January 19, 2011

People always ask me how many failures I encountered before I had a successful business. They also like to know how to improve their current ventures. Here are some of my thoughts, based off of questions from readers.

Q: My 12-year-old has often tried to launch little businesses, but he becomes frustrated when he fails. He tried making and selling wallets. Then he tried selling his artwork. He also set up a lawn-mowing service, but his mom and dad were his only customers.

I want him to continue to pursue his ideas, but I don't know how to help him succeed. Any suggestions?

- Debbie Mitchell, Texas

A: First of all, your son shouldn't be disheartened -- with all his restless activity, he is off to a good start. Indeed, he has achieved the first step, which is just to turn up and try. And he is showing good instincts. One of my golden rules is: In any business you decide to launch, your product or service should enhance customers' lives. His lawn-mowing service certainly passes the test.

Tell him not to be discouraged. Entrepreneurs must take risks when starting new ventures, and most enterprises do not work the first time around. Now he needs to take the second step, which is to learn from his mistakes and ensure he does not repeat them on his next try.

My own initial attempts at setting up businesses were about as successful as your son's. As a teenager I tried my hand at a few ventures, hoping to earn money and kick-start my business career. Two stand out because of the suddenness of their demise.

When I was 13 years old, I tried to grow Christmas trees with the help of my best friend, Nik Powell, who later became my business partner. We thought they would grow quickly and would be ready for harvest less than two years later. Over spring break, we planted 400 seedlings, then went back to boarding school and waited for our fortune to grow. We had worked out that if the trees grew to six feet tall, we could sell them for two pounds each, generating 800 pounds in profit from our initial five pound investment. But when we returned home that summer, we found that rabbits had eaten all the saplings and our plans were ruined.

My next venture involved breeding budgerigars (a small Australian parrot). I calculated how much they would cost to buy, what their food would cost, how much I could sell them for, and then persuaded my father to build a huge aviary. The birds multiplied rapidly, and soon everyone in the village had at least two.

I returned to school after the summer holidays, leaving my long-suffering parents with the task of feeding and tending to my growing stock of birds. One day, I received a letter from my mother in which she explained that rats had gotten into the cage and eaten all my birds. It was only years later that she admitted she had left the cage open, as she was fed up with cleaning out the enormous cage!

Those stories may be comical, but looking back, it's clear I did learn a lot from those experiences. When I started Student magazine at age 16, I knew which pitfalls to look out for. Before we started production, I made sure we had sold enough advertisements to cover our paper and printing costs. Though we were a shoestring operation (our office phone was a nearby phone booth) I was secure in the knowledge that any magazine sales would go toward paying my staff -- maybe even making a profit!

So it is important that your son keeps trying. He is on the right track with the lawn-mowing business. It is a service many people want and are happy to pay for.

Together, the two of you should take a second look at a few key factors and see if a tweak or two might kick-start Mitchell's Gardening Services (or any venture started up by a child):

If you are unsure what to charge, you might try the radical approach: Offer to mow people's lawns for free and tell them that if they are happy with your work, they can pay whatever amount they think is appropriate. You never know -- you may end up making more money than you expected.

Maybe you need to invest in a better lawnmower to help your son woo customers -- perhaps people in your neighborhood want the option of composting the clippings, or they want leaves mulched. It is amazing how a loan from one's family will focus an entrepreneur's mind.

If Mr. Smith next door has just hurt his knee skiing, he might love to have someone do his mowing. Are there other people nearby who might need extra help, for any reason? Elderly neighbors, or a young couple with a new baby, or someone about to go on vacation?

Some people like to mow lawns themselves -- could you also offer to weed gardens, clean cars or remove trash? If your son demonstrates that he is reliable and works hard, people may sign up for more than one service.

That may help you persuade people to try out your services, since you will also be doing some good for the community.

Finally, here's a tip that has always helped me: Look for some element of fun to sell your services. Learn a song, tell a few jokes and, above all, smile while you work. It is amazing what you can achieve with a little humor.

Image credit: J. McPherskesen

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Join the conversation ( 1 )

• Julie Ann Ensomo 1 year 4 months and 3 days ago

  

  Simple yet great tips. And I just adore that 12 year old, so persistent. :)