money and Confidence

It was not long before we had customers coming in their droves. Talking with customers, handling money and recording on a pad what was sold all kept the kids on their toes.

Taking turns to man the stall allowed each of us time to catch up with friends and also spend some of the takings at the fair.

Kaitlin's Eye heART display as a creative business idea for young entrepreneurs
Kaitlin’s EYE heART on display.
Customers admiring Kaitlin's artwork at the Burekup Fair
…customers admiring her work!

Our enterprising kids were very happy with their results. Each was able to sell products and make a profit.

Flynn’s Howitt’s Honey was very popular and sold very well. Kit and Chayse sold about half their lolly bags and, due to the hot day, Jai’s icy-poles also sold well. Jai made a profitable sale with his exercise equipment. Amber sold succulents. Kaitlin received commissions for her Eye heART artwork. And, of course, the Fish in a Bottle sold well.

Making Sales Turns Business Ideas for Young Entrepreneurs Into Real Learning

This is where business ideas for young entrepreneurs become real learning.

It is one thing to imagine a business. It is another thing entirely to prepare the product, take it to a fair, display it, speak to customers, handle money, record sales, pay back costs and work out profit.

Those are real lessons.

Jai manning the stall with his exercise equipment at the Burekup Fair
Jai manning the stall with his exercise equipment.
Flynn selling unpasteurised honey as a young entrepreneur
Flynn selling his unpasteurised honey.

Cath and I also had a terrific result with our own stall. This was the first time we had put ourselves out there with our new business in the local community, and it allowed us to develop our own self-efficacy too. We spoke with many interesting people and learned a lot about their lives and interests.

By the end of the day, we were exhausted.

Celebrating Success Builds Self-Efficacy

It was important to celebrate our success because this is vital in fostering self-efficacy around being entrepreneurial kids.

The kids counted the takings and divided the money up. They then paid any debts so they could work out their profits. Each received congratulations and a hug for being successful enterprising kids.

Akaisha enjoying one of Jai's icy poles at the Burekup Fair
Akaisha enjoying one of Jai’s icy-poles, mittens and all!
Cathy speaking with a customer at the Burekup Country Fair
Cathy explaining the health benefits of her product.

Many great lessons around financial education were learned on this day.

It is our hope that our kids continue to develop self-efficacy around being entrepreneurial, as we believe this will give them greater opportunities when they become adults.

Cathy talking with an interested customer at the Burekup Fair
Cathy talking with an interested customer.
Kit and Chayse selling lolly bags as a kids business idea Kit and Chayse selling lolly bags.

Finally, we would like to thank the Burekup Country Club, and in particular Sally and Jason Barnden and their team, for coordinating the fair.

Just as an added note, the day after the fair, five more Fish in a Bottle sold!

Where to Next?

Have your children ever tried a market stall, fair stall or small business idea? We would love to hear what they sold and what they learned along the way.

Marketing Lesson for Kids: Burekup Country Club Heats Up

Enterprise For KidsTeam Family Enterprise Stories, Family Projects, Kids Business Ideas , , , , , , , , , 12 Comments
Amber Flynn and Kit running a stall at the Burekup Country Fair as a marketing lesson for kids

Marketing lesson for kids sounds like something that belongs in a classroom, but for our family it came alive through fire, publicity, product preparation and the Burekup Australia Day Fair.

Last week there was both fear and excitement in the small township of Burekup. The Burekup Country Club had been on fire, and for a moment it looked as though the Burekup Australia Day Fair might even be cancelled. Thankfully, the fire crew put the fire out before it caused too much damage or anyone was hurt.

What followed became a very real lesson in marketing, attention and opportunity for our enterprising kids.

Amber showing her product during a marketing lesson for kids at the Burekup Country Fair
Amber showing one of her products ready for the Burekup Country Fair.

A Marketing Lesson for Kids at the Burekup Country Fair

Once a year for Australia Day, Burekup hosts a fun family fair. Everyone in town usually comes along, together with people from the surrounding areas.

This year, the fair had a little more publicity than normal.

The local Burekup Country Club, which helps organise the event, had a fire that threatened to burn down the old wooden clubhouse and town hall. The newspaper heard about the near disaster and ran a story about the fire that almost sabotaged the Burekup Australia Day Fair.

Burekup Country Club hall before the Australia Day Fair marketing lesson for kids
Burekup Country Club Hall.

The newspaper story created concern and interest, and it also meant that many more people heard about the Burekup Fair.

Marketing a product, service or brand can be challenging, especially when you are still learning how to attract attention and explain its value. Even a very good product may struggle to sell if people do not know about it, understand what makes it useful or feel interested enough to buy it.

That is why this became such a useful marketing lesson for kids. Our children were not just making products. They were preparing to put those products in front of real people.

What Our Kids Learned About Marketing Their Products

Our enterprising kids have all been challenged with marketing their products and brands. Cathy and I have also been challenged with marketing when promoting events or selling our own products.

The Howitt family booked two stalls for the Burekup Australia Day Fair. One stall was for our enterprising kids to display and sell their products. The other was for Cathy and me to share information about our home business, as well as promote the Enterprise for Kids brand and blog.

Putting ourselves out there in our small community for the first time was a little confronting. Some people knew what we had been up to, but for many it was going to be a surprise.

Despite the challenge, we saw this as a chance to practise in readiness for bigger and better things to come.

Kids Business Ideas Prepared for the Burekup Fair

The fair gave each child a real opportunity to prepare, promote and sell something of their own. That is where a simple family event becomes powerful real-world learning.

Flynn had been preparing his raw, unprocessed honey under his brand, Howitt’s Honey. He had a fresh batch ready to sell, and he had also bought a good set of golf clubs for a very good price, which he intended to resell at the fair.

Flynn showing honey pots for his kids business idea at the Burekup Fair
Flynn showing his honey pots.
Honey jars bottled and ready for labels before the Burekup Country Fair
All bottled awaiting labels!

Kit and Chayse were preparing their lolly bag business. They bought, sorted and bagged lollies to sell. Chayse also had a small fish tank to sell, along with colourful guppies he had bred.

Kit and Chayse sorting lollies for a kids business idea at the Burekup Fair
Kit and Chayse sorting lollies.
Lolly bags ready to sell as part of a kids market stall
Lolly bags all set to be sold!

Amber’s Products and a Creative Marketing Lesson for Kids

Amber had been busy all year collecting succulents from people’s gardens. She artistically potted these up into all kinds of unusual pots, including large seashells, kettles and ceramic plant pots.

Amber watering succulents for her kids business idea at the Burekup Country Fair
Amber watering her succulents ready to be sold.

She and Flynn also planned to sell aquarium fish they had bred. They salvaged and cleaned large glass wine flagons, which made terrific fish bowls. They decided to market this product under the brand name “Fish in a Bottle”.

Fish in a Bottle product prepared for a marketing lesson for kids
Fish in a Bottle.
Fish in a Bottle product showing how kids can create unusual market stall ideas
Can you see the fish?

Amber also planned to sell selected items from her New from Old business, and she was putting together a Lucky Dip.

Jai and Kaitlin Prepare Their Own Enterprise Ideas

Jai was preparing to promote his “Hire a Teenager” service. He already had clients in Burekup who hired him to do work on their properties, such as mowing and window cleaning.

Jai also prepared a batch of frozen juice ice cups on sticks. He came up with some creative ideas to add value to his product. He was also considering promoting “Rent Exercise Equipment”, although this business idea was still in its infancy and may not have been quite ready to run.

Lastly, Kaitlin was preparing to promote her new brand, “Eye heART”. Akaisha was still a little young to have an enterprise of her own, but Kaitlin was ready to share her creative skills.

Being the creative one in the family, Kaitlin planned to sell her skills by painting the eye of clients from a photograph. Around the eye, she would also paint three things dear to them.

Jai showing icy poles prepared for the Burekup Country Fair market stall
Jai showing his icy poles.
Kaitlin's Eye heART creative business idea for kids
Kaitlin’s Eye heART.

This opportunity for us all to market our brands, services and products helped the Howitt clan develop self-efficacy around being entrepreneurial.

What Children Can Learn From a Real Marketing Plan

A good marketing lesson for kids does not need to be complicated. Children can begin by learning that marketing is about understanding who might want your product, why they might want it, and how you can show them its value.

The Australian Government’s business.gov.au marketing planning guidance explains that a marketing plan can help define a target market, choose messages and channels, set goals and evaluate whether marketing activities were successful. That is exactly the kind of thinking children can begin to practise with a simple market stall. Read more about developing a marketing plan here.

For our kids, the Burekup Fair raised practical questions:

  • Who would want to buy this product?
  • How should we display it?
  • What makes it interesting or different?
  • How much should we charge?
  • What story does the product tell?
  • How can we speak confidently to customers?

These questions are useful for any young entrepreneur.

Marketing, Emotion and Real-World Learning

Our mentor, Paul Counsel, had plenty to say about marketing. One of the ideas he shared was that people often respond to emotion before they respond to logic.

In simple terms, customers usually want to move away from a problem and toward a better result. A product, service or experience becomes more interesting when people can clearly see the difference it might make.

For children, this can be taught in a practical and age-appropriate way.

If they are selling honey, they can show that it is fresh, local and real.

If they are selling lolly bags, they can make them colourful, tidy and fun.

If they are selling succulents, they can show how each one has been creatively potted and cared for.

If they are selling a service, they can explain clearly how they can help someone.

This is where marketing becomes much more than advertising. It becomes communication.

A Fire, a Fair and a Marketing Lesson for Kids

Pain Island to Pleasure Island drawing used in a marketing lesson for kids
Just need the right ship to get them there!

Luckily, the fire did not burn down the club or spoil the Burekup Australia Day Fair.

But it certainly woke people up.

The fear that the fair might be cancelled created attention. The newspaper story created discussion. The near disaster gave people another reason to talk about the event. In an unexpected way, it became publicity.

That is not something anyone would wish for, of course. But it did show our kids something important: people pay attention when a story matters to them.

For our family, the fair became more than a day out. It became a real-world lesson in product preparation, branding, confidence, customer communication and marketing.

You can continue the story in our follow-up article, Business Ideas for Young Entrepreneurs: Burekup Fair Success, where we share what happened at the fair, what the children sold and the lessons they learned from real customers.

Where to Next?

We would love to hear from our readers. What marketing lesson for kids have you seen through a school fair, market stall or family business idea? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.

Business Ideas for 6 Year Olds That Build Self Efficacy

Enterprise For KidsTeam Chayse's Stories, Family Enterprise Stories, Kids Business Ideas, Kit's Stories, Mindset, Confidence & Leadership , , , , , , , , , , 5 Comments
Young children confidently performing together, representing self efficacy and business ideas for 6 year olds

Business ideas for 6 year olds can be simple, practical and incredibly powerful when they help children build self efficacy, confidence and generosity.

This family enterprise story follows Kit and little Chayse as they teamed up to grow their lolly bag business, give to a meaningful cause, and slowly become more confident young entrepreneurs. It also links strongly with our Candyman series, where Chayse first began learning how to make money through enterprise.

Two young entrepreneurs showing how business ideas for 6 year olds can build self efficacy

Two young entrepreneurs learning confidence, generosity and self efficacy through their lolly business.

Business Ideas for 6 Year Olds That Build Self Efficacy

Kit decided to form a partnership with Chayse in his lolly bag Enterprise for Kids business. He could see how well Chayse’s earlier lolly-selling adventures were going, and he realised that this was one of those business ideas for 6 year olds that was simple enough to begin, but rich enough to teach real-life lessons.

Together they visited the local supermarket and spent their capital on buying large bags of confectionery. This time they were very serious and bought around $230 worth of lollies.

Business ideas for 6 year olds shown through Kit and Chayse’s lolly production line

The production line begins.

Once again, the family pitched in around the dining table to sort and bag all the lollies. Before long, Kit and Chayse were ready to head out to the sporting grounds and sell their product. If you would like to see their production line in action, here is the original video link: Kit and Chayse’s production line.

Business Ideas for 6 Year Olds and the Power of Giving

This round of selling was a little different. Our children had already begun learning that enterprise is not only about making money. It is also about giving, gratitude and growing a generous mindset.

Kit and Chayse chose to donate a small portion of their profits to the Royal Flying Doctor Service. This cause felt meaningful to our family because the Flying Doctor had been such a great help to us when Kaitlin was born in the remote Kimberley town of Kalumburu.

Through this small act of giving, the boys were learning that business can be about contribution as well as reward. For children, this is a beautiful way to connect enterprise with compassion and build self efficacy through something bigger than themselves.

Children designing a sign for their lolly business and supporting the Royal Flying Doctor Service

Designing the for-sale sign with RFDS as the beneficiary.
Kids business ideas in action as Kit and Chayse sell lollies at the soccer grounds

All the soccer lads checking out their lollies.

Business Ideas for 6 Year Olds at the Sporting Grounds

The boys did the rounds of the sporting grounds and sold box after box of lollies. They were magnetic — attracting people from all over the place, a bit like a Mr Whippy van at a summer event.

At first, they needed some prompting to approach groups, speak clearly and say thank you. But after a while their confidence began to grow. They became more comfortable speaking with customers, answering questions and explaining that the lolly business was their own, and that some of the money was being donated to the Flying Doctor.

People were more than happy to support them. Some even bought lollies just to stop and chat with the boys. This is why small, supported business ideas for 6 year olds can create such strong learning moments.

Family enterprise story at the soccer fields where the boys sold their lolly bags

Watching Jai in action at the soccer fields.
Self efficacy for kids grows as the boys sell their wares confidently

…whilst the boys sold their wares.

How This Business Idea Built Self Efficacy

One later trip to the sporting fields gave me a big surprise. I suddenly noticed that the box of lollies had disappeared from under my feet and Chayse was nowhere to be seen. I looked around in alarm and spotted some commotion about fifty metres away. There was young Chayse, surrounded by a crowd of people buying his lollies.

I was very proud of the little fella. Through many weeks of shyly putting himself out there with customers, he had gradually built the confidence to go it alone. That was a real sign that he was developing self efficacy.

Self efficacy for kids grows through repeated real-world success

Self efficacy grows when children repeatedly stretch beyond their comfort zone.

If he keeps this up, he will be an awesome young entrepreneur when he grows up.

Cathy and I have been learning the importance of self efficacy in our own lives as well, especially through the teachings of Paul Counsel in our Money Mastery course. He explains that it is very difficult to simply switch and suddenly become an entrepreneur. Instead, we build up to it by stretching our upper limit again and again.

That means doing things that take us beyond our comfort zone, celebrating the success, and then doing it again. Eventually, we become comfortable with being uncomfortable. That, in turn, opens up new possibilities and attracts new opportunities. This is exactly what was happening with Chayse — and in truth, with all of us.

Building self efficacy in children through enterprise and confidence-building experiences

Confidence builds when children try, succeed and repeat.

Business Ideas for 6 Year Olds Can Build Real Confidence

Kit demonstrated his growing confidence only a few days later. He asked if he could take his lolly business down to the local skate park all by himself. We agreed, and Flynn quietly followed at a distance just to make sure everything was alright.

Kit sold a bunch of lolly bags and came back with a big grin, announcing, “A Granny gave me a big cuddle and kiss!” When we asked him what he meant, he explained that she was so happy to see him doing his business that she bought some lollies and then gave him a cuddle.

Moments like this are so powerful. A child does not just remember the sale. They remember the encouragement, the positive response and the feeling that they can do something brave and meaningful in the world. This is the real strength of business ideas for 6 year olds when parents provide safe support and encouragement.

Developing self efficacy through enterprise for young children

Self Efficacy!

Young Entrepreneurs Sharing Their Rewards

Another beautiful part of this family enterprise story was seeing the boys share some of their rewards and give back through the RFDS. Enterprise was not just helping them make money. It was helping them build character.

Young entrepreneurs sharing their rewards and giving back through their business

…share their rewards.

We believe our enterprising children are experiencing mindset shifts that are helping them think more and more like entrepreneurs. It all takes practice, confidence and repetition. And at the heart of it is self efficacy — the growing belief that, “I can do this.”

Candyman Series Links

This post links strongly with our Candyman series. Kit and Chayse’s lolly bag partnership grew from Chayse’s original Candy Man enterprise and shows how one small business idea can build money skills, confidence and self efficacy.

Key Takeaway: Business Ideas for 6 Year Olds Can Start Small

Key takeaway: One of the best business ideas for 6 year olds is a simple, supported enterprise that gives children the chance to practise courage, communication, generosity and persistence. That is how self efficacy grows.

Where to Next?

Have you seen a child’s confidence grow when they sell, create or contribute something of their own? We would love to hear your story in the comments.