Better than a lemonade stand

Daryl Bernstein, 1976-

Book - 2012

Offers simple and creative ideas for how children can start a business with little or no start-up costs, attract and retain customers, and develop negotiating skills.

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Subjects
Published
New York : Hillsboro, Or. : Aladdin ; Beyond Words c2012.
Language
English
Main Author
Daryl Bernstein, 1976- (-)
Edition
1st Simon Pulse/Beyond Words ed
Item Description
"New Edition"--Pref.
Rev. ed. of: Better than a lemonade stand! : small business ideas for kids. c1992.
Physical Description
xxxiv, 190 p. : ill. ; 24 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN
9781582703602
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Gr. 4-8. Fifteen-year-old entrepreneur Bernstein provides kids with ideas for starting 51 different small businesses. Although he begins with a disclaimer (regarding safety, financial risk, child labor laws, local ordinances, and taxes), his overall tone is upbeat. He offers general advice on choosing a business, start-up costs, billing, and customer relations. For each enterprise, he explains the undertaking, indicates the needed time and supplies, suggests pricing and advertising strategies, and gives helpful hints for success. He describes a wide range of occupations--from button maker to garbage can mover to photographer--requiring varying skill levels. Both service and product ventures are included. Husberg's black-line cartoons add humor to the text and help make the format inviting. Not all the activities will appeal to everyone (it seems hard to imagine anyone would pay a monthly fee for a daily wake-up call), but Bernstein's work has more than enough substance to justify purchasing what will undoubtedly be a popular title. ~--Kay Weisman

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 7 Up-The majority of the jobs in this second edition are the same as those in the 1992 book, with the exception of a handful that are technology based. These include online advisor, online seller, website designer, and document preparer. The text is upbeat and has a wide range of business suggestions, 55 to be exact, along with a dozen or so side panels of case studies, including the author, who was 15 when he wrote the first edition. About two pages are devoted to each endeavor, including a paragraph on supplies, advertising, etc. Some seem unrealistic. For example, "Gift Basket Maker" suggests shipping the product "anywhere in the world." Given shipping costs, it is hard to imagine a teen establishing a viable gift-basket business. "Grocery Deliverer" suggests that one "estimate the cost of each product" upon getting the shopping list, so as to collect the money upfront. There are some great ideas, but overall this title misses the mark.-Meredith Toumayan, The Langley-Adams Library, Groveland, MA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

When Bernstein was fifteen, he wrote the first edition of this book based on his own experience as a young entrepreneur. Now, twenty years later, he's updated the package to incorporate contemporary technology and cautions. Fifty-five business ideas are presented with suggestions and tips on supplies, pricing, advertising, and more. One-page profiles introduce actual "kid entrepreneurs" and their ventures. Websites. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

An entrepreneur from an early age, Bernstein offers clear and practical advice for young people wanting to raise some extra cash or begin their own entrepreneurial careers. Bernstein wrote this guide in 1992 when he was 15. Now updated with information on Internet-based jobs and using social media, the volume is attractive in its spacious design and cartoon illustrations, a format that makes it eminently accessible to young readers. Open anywhere and begin browsing to find ideas for jobs: babysitting broker, curb-address painter, face painter, house checker, newspaper mover, snow shoveler and jewelry maker. Fifty-five short chapters, each on a different business idea, suggest a world of options for kids, many of whom are too young to apply for jobs at restaurants, car washes and the like. Here they will learn how to create their own jobs according to their own interests and enthusiasms, and besides making money, they will learn to take responsibility for their finances. Each section includes such advice as what to charge, what types of supplies are needed, how to advertise and other helpful hints. The writing is clear and matter-of-fact, and the backmatter includes further guidance on online fundraising, child-labor laws and social-media resources. A handy reference for libraries and parents to have on hand when children start needing extra money in their pockets. (Nonfiction. 9 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Better Than a Lemonade Stand!: Small Business Ideas for Kids By Daryl Bernstein Aladdin/Beyond Words ISBN: 9781582703602 1 Babysitting Broker While your sitters take care of kids, you'll take care of business! You arrange babysitting services for parents in your neighborhood. You act as a babysitting broker by hiring other kids to babysit. SUPPLIES You will need a phone or computer and advertising. TIME NEEDED To start up, you need to find a few responsible babysitters who have good references, and you need to find some parents looking for reliable babysitting services. When you are ready to start, allow time to communicate with parents seeking babysitters, contact other kids to babysit, check on babysitters while they are working, and follow up with parents to make sure they are satisfied. You may have to babysit when one of your babysitters gets sick or doesn't show up at the scheduled time. Make yourself available on babysitting nights for such occurrences. WHAT TO CHARGE Bill the parents $12 per hour. Pay the babysitter $10 per hour. You make $2 per hour. That may not sound like a lot, but if the babysitter works for three hours, you make $6. If you have five babysitters working one evening, you make $30 and don't even leave your house! HOW TO ADVERTISE As soon as you have parents who are using your service, ask them for a quote about your business to include in your advertising. Ask neighborhood coffee shops, grocery stores, and libraries if you can post flyers or business cards on their community bulletin boards. Advertise in your school's, club's, team's, and community or religious center's newsletters. Talk about your business on your website and by commenting in other people's online discussions. Explain that a reliable, friendly babysitter will be available on the night parents request. Emphasize that parents should contact you at least three days before the requested time to arrange for a sitter, and mention that you take calls and answer emails only in the evening, because you attend school. Don't forget to tell your friends' parents in person when you go over to their house. HINTS You might consider offering higher "last-minute" prices for people who have sudden need for a babysitter and can't give advance notice. Tell older kids in your area that you would like to find them babysitting work. If they want to participate, have them write their name, address, phone number, and email address on a list. Be sure to pick responsible kids. Find kids who will show up for work and be kind and attentive to young children. Create and sign a detailed agreement with your sitters. Also create and sign a detailed agreement with your parent clients, especially noting what they need to pay if they cancel at the last minute. When parents call you, write down the date and time the sitter is needed, the address of the house, and the ages of the children. Call a babysitter on your list and convey the necessary information. Notify the parents to tell them the name of, and something about, the babysitter you have scheduled. On the day of the appointment, call the babysitter to be sure that person doesn't forget! Remind babysitters to note the number of hours they babysit but not to collect any money. You will bill parents and pay the babysitter. To be successful in this business, you must please parents. Follow up babysitting sessions with a phone call or email. This business requires paperwork and phone calls, but you can make money without leaving your home. INSPIRATION FROM KID ENTREPRENEURS JUST LIKE YOU! NAME: Farrhad Acidwalla TITLE: entrepreneur, CEO AGE: 17 WHERE: India WHAT: Farrhad is all things PR, founding and running Rockstah Media, which helps corporations strengthen their online and offline presence. HOW: From $10 borrowed from his parents four years ago to now, Farrhad has become an internet mogul, buying, developing, and then selling for a profit several websites. With these as stepping stones to ever bigger success, Farrhad founded Rockstah. And he still finds time to study, as a student at H. R. College of Commerce & Economics. FUN FACT: Rockstah Media's one goal, according to its website: "Creating Awesomeness." Awesome. RESOURCE: www.rockstahmedia.com Text copyright © 1992, 2012 by Daryl Bernstein Illustrations copyright © 1992, 2012 by Beyond Words Publishing, Inc., and Daryl Bernstein Excerpted from Better Than a Lemonade Stand!: Small Business Ideas for Kids by Daryl Bernstein All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher. Excerpted from Better Than a Lemonade Stand!: Small Business Ideas for Kids by Daryl Bernstein All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.