All I can say is that I currently have a 17 year old high school senior (not the one in the article lol), at a small exclusive STEM school, who has been inventing for years and absolutely could have launched a couple of businesses already IF
mama (me) had also had connections to a (trusted) Chinese manufacturing plant, and/or
mama (me) thought that was the best use of my kid’s time, energy, and interests (no judgement for these parents because every kid is different).
Gen Z (ages 13 to 26, approx) is a whole 'nother thing, y’all don’t even know. They have so much courage and motivation. In middle and high school, they have been tackling things that my classmates and I (Gen X) didn’t even think about until college or later.
Yes, they mess up, they make mistakes, they get overwhelmed, they get on our nerves…but they are definitely gonna do all the things that Gen X laments that our parents’ generations did not do (and that we are still too sandwiched to think about just yet).
So, as a fellow parent of a smart cookie high school senior here in 2024, I think this story is accurate, possible, and realistic. I don’t think she accomplished everything independently–but I also don’t think she claimed that she did.
A high school senior, juggling all the things, getting experience in business laws and practices, collaborating with a team, and working 20+ hours/week? That was me, that’s my kid now, and that’s someone I would seriously consider hiring. Some of us are more driven and/or have more resources than others.
And hard work does pay off. There’s always a way to get what you want if you try hard enough.
My Dad came from nothing, excelled in school, served his country to get an education, and had a great and successful 40 year career in the pharma sector. Now he can buy and do anything he wants.
PS - The money to start my businesses came from my hard work not his.
Kids can definitely start businesses, but at the scale this kid did, I believe it takes adults who do more than “help.”
When I was in junior high, I had a booming business selling gum I bought from Big Lots and sold for double. Everything I made, I poured back into the business until my piggy bank runneth over. It was against school rules to chew gum, but no one said we couldn’t sell it. Some kids tried to turn me in, but administrators didn’t do anything because I was a “good” kid. That is, until one day the entire cafeteria swarmed around me like there was a fight brewing. The teacher came in to break it up and there I was in the center selling gum (and by then I had expanded into generic Rubick’s Cubes). Because of the ruckus, they made me shut down my business.
Of course there’s value in it; it makes the story a better read when it is referenced in her college admission applications, or gives her more cred down the road in becoming a “guru”.
My business attempt in my HS days was Frisbees. I was competing at a very high level (officially went pro at 15), so was around the top competitors. There was one event where there was a particular Frisbee that was desirable; but they were hard to buy, because you wanted the one out of mold #3; there were about 20 molds used to produce that one, and you couldn’t specify (Wham-O insisted there was no difference).
Managed to pick up about 200 of the right mold# from a Bluegrass festival that had them left over from premiums. Paid about $50, planned to sell for $5/each (which would still be a great deal).
Turns out that no one wanted black ones, because they got hot in the sun and softened too much. Orange was much better.
So much for market research.
40+ years later, I think I still have some.
(but actually a good, not-too-expensive, learning experience).
They sure do. We have a part of one of our brands that caters to pet owners, and clinics. It is amazing how much excitement they have about the fur baby.
I get quite a few frantic messages, “Are you sure it will be here by his/her birthday?”
Though I want to say, “You think they will know?” However, being a good Commerce person, and caring human, I do not.
1 year old babies don’t know either, but that doesn’t stop some parents from completely losing their minds.
People have their priorities. I often don’t share them. I try not to get too judgy about it (provided they aren’t illegal/offensive/etc) but sometimes I just stare at people and think… “really? I mean… really?”
Hmmm, some o’ y’all ain’t never been to pet market week in Vegas, and it shows.
R&D is a real thing. 25% back into market research is competitive in pet supplies, and people have all kinds of non-traditional domestic pets who need housing and care solutions.
My niece is 21, and has several jobs:
PT helping kids with learning disabilities which aligns with her college degree as she’s also a full time student
Gig of house/pet sitting, often with affluent homes, 2 visits per day ($30 bucks a pop for a dog visit…)
Dresses up and attends little-kiddie parties as Disney characters (she’s a great Elsa), usually 1-2 hours $50 per hour. During Covid she was paid the same to show up and dance in the driveways.
Comes home from college for two weeks? Her whole schedule was gigs like this.
