TeachingKidsBusiness.com Kids Business Blog

By: Jeff Brown - Founder - TeachingKidsBusiness.com

Hi, as a kid you probably haven't played, explored, watched TV, played videos or had theme birthday parties about business. I would like to help you to find ways to think of and play around with business.
Everyone around the world deals with businesses at some point - buying things from a business or working in a business. It makes sense to learn about and prepare for business now.

" Many of the things you can count, don't count. Many of the things you can't count, really count." Albert Einsten

06-10-10 BP Oil Disaster

The BP oil spill, that accused in April of 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico, is a very unfortunate example to learn from. This is an opportunity to learn about environmental issues that face companies, responsibility of government and business in the event of a disaster, the media and politics of who is at fault and the damages. You should examine this as a resident who earns an income from the area effected, BP Oil, government, media, stock market and other s you think are effected by this disaster. It is also important to think of the need for oil in society and the issues we face to try and produce oil.

04-02-10 Shareholder responsibilities
I just received a notice from Disney in which I own stock.The top of the notice said "Exercise your right to vote". I realize many shareholder do not take this responsibility seriously as they realize the larger shareholders such as mutual fund companies have most of the influence. I took the time to review the issues which are voted on and voted. It is a good learning experience for me as you learn about issue large public companies are facing such as governance, executive pay and the workings and role of the Board of directors who make key decisions for the company.

18-01-10 Learn from the Haiti Disaster
There are a number of things to learn from this horrific situation. Consider the help that countries provide in times of crises and understand how the economies of countries rely on each other. Consider what has to be done to rebuild Haiti. Think of what it what industry Haiti has and how business will be rebuilt. Think of ways you can help or learn of things you could do in the event of another disaster. Think of things you can do to prepare yourself if a disaster happened in your area.

11-12-09 The Business of Sesame Street
This week was the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street. If you have not seen or do not remember this TV program you should do a search to explore what it was about. It was a pioneer in edutainment. As a TV program it taught kids many lessons and demonstrated that TV could be used for curriculum. IT helped kids deal with social lessons on the many social things kids face in their daily lives from losing a loved one, divorce, sharing and many other social things kids face. One unfortunate thing that developed from Sesame Street was the business of selling stuff toys and other related toys and advertising to kids. Businesses will always find ways to sell product and Sesame Street provided them with a great opportunity to reach kids and sell directly to kids. There are always negatives and positives when you look at a business case and Sesame Street is a good example of this. It was a success story, did good things and made money for many people. Sesame Street is a very worthwhile program to understand edutainment which is a business model with we will all benefit from.

11-02-09 How You Can Shape Businesses
For a number of years I have been teaching kids business. One lesson that I think is important is that business changes to the needs of customers. You are a customer and your generation will shape business in the future. Your attitudes towards what you will buy will force business to serve your needs. If you take a strong position on not supporting pollution, alcohol, drugs, violence, worker abuse, etc. then then you will change how and where products are made. Your generation will influence business and you will end up teaching businesses what you will buy. Make your decisions wisely and responsibly.

07-28-09 Business Fund - Business vs. Alcohol Fund
A great way to learn about business is to start a business. There are many ideas tried and many new ideas which should be tried. It does not matter what the business is but it is the experience you gain from your business which will create valuable experience. You will have to raise some money to get started. An idea to raise the money is ask people to loan you money they are planning to spend on alcohol to allow you to start a business. if most people would divert their alcohol purchases to savings for business ventures we would create many new opportunities and reduce many problems arising out of alcohol drinking.

06-12-09 Lessons During A Recession
These are difficult times for all of us. We know of people who have lost jobs. There is more stress in our lives and uncertainty about the future. On a positive note we can learn from difficult times.This a good time to;

understand the importance of saving for tough times,
appreciate what you have and want for less,
watch how business are responding during a recession - advertisements are different, prices are reduced, customer appreciation programs are noticeable..
industries such as the automobile are trying to survive and are forced to make tough decisions,
government are expected to do more and help protect and create jobs,
people are talking more about things they should show more interest in - the economy, creating jobs, need for entrepreneurship and the need to work hard to keep jobs. You can learn a lot from the news, newspapers and online resources that will help you understand what is going on. If you can learn from this then you can play a role in avoiding it in the future.

04-14-09 Teachable Moments During Tough Times
It is difficult to find positive events in this world recession. It is a time we have to learn from to help us cope and prepare for the future. It is a time to learn from mistakes government and business have made. It is a good time to discuss what is going on rather then ignore it. If you have not been interested in politics or business, it is a very interesting time to lesson to government plans and read about what businesses are doing.

02/09/09 Kids-Business-Ideas
A young girl from the Ukraine has helped create this idea. She is very smart and keen to learn about business. She has inspired me to develop a new pro pram to try and create an opportunity for kids to share business ideas and engage people to help develop a business plan and get started in business. We are just getting started and you can find this program at www.teachingkidsbusiness.com/kids-business-ideas.htm. Give some thought to your business idea.

01/20/08 US President Obama
President Obama is an opportunity for all of us to rethink how politics should work. It is a time to challenge the old way of doing things and make necessary changes. This approach applies in business and every day life. Watch how it makes decisions and communicates his vision. He may not have the power to do what he wants but he has an approach we can all learn from.

12/10/08 Politics, business and the economy
As much as these are very troubling times for many people, it is an opportunity to observe and learn. Government and business people have made mistakes and are forced to take drastic steps to try and correct the recession. There are many conflicting views of what should be done. Should government get more involved in regulating businesses and should government loan money or give money in other ways to try and save jobs and possibly industries. Are businesses taking advantage of the opportunity of tough times to force the government to bail out their failing business. What are some jobs worth to us. Are we subsidizing jobs at a great cost and could the government money be better used in health care, education or creating jobs of the future.

10/27/08 Learning from the Financial Crises
This one of the best times to learn about business. Everyone is talking about the stock market, the economy, jobs and governments are taking action to add confidence in the economy. It is a good time to read the newspaper and watch financial news. You may not have been interested in what is going on around you but if you can begin to understand what is happening in the economy it will help you in the future. In addition to school this is great way to learn things that really matter to you!

09/06/08 Learning from the Olympics
Many people around the world have watched the olympics in 08/08. People support their countries and like to watch amazing performances. Very few people become olympic athletes but all of us should set goals to be the best we can given our abilities and resources available to us. If you try to be "like an Olympic athlete" and work hard to reach your goals - you will succeed in new ways. You should also learn from and be inspired from olympic athletes. Respect the drive they have to be the best they can.

Summary break

06/26/08 Business of Alternative Energy
The future of alternative energy, especially bio-fuels as a substitute for gasoline, is a topic you should explore. As you are becoming interested in business you can use this as an opportunity to begin to understand the many variables consider in this type of business. There is a demand for bio-fuel, the technology to make it is developing, car manufacturers need to produce cars that run on bio-fuels, gas stations will need to offer the fuel, the price will have to be attractive to consumers and government will have to make necessary regulations.

04/22/08 Business will change your daily priorities
Sorry for the long pause. I have been involved as a consultant in a very complicated business situation. Unfortunately, I have had to give up time for a lot of other things I would normally do. This is a lesson you can learn from as you get a job and responsibilities in a business, it will take time away from other important things. The key to succeeding in business is to what is necessary while the key to enjoyable life is to balance your work and other important things you like to do. If you can find a business you enjoy to work in then this balance is much easier.

03/23/08 Future Technologies - Germany
As you think about business and the opportunities for you in the future. Take a look at what Germany is doing in the evolving industry of alternative energy. As a country with no natural sources of energy (oil), Germany is investing and encouraging alternative technologies to generate electricity. You can learn from this by understanding future business opportunities and the idea of thinking about what the trends of the future will be.

02/28/08 Blu-ray Disc vs HD DVD

You are not old enough to remember the VHS vs Betamax technology market dominance case 20 years ago. This was the format movies were watched on before DVD technology. There was a choice of two types of machines people could buy and all kinds of complications for movie studios on which format to support. Sony learned their lessons from the failure of Betamax.They changed their business strategy for the Blu-ray technology to license the use to as many companies as possible to make friends to help their technology become the #1 of choice by movie studios and consumers. The lesson to learn is you can try and do it on your own like Sony did with Betamax or learn to work with others to help you succeed. Microsoft windows has been an exception to this rule.

02/04/08 Microsoft buying Yahoo
The fact that you are on this blog suggest you would like to learn about business. A great way to accomplish this is to begin to follow the business case of Microsoft announcing a hostile takeover of Yahoo. This might sound more like a new movie or view game but is is real life business at its best. This has all the great pieces for an interesting story about companies you know about and an industry you understand. You will be impacted by this business deal and you can learn from it in more ways then you can imagine. You will learn about the stock market, business growth strategies, competitive strategies, government relations, anti competitive issues, consumer protection, government lobbying and much more. To further explore this I am going to start a new section in our business cases at www.teachingkidsbusiness.com/business-case-studies.htm. This may be a good opportunity to ask us questions and work with us to explore this business case.

01/25/08 Online Video Games
Most kids have played a video game on a play station or Xbox. It is big business and you know why. Your generation has seen the rise of the video game business and dramatic changes in technology. The latest business model from Electronic Arts is free online games. This business decision is to generate revenue from advertising instead of game sales. This is an attempt to deal with the huge issue of pirated copies of games. This is an interesting case to think about - when you play a game - think about the issues of lost sales from illegal copies and the idea of advertising within games and as you enter gaming sites.

01/18/08 Music Program at TeachingKidBusiness.com
We just developed a program to connect with kids through music. To learn from music in new ways with new types of music. To get kids involved in writing, composing, performing and producing music. A lot can be learned and you can grow in new ways. Use your love of music to work on a project to learn an enjoyable way. Be part of a new wave in music. See our music program to get started.

01/12/08 Video Game Controversy
We have all played video games and realize videos are a big business. Once something becomes a huge business success it is common to challenge if it good for people. Selling lots of games does not necessary mean they are good for kids. One interesting issue with video games is the fact that they teach kids skills that are not necessarily good skills for every day life and success in business. Many games teach and reward "fight and flight" verses teaching you how to consider reasoning. Should kids really be taught to fight and run when put in difficult situation? Like anything you try as a kid - don't take it to seriously if it is a game - play it for fun and don't let it change you as a person.

12/17/04 Learn to manage problems
Your success in business will be related on your ability to mange situations or problems. You will need to learn to deal with things, to step back and think and come up with a solution rather then adding to the problem. This is a skill and it is something you should work on now. The next time you are faced with a problem - stop and say if this is the biggest problem I have today then I am fortunate. Many people are without food so your problems may not be so bad if you think about it. Once you have given thought to the problem and not over reacted of made the situation worse - you can now try and find a solution. Every body wants to hire people who can provide solutions and not someone who is going to make matters worse.

12/04/07 Pay Phones phasing out
A pay phone was what people used to make phone calls while away from their homes or business. Pay phones were often mounted within a telephone booth for privacy and protection from weather. Many of you probably have not used a pay phone as cell phones are so widely used now. The pay phone was invented in 1878. In the US there were 2.6 million pay phones in 1998 and the numbers have been falling yearly. The business lesson is that products will often become replaced by new technologies. Businesses have to advance their products to keep them competitive with new products. As soon as you have the great new product - someone is trying to replace it with something better. Another example of this is the typewriter that was replaced be computers.

11/27/07 Conform in your daily life and in business
We are all expected to act a certain way in school, follow rules, and often do things to fit in with friends. This is what conform means - keep to rules or general custom. Businesses tend to expect the same from people who work for them. There are exceptional companies who try and let you be the person you are but the customers may expect something and therefore you may have to act a certain way to keep customers happy. My point is - you learn to conform at an early age - you may rebel rules and customs but at some point you will have to learn to conform to some extent to keep a job.

11/14/07 Kids Sell Products in Advertisements
It should be no surprise to you to see a trend of kids pitching products in advertisements. You have a big influence on things your parents buy. In many cases you take the time to do the research on purchases and therefore add a lot of input to what should be purchased. This trend also means that you are more aware of businesses selling to your household. Your awareness develops an understanding and knowledge of these businesses. You are doing more business then you realize and you are more knowledgeable about business then you might think. Use these experiences to relate yourself to these businesses. You may find things that interest you in business and future opportunities.

11/13/07 Thinking of and writing a business proposal
I had a question from a teacher wondering if a grade 4 or 5 students can write a business proposal without having business experience. I encourage every student at an early age to think about a business that interests them and write down your ideas. This is a very important project to help kids develop as entrepreneurs and to discover things that interest them beyond movies and video games. Once you start thinking about something, you will be amazed at where you can take and idea. Every great invention and entrepreneurial success started with an idea.

11/05/07 Don't be late - a great life skill and business skill
Being late is an attitude. If you don't care about something then you will not be there on time for it. This is the message being late sends to other people. Yes, there are lots of reasons for being late - someone else's fault. Once you agree that it is important to be on time then you will think of how you will succeed. This simple change of attitude can truly change the stresses in your life. If you plan properly, you can arrive on time and get things done in advance of due days and be more relaxed. How often are you late for your favorite TV program? How does this happen?

11/05/07 Learning business skills from cooking at home
One easy way to learn some important business skills to take charge of preparing some meals at home. Firstly you learn to take responsibility from start to finish for a project - the meal. You can learn planning skills by determining what you will need to prepare the meal, budget the costs, purchase the food and organize what need to be done to deliver the meal on time. You can also develop management skills by supervising other people to help you prepare the meal. This may seem a little silly but you will be surprised by what you learn about yourself and the types of skills you can learn.

10/23/07 Apple Inc. Stock - Lessons in business
We are all aware of Apple Inc. the electronics company. As you and friends enjoy the technology, step back understand why they are successful. Apple innovated with new products, new technologies and continued to build on their success. They diversified from Mac computers to iPods to iPhones. The lesson to learn is that in business you must continue to improve your product and service offering. If you stand still and do what you have been doing for years, you will probably be run out of business by aggressive competitors. This advice can be applied to your own personal development. You should thrive to constantly improve yourself - education, experiences and character. You need to adapt to your competition globally.

10/02/07 Haggle to learn about business
The term haggle means to negotiate - argue about price or terms with settling a bargain. Statistics show that 60% of people haggle and about 90% are successful. You usually need to ask for a better price or service to receive it. To haggle effectively is a skill and something everyone should learn in business. You have haggling skills as you negotiate TV time and and many others things you want from your parents. Try and further develop these skills and apply to them to buying things. Ask the sales person - "Can you give me a better price." "This is list price - can you do better." "Will you price guarantee this - if I find a lower price you will give me the difference - and put this in writing." Have some fun with haggling at home and work on your skills when you buy things.

09/17/07 Learning with video
We are developing more video programming for our site at www.teachingkidsbusiness.com/video-channel.htm. This will hopefully help you explore business.

09/04/07 Back to school
You know how the start of a new school year also is the start of new tv programs and many other distractions. You have hopefully heard about the balance of life issues most people face. At your age you face balancing issues - balancing your time for success in school/life and entertainment time. Think of the things you plan to do in terms of "what does this do for me." Ask yourself "How do I benefit from the things I do." If you plan your time to your benefit then you are doing the right things. You need to do a balance of things - learning and having fun. If you can make learning fun then your balancing will be easier as you will choose more time for learning and developing yourself.

08/14/07 Back to school 2007/2008
If you have not returned to school for your 07/08 year, you will shortly. Try a new approach to school this year by setting some goals for your in class and out of class learning. Set goals on things such as working with people better, improving your reading and writing skills and improving the way you think and explain yourself. Think of school as a place with many opportunities to learn beyond what the teachers and curriculum teach you. Learn from the your good and bad experiences and from reactions of others. Learn to think about things by challenging yourself beyond what is presented to you (take it to the next level). Get engaged in learning to improve yourself and prepare yourself for a successful future. Make the most of your time in school and use education to your advantage - learn to succeed in the education system.

08/03/07
Business success of J.K Rowling
The success of the Harry Potter series of books is a great lesson in business. The idea for the book came to her during a train ride and within 4 hours she imagined many of the characters and the look of Hogwarts. J.K Rowlings wrote the first book while she was unemployed and she was rejected by 12 publishers. This business story shows ideas can be put in action and have great success. J.K. Rowling became a very successful author and has made a great impact on many kids.

07/24/07
Harry Potter book business
As I read the last Harry Potter book, I can't help but notice the business story unfolding.The Deathly Hollows is setting sales records and we can all learn a little from this. The product great but the hype or marketing is hard to match in the book business. There was so much press before the launch of the book, many launch events at retailers and the many security precautions to protect early circulation. Enjoy the book and learn from the promotional programs behind it and the build up to the movie launch. This book shows the book business at its finest.

07/18/07
There are successful kids in business
It usually takes success stories for people to believe things are possible. I know there are lots of examples of kids in business and there are a few stories that attract the interest of the media. One story that is good for kids to read, is about Leanna Archer of www.leannashair.com. Leanna has developed a business from a product developed in her family and is using her story to help other kids believe that they too can start a business. Congratulations to Leanna and the many other kids who are discovering business and realizing kids can do business.

07/17/07
People will take you seriously!
I have heard kids say that people will not take them seriously because they are a kid. I don't accept this approach towards kids and I don't believe kids should believe it. If you are taught to present yourself properly and you believe in yourself - you will be taken seriously. You have to challenge people to listen to you and give you opportunities that may not normally give to kids. Be an exception and prove people wrong - kids are very capable and able to learn when they are given opportunities and taken seriously. I have learned lots from kids and any adult can learn from kids.

07/03/07
What will attract you to business.
Business can be interesting, fun, competitive and challenging in many ways. You don't need to wait for a movie, song, game or toy to get you interested in business. Business has all the things you are looking for - you have to find the right business to explore and play around with. Many kids start a business or develop skills for a job in a business from things that interest them - collecting cards, creating art, writing, designing websites, cooking, drawing etc. Your interests do not have to become businesses. This may be a way to do something you like to do with a additional goal of learning about and gaining business experience from an interest. There are many other simple ways to gain business experience - sell some of your old toys to learn about selling.

06/21/07
Business of Obesity
The nature of many businesses is to give kids what they want or to blame consumers for wanting things that are not healthy. The problem of obesity (over weight) children is jointly the problem of businesses providing unhealthy products and consumers buying these products. If consumer were educated on the proper things to eat, there would be no market for these products. Businesses would not produce and market products like Fruit-Loops and Pop-Tarts if kids and parents knew these products were not healthy choices for breakfast. Kids have to learn to understand that commercials and cartoons selling these types of products are not to be taken seriously - look at them as entertainment but not something you should buy. Ask yourself if the product is good for you. It may look good on TV and they say it tastes good. Tasting good and being good for you are important differences. Do some research before you buy and understand what is good for you and learn to like what is good for you rather then what tastes good or has good commercials.

06/12/07
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World' s End
The movie is doing very well at the box office - it has been a great business success. One thing you may have not noticed in the movie is the business of the seas. The East India Trading Company is a business that is trying to eliminate pirates to prevent their goods from being stolen from ships at sea. The Admiral is like a company President who hires people like Davey Jones to protect his shipments. I know the movie is not being watched to learn about business but once you are aware of this part of the plot - you can learn about business - the pirates way.

06/06/07
Business Planning
One of the most important steps to take in starting any business to set out a plan. This applies to any business and is great thing to experience. You can learn more about a business by planning it. The proper planning process will take you through many questions that need to be resolved to succeed in your business. There is a old expression - you get out of it what you put in. If you take the time to plan properly you and your business will benefit in many ways.
Another thing to consider is that planning is like playing or practicing. Planning lets you play around with ideas and try them on paper or in a practice situation. You can also test your ideas by acting out parts of your plan. Give it a try as a new game.

05/29/07
Preparing for business through sports
You probably play sports for fun, exercise, passion and possibly the dream of becoming a professional. As you play sports you have noticed how your team mates perform. You should notice things beyond good and bad offense and defense. The way people perform in sports will teach you how they will respond in business. Learn; what playing as a team really means - how to act in the best interest of the team and not yourself - how well someone can be coached - different coaching skills - performing under pressure - handling winning and losing and the way people respond to situations they face. Sports will help you learn way to respond to situations, how to work with others and to be managed by someone other then your teacher or parents.

05/22/07
How to get kids started in business.
I get this question often and the answer is simple. Get kids thinking about business - not just running a business or being an entrepreneur but thinking about businesses they see every day. Once kids start noticing businesses beyond what do they sell - and start thinking about; what this business does, how well do they do it, is it interesting, would I like to do these kind of jobs - then kids are started in business - in preparing to notice and understand business. Once you take an interest in something - you begin to learn about it; by thinking, researching and experiencing it in new ways. Going into business and getting a job isn't as hard as most think - it is preparing yourself for the right business and job that is the bigger challenge. If you are well prepared - the doing is easy.

05/09/07
Constructive criticism or feedback
In business, it is important to lean to give people feedback for them to improve in their job and as a person in business and their community. You should work on the skill of giving feedback to people. If you care about someone or you need someone on your team to improve, then you have a responsibility to help them by giving them feedback - good and bad. It is often hard to tell someone they made a mistake, should not act a certain way or need to improve the way they do something. If you care and are sincere in helping someone - they will receive your message well. Remember, this is a skill that you have to work on. If you treat feedback as a skill and try different approaches to see what works - you will develop effective ways to give feedback. The important thing to learn is that all people are different and they will not respond the same way to one approach to giving feedback.

05/04/07
Product Innovation in Cell Phones
One of the most explosive industries is the cell phone business- the manufacturing of cell phones and the network service providers. Watch how the design and functions are changing in cell phones and services. Consumer trends in fashion and the ways phone are being used in daily lives is creating new demands. It was not long ago that cell phones were new product. Take some time and look at the history of cell phones - research prices on services and cell phones and how the functions on cell phones have improved.

04/17/07
Resume Program - just think about it.
We have made improvements to our resume form and expanded it into a resume program with helpful tips. The point of our resume program is help you start thinking about a resume. This is something you can start to explore at any age and it will grow with you and into a helpful tool to help you prepare for jobs and get a job. As a kid, you have education, skills, experience and interests - you have all the components for a resume - what is stopping you from developing your first "My Resume". Check it out at www.teachingkidsbusiness.com/resume-program.htm

04/10/07
Pet Food Recall North America
The case of the tainted pet food in North America is a very unfortunate situation that we can learn from. In business, there are risks and responsibly. Products and services can put people and pets at risk as in the latest pet food problem which has effected millions of pets and killed thousands. Businesses have the responsibility of ensuring their product is safe. The procedures they take to make a product must have quality control reviews to ensure all things going into and touching product is safe. This is a very complicated responsibility for businesses as there are many things that can go wrong and many people who have to follow rules. We can relate quality control rules to washing your hands before eating or putting your hands in your eyes or mouth. This is a quality control rule you should take 100% of the time and I'm sure you have made mistakes - while in business these kinds of mistakes can be very risky.

04/04/07
NCAA Basketball teaches important business skills
I watched the NCAA men's basketball championship and was impressed with the pre-game talk by Florida Coach, Billy Donovan. He told the players that they should be playing for the players next to them. His message was, if you play as a team you will succeed. The team strategy works in sports and is an important skill to develop for business. Like sports teams, businesses have a team of people working together to succeed. You need to learn how to work with the strengths of others and to minimize your weaknesses with the strengths of others.

03/29/07
American Idol Provides Lessons in Business
The TV program of American Idol and the many other Idol shows around the world show you many business principles. The best product is important but it does not always sell the best - the packaging, image, advertising, word of mouth and many other factors determine success. In Idol shows, the best singer may not always win - looks, dance moves and personality are important factors that sell the person as a product - the product of of what people want to hear and see on the program. In business you should thrive to have a great product but you should also thrive to do the best job in marketing it.

03/22/07
Balance in Life
Hopefully you have heard this term as it is becoming more of a concern to everyone. People who work are trying to balance work demands, family, friends, fitness, community and other interests. We all know there are only 24 hours a day and seven days a week to do all the things we need to do and want to do. My point is that you need to balance all of your activities - set your priorities and schedule your time to accomplish what you need to accomplish with some time for things you like to do. I have found that there is often time for things but it is a matter of priorities. One extreme but effective tip is to take a period of a week and record what you do an how much time you spend on it. Review it daily and at the end of the week. Summary your time spent and it you will find opportunities to make changes and set your priorities. Allocate time and but deadlines on activities to help you move on the next activity.
Time management tips.

03/07/07
Get it in writing.
This is a term you may of heard - usually when a commitment is made to you that is too good to believe. Unfortunately, in business written agreements are essential - there are people that don't keep their word - there are people who say things to get you to buy and then they will not stand by what they committed to- they will only do what has been put in writing. I think this concept is important to you and anyone who makes commitments or receives commitments. I have developed several resources to explain this further. A business case of personal experience of why you should put things in writing and a get it writing program in our business encounters.
Business Case
Get it in writing program

03/19/07
Business Cases as a great way to learn about business.
Cases are examples of real life experiences - you experience things as if you were involved in the real situation. We have prepared cases in our www.teachingkidsbusiness.com/business-case-studies.htm. We are working on a new program to take business cases on well known companies and make them available to kids. Beyond our cases - think of situations you are exposed to and learn from these experiences. Example, if you, a friend or family member had a bad customer experience - learn from it - how it should have been handled differently.

03/01/07
Stock market effects us all
Hopefully you have heard some of the news on the drop in the Dow Jones of the New York stock exchange and other stock exchanges around the world. If you haven't take some time and read and/or ask questions. Understand what is happening and how it effects you and others. If you take some time to begin to understand how and why the market reacts the way it does - you will learn a lot about business. You will also start to understand how major drops in the stock markets can lead to lack of investor and consumer confidence which can lead to lost jobs and difficult times for business - this can effect all of us in a number of ways. This also effects all kids around the world in similar ways.

03/01/07
Lucky Break
Yes there are times when people get a lucky break - for example American Idol. Some times there is luck in getting noticed for something you are good at but usually you have to work hard at something to get noticed. American Idol contestants are lucky to move on to each round but they also have talent and desire to sing and perform. It is safe to say talent will only take you so far - luck will help - but working hard will usually be the deciding factor.

02/26/07
Surrounding yourself with good people.
This is very common expression in business - for a business to be successful, it needs to have good people. A good team of people provide the depth of skills and other influences to get the job done. As a kid, your life is enhanced by the people you surround yourself with. If your best friends are good kids who don't ge in a lot of trouble, then you are less likely to get in a lot of trouble. This thinking also applies to a sports team - if the quarterback on a football team surrounds is surrounded with a great offensive line and good runners and receivers then the quarterback has a better chance of succeeding.

02/23/07
Get it in writing
You may wonder why this is something you think about. Unfortunately it is important in business and your daily life. You have surely got into a situation when it is your word against someone else's word. It happens and it will always happen. The problem is that it may happen in a situation that is costly to you. The best way to deal with this is consider putting your commitments and the commitments you receive from others in writing. If and when there is a a disagreement in the future - pull out the piece of paper and say this was the committee!

02/21/07
Newspaper Headlines - Youth behavior getting worse.
It is no surprise to everyone that youth in general are exposed to so much stuff that sends mixed signals on how to be noticed, how to behave and what is acceptable. Role models such as Britney Spears are leading people in the wrong direction. It is hard for our business programming to compete with the media attention of Britney and Paris and the huge business of star media. The fact that you are reading this gives hope that you will consider the positive influences of learning about business and developing yourself in new ways with skills that will help you be a better person - chances are you wouldn't be the next Britney or Justin but you will have to work in a business someday. Consider the next google search on something in business that might interest you instead of the latest star hype.

02/14/07
On time in daily life and business
This is one of the most important skills you can learn that will help you succeed. I'm a person who never likes to be late - I want to be early so I can gather my thoughts and prepare for whatever I'm facing. A more common approach is those who are "running behind or always late." People that are late are often stressed and scattered and often do crazy things to get somewhere when they are late. My best advice is to learn to be early. We have created a resource to help you at "Don't Be Late"

02/03/07
When Should You Get A Job
Jobs are usually about making money and learning about responsibility. What if you thought of a job as an opportunity to gain experience which would lead to good paying jobs in the future. Many kids can't get jobs out of their homes for a lot of good reasons. We need to create job like situations for kids to get experience and learn the responsibility of a job. You can do this at home with your parents by creating jobs at home. You could create your own job and work on it. You could create a resume of job experiences you have created. I have created two programs that should help you at www.teachingkidsbusiness.com/jobs-for-kids.htm and a job for every kid on our YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFnr4-nBF7U

01/26/07
Teen Business Trend
I just read an article that suggests the latest trend for teens is to start your own business. This seems to be the new social currency vs clothes or sport. I like to think, interest in business is a new trend and one that will define teens in new ways and more importantly give teens a better chance of succeeding in business and life. No matter what age you are this should help you realize that it is acceptable to think about business and start playing around with business. http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2007/01/teen_business_trend_less_good.html

01/18/07
Discovering yourself and preparing for your future
A big part of preparing for business is to eventually discover what you like to do, what you are good at and how you can make a living doing it (make money from something you like to do and are good at doing it). Many people will give you advice on what you should do with your life. The best advice I can give you is listen to all the possibilities and be honest with yourself to determine if they make sense for you. Explore many options and think about a good fit for you. One program that should help you is at www.teachingkidsbusiness.com/resource-center-whats-your-thing.htm . This should help you start thinking about what makes sense for you - to explore things you have interest in and are good at.

01/15/07
Business and the Environment
I watched the movie, Inconvenient Truth and think it is an important business topic to discuss. Business plays an important role in our lives by creating jobs, providing products and services and hopefully acting in a responsible way to make the world a better place. As you learn more about business you will realize that business decisions have a consequence or impact on peoples lives - the environment. Our http://wwww.teachingkidsbusiness.com/business-basics-responsibility-environment.htm talks about this further.
My point is that as you learn about business and choose your career, keep in mind the responsibility we all have to the earth - to the environment. The movie, Inconvenient Truth, explains the disturbing trend that we and business are creating. Take the time to educate yourself on this issue and do your part to impact decisions that will protect the earth. The movie is the not the most exciting movie to watch but it could be one of the best ways to understand this issue.

01/13/07
Business of sports - Beckham
I'm sure you have heard that David Beckham is coming to soccer in North America. Once the wave of publicity settles, look at the business side of this transaction or business deal. Beckham provides interest in the team and sport and adds huge value to the team on and off of the field. When you watch or read about this story give some thought to the business side of the sport. Sports is big business and you can learn a lot about business through sports. A winning team, leaders, high performers, stars, good coaching, training, marketing, strategy, planning, promotions and much more apply to sports and all businesses. In business, many companies try and take a sports team kind of approach to teach people how to work together as a successful team. People are very familiar with winning sports teams so this a simple way to help people learn about business skills and winning strategies.
As you play sports think about learning about working with others to succeed as a group. Use the strengths of each team member to help you perform better.

01/09/07
Watch and Learn about Business
You have probably heard the expression "watch and learn". This applies to business as well as sports, music and any other skill you learn. You probably learned to walk from watching and trying. You can learn a lot about business from just watching what is happing around you when you see a business. I am assuming you want to learn and you want to develop yourself to be the best you can. An easy way to learn is to watch - to watch and learn. The next time you go shopping or buy something - think about; all the choices you have, what the workers are doing, why you (mom,dad or friend )are buying this product , how is the product made, why does it look the way it does ... Think about all the steps involved in getting this product to you. All of these questions will help you understand business and more importantly what interests you in business.

01/03/07
Kids In Business
I had a recent e-mail from a 12 year old in the UK who is starting a business to help kids learn about business, develop skills and prepare for their future - great idea as this is what I am doing. He has a very interesting approach as he is mixing audio tracks with music to make the information tapes a cool experience. I am hoping to work a project with him, to test the product on my www.teachingkidsbusiness.com website.

12/31/06
New Years Resolutions - set a plan for yourself next year.
Hey, we all hear about resolutions at this time of year. It is good time to think of a few things that you can work on in the coming year. It is good to have goals and to take action steps to make them happen. In business we call this a business plan to help a business stay focused on things it needs to do to succeed. You can use the same approach to help you improve over the next year and many more years to come. Any time is a good time to take a look at yourself and make improvements - such as learning to listen, respect people, manage your time better, exercise, research career opportunities and think about a business idea.

12/19/06
Gift Giving and Business
This is a good time of the year to think about the business of giving. We are all aware of the commercial side of giving gifts as we see so many advertisements on gift ideas - we know that gift giving is a big business. We should look at another side of gift giving or other ways to give gifts to people. Some ideas are as simple as a smile, a compliment, encouragement, acceptance, understanding or can be money for a charity. In business many companies give money to charities to support a cause they believe in, is of interest to its customers or improves the community the business is located in. The leading companies will allocate a % or part of their profits to charity. This is good philosophy that you can use as you consider about your gift giving.

12/11/06
MeInc.tv. connecting Kids with Business
I am developing a concept called MeInc.tv which will help kids think of themselves as a little business. By learning about business you will learn about yourself and develop yourself better. If you are aware of steps you need to take, you are more likely to put a plan in place and succeed in life and business. Business and life use many of the same skills and approaches to success. www.meinc.tv

12/07/06
People in your life greatly effect your future.
This is the day my dad was born and a day I reflect on his impact on my life. Dad was a hard working self-employed person. His businesses gave me insight into business at an early age and helped shape my desire to be self-employed. I worked at odd jobs at an early age and have evolved to create the social venture of TeachingKidsBusiness.com. I have written a program on entrepreneurship which explains the type of person who becomes an entrepreneur but I recognize from my own experience that it is the need to be independent and to control your own destiny. I also think entrepreneurship has to allot to do with the ability to manage things by yourself - able to get it done yourself - you are the driver - the one that makes it work - lots of energy and passion to get things done - self motivated. If you are the type of person that is not motivated to do things then don't consider self-employment or entrepreneurship.

12/05/06
Kids Online Digit Information Product
We just launched our KODIP video on YouTube.com and MySpace.com. This is something to take a look at as it will give you a good business experience. The experience starts with creating an information product and can evolve to the launching of the product and a business in www.kidse-marketplace.com. The key lesson in this activity is to learn from developing a product. The key to any business is the product and services offered. Once you have experience in developing your own product, you are to begin the process of understanding the many business activities involved in marketing a product.

12/01/06
Should Kids Be Given An Allowance?
I have heard many arguments to this debate and there is no right or wrong view. I think the important lesson that kids should be taught is the value of money - how difficult it is to earn and to use it wisely!!! If allowance is the way to accomplish this then it is a good thing. Giving kids money for doing nothing is not a good thing. Giving kids money to waste is not a good thing. Teaching kids to work hard at school and around the house is a life skill they need to learn - they should not have to be paid to do things such as house chores and school work. We are developing an allowance program to help provide more ideas.

I did not pay my kids allowance but I expected them to keep their rooms organized, help around the house when asked and work hard at school. I think the understanding of expectations and developing respect for each other and the things we have is most important. I realize the importance of understanding how to manage money and that many use allowance to help kids learn this lesson. It can work and if managed properly will work. I think this topic deserves more attention and I will develop a section in our web site at www.teachingkidbusiness.com/allowance.htm

11/28/06
Understand Customer Service To Learn About Business
I am constantly amazed at the poor level of customer service at retail stores and businesses in general. The good ones really stand out and you can learn a lot about business from observing great customer service. Learn from your good and bad customer service experiences. Don't be afraid to push your case a little harder to demand better service. If you are loyal or good customer you should expect superior customer service.

11/21/06
Fundraising By Kids
I had an interesting call and request today - to provide assistance in structuring an initiative for kids to fund raise to help other kids in need. This is great to see and I'm going to work with this group to help them and to try and create a program to help other kids do the same. We have some information to get it started at www.teachingkidsbusiness.com/Fundraising .htm. The concept we will develop is"kids helping kids".

11/14/06
Business Scandals - will it ever change.

You may have heard of the Enron accounting scandal in which the company created false (lies) transactions to inflate their revenues and make the company look like it was doing much better then it actually was. Another big scandal is the backdating of stock options. Stock options are the right to buy shares (ownership in a company) at a set price. The plan is for the employee to contribute to the company in a way in which the companies business improves (more sales more profit) so that the stock value (what the company can be sold for) will increase. The stock options will be worth more as the company is worth more and the person who holds the options will make money. Problem arises when the company changes the date on the issuing of the options - backdating - changing the date to when the stocks were worth less therefore when they are sold the difference would be greater and the money made would be greater. Example: January 01 the stock price was $10.00. Options were granted at $15.00. April 15 stock trading at $15.00. August 01 - stock trading at $17.00. October 07 the stock options were backdated to January 01 - (granted means the right was given to the employee to buy stock at a set price). By backdating the options to January 01 the shares would be "in the money options" and worth $5.00 a share more by changing the date.

All of this said - can this be changed in the future? At some time in the future kids will be running companies and making decisions that are right or wrong (lies). If you learn to grow up doing the right things and developing good character, then companies will be in much better control then they are now. The lesson to test yourself on is will you do anything for money - will you compromise your character for money. Will you do the right thing for the company you work for instead of telling lies and running the risk of going to jail for extra money?

Link to character tips in our resource center at www.teachingkidsbusiness.com/resourcecenter .htm and business basics at www.teachingkidsbusiness.com/business-basics.htm

1/08/06
The Kids' Guide To Business - book
Blog search engine registration - this should help get the word out. Google has a blog search engine that you ping after you update your blog. I would like to develop some talk about my book, The Kids' Guide To Business. I think the book will help many kids, parents and educators talk about business and prepare for working in business.

My definition of kids = all categories of teen, tweens, pre-teens = everyone going to school is a kid.

11/06/06
YouTube.com/teachingkidsbusiness channel

I am trying to bring a little life to our site with some videos and the opportunity for kids and others to provide video content for our site and our YouTube.com channel. www.www.youtube.com/teachingkidsbusiness

11/01/06
Launch of Kids Business Blog - www.kidsbusinessblog.com

Blogs are a good way to talk about things in a fast and simple way. I think it should be a good way to talk about business.

We are working on a YouTube.com channel at www.youtube.com/teachingkidsbusiness. This should be a good way to get you started in finding out more about business.

Thought of the day:

Give some thought to what is going on around you in terms of business. What are people doing, how well are they doing it, could you do it and could you do it better.