Who says Internet business can't be adapted and put to profitable use by a youngster?
Here's an example of a young boy in my neighborhood that has chosen the Internet as his business contact and delivery mechanism.
You may have heard the slightly cynical phrase - "If you can't figure out how to do something on your computer, just find a six-year-old." There's a whole heap of truth to that observation. Anyway . . .
I learned about this kid in my neighborhood, who shall remain anonymous in case the child labor law spies are lurking about, that decided to run his business online.
He mows lawns in the summertime with his dad's equipment, I'm sure, and probably dad's gas and oil.
Early in the spring he blanketed the neighborhood with a self-designed flier (misspellings plentiful, but all the more"cute" - maybe the youngster is just a marketing whizkid) listing his availability to mow anyone's lawn.
He also asked his neighbors (his "call to action" in marketing speak) to contact him by phone or send him an email to set up a free trial session so the neighbors could at least see that he would keep his appointments and do a good job with their lawn.
How many of my neighbors responded to merely help him out and how many contacted him because they truly wanted his service, I do not know. It doesn't really matter. I can tell you the young entrepreneur was litterly swamped with requests for his service.
He set up a calendar and a mailing list on his computer with his own URL (dad would have had to register the name for him). He (or his dad) uploaded before and after pictures showing the quality of his work. He included a price list, his guarantee of satisfaction or you don't pay, and a few other "policies" or terms that one might expect from a lawn care business.
He provided watering and fertilizing tips specific to the local climate on his web site.
The kid even had transactions paid to his dad's PayPal account so customers could pay and tip him at their convenience with credit cards.
If a customer was late or forgot to pay for the service, junior would email an invoice or make a phone call to collect.
He even went so far as to send email reminders to people not to water their lawns the night before he was to mow, and to specify if they wanted him to leave the grass clippings (for their garden or compost pile.)
Now I'm not sure how much of this young man's business practices were legal given his age.
My point is, he was doing solo business over the Internet. He was contacting customers (marketing), providing useful information, executing financial transactions, and more, all from the comfort and convenience of his home.
Yes, this is not the typical business model I've been talking about with global reach and digital product delivery, but it proves the point that anyone, even the very young, can get on the Internet and make some money with a little creativity and an in-demand product.
I have been asked in the past to share his web site URL . . . but I'm not going to do that. I don't want some IRS agent reading this, or some Child Labor Law cop shutting him down! Anyway, the kid moved away to a different state awhile back and took his business with him I'm sure.
Sometimes we adults need to be more like young entrepreneurs: willing to get a little creative and try some new things in order to make a buck!
