Today Kiki came and asked me if she and a friend could make cookies. They had big plans to make a pile of cookies and sell them at a corner stand as a fundraiser. I happen to know that lemonade/cookie stands tend not to make much money when they’re set up in quiet residential neighborhoods. But the best way for Kiki to understand this is to let her experience it for herself. I agreed to let her make cookies on the stipulation that she reimburse me for the ingredients. She and her friend happily made a batch of cookies. Burned the cookies. Then made a triple batch of cookies. By this time it was 6 pm and I told her that she’d better freeze the cookie dough. That way she can bake the cookies on the day she intends to sell them. She cheerfully did this. Then I required her to clean up every bit of the mess that she made.
So far Kiki is still cheerful and hopeful. I intend to give this every chance to succeed. I’m going to recommend that she make flyers to pass out advertising the existence of her stand to neighborhood kids. But I expect that she and her friend will sit on the corner for hours and not make enough money to cover expenses. But she will never just take my word, she’ll have to learn this one for herself. And who knows, I could be wrong.
EDIT 5/14/2007: The sale happened last Saturday. Kiki and her friend sat on as street corner for 3 hours. They came home with a profit, but only because three adults seriously overpaid for their cookies. After expenses Kiki had a $2 profit. She enjoyed the experience, but doesn’t seem in a hurry to do it again.
Reason #247 why Sandra is an awesome mom: Because making cookies and selling them and dealing with gross vs. net is not the same thing as taking your mom’s word about it.
What would be awesome is if Kiki could make enough money to break even or get ahead, so she gets that payoff early on showing that her actions can make a difference, and that when she sets out to accomplish something she can be effective.
If a certain entrepreneurial young lady were to call our residence on the day of the sale (possibly after some hinting from her mother), to let us know that cookies were for sale, and what kind, and for how much, I think maybe and I could break free to swing by.
I’m just sayin’.
Reason #247 why Sandra is an awesome mom: Because making cookies and selling them and dealing with gross vs. net is not the same thing as taking your mom’s word about it.
What would be awesome is if Kiki could make enough money to break even or get ahead, so she gets that payoff early on showing that her actions can make a difference, and that when she sets out to accomplish something she can be effective.
If a certain entrepreneurial young lady were to call our residence on the day of the sale (possibly after some hinting from her mother), to let us know that cookies were for sale, and what kind, and for how much, I think maybe and I could break free to swing by.
I’m just sayin’.
Timing and location is everything. If you happen to time the sale near a ballgame time or when there is more traffic, you will do better. And men tend to buy more and tip more. So do grandparents. 🙂 You never know with these sales. My niece just earned $40 on a koolaid stand and spent less than one hour on it. Of course one of her sales was from a man who gave them a $20 (!!!!) bill for one cup! But another day may be super slow. It may take more than one sale to convince them. Good luck! 🙂
Timing and location is everything. If you happen to time the sale near a ballgame time or when there is more traffic, you will do better. And men tend to buy more and tip more. So do grandparents. 🙂 You never know with these sales. My niece just earned $40 on a koolaid stand and spent less than one hour on it. Of course one of her sales was from a man who gave them a $20 (!!!!) bill for one cup! But another day may be super slow. It may take more than one sale to convince them. Good luck! 🙂