Raising Cash Smart Kids

Eight-year-old Nzinga Ajamu has her very own jewelry-making business.

“I discovered my passion for making jewelry during my jewelry-making class in school,” she told the Daily News in Memphis, referring to a cultural arts curriculum course she took last year. “I enjoyed making jewelry so much that I asked my parents to buy beads for me so I could make more jewelry. Also, I made a necklace, bracelet and ponytail holder to wear to school. … When I would go places people would compliment me on my jewelry and they would say, ‘Where’d you get that jewelry?’ and I’d say, ‘I made it,’ and they could not believe that I made it.”

Nzinga’s creations were so attractive that people asked her to make jewellery for them as well, and before long she has a thriving business.

Nzinga comes up with the designs for the jewelry – sometimes, she said, the ideas come at night while she sleeps. She also sets her own prices and keeps up with all the orders.

“It’s her company and she handles everything herself,” Veda said. “And we do everything we can to keep it that way.”

But school always comes first, Nzinga’s mother, Veda, told the Daily News.

Education, Nzinga’s parents are teaching her, is the foundation to achieving the high goals the girl has set for herself. Nzinga doesn’t see Queen Nzinga’s Creations as just a fly-by-night business. This is just the beginning for what she hopes to achieve as a “grown-up.”

Already, Nzinga is envisioning having her own retail space to run her business, and developing a broader market and a larger production capability.

Meanwhile, she markets her creations through her website, www.nzingascreations.com.

Alexa Kitchen became the world’s youngest professional cartoonist at the age of five. Alexa Kitchen, age 8, promoting her book Drawing Comics Is Easy (Except When It’s Hard), Alexa Kitchen cartoons, Alexa Kitchen photos.

Molin Upper Elementary School Principal Dave Archambault asked faculty and the business community a simple question: “What happens when you inspire more than 75 fifth-grade students to create an invention or new business idea?”

On Friday, Archambault was pleased with the answer.

“This is great — we have a lot of great ideas,” Archambault said.

From eyeglasses fitted with windshield wipers to clear one’s view in a rainstorm to a “sweet flavored gum” that was claimed to have the ability to bring about world peace, the second annual Young Entrepreneurs Contest showcased students’ creativity.

The contest, sponsored by the Newburyport Education and Business Coalition as well as teachers Ellie Bailey, Mary Ann Daley and Carol Snow, included special exercises for students to go along with teaching students about business and sociology.

David Strand, president and owner of Strand Marketing, was brought into the Molin School to assist in creating and presenting the ideas that inspired entrepreneurship and encourage fifth-graders to come up with their own ideas about business.

Read the rest of the story in The Newburyport News.

I love hearing about initiatives such as these.

Gradually, ever so gradually, the traditional education system is being infiltrated by little bursts of entrepreneurial spirit.

These kids participated in simulations, where some of them played the role of bankers, some the rols of suppliers, and others represented retailers. Once a supplier had “won” the business of a retailer, the young retail entrepreneurs then had to persuade the bankers to finance their purchase of the stock.

These simulations are a fantastic way to provide kids with a solid learning experience when it comes to business concepts. We encourage the families in our Cash-Smart Kids program to engage their kids with “mini” business situations and simulations whenever possible.

Kids are remarkably creative – I loved the description of one young inventor’s product, the “my-Cod”. This fish-shaped contraption would allow swimmers to listen to their iPods through a swimming “fish” broadcasting when placed in a swimming pool.

I really think that one would be a goer!

Rich Schefren took a step into my world last week, when he went to talk to a group of five-year-olds about business – and according to Rich, he was “Shaking In My Boots”!

It can be daunting, trying to break down complicated business ideas into terms kids can understand. Especially if you have learned business through years of experience, or at university-level academic institutions, or both. The gap between your understanding and the world of a child seems almost infinite.

The truth of the matter is that it can be done. Parents are doing it every week, using the Cash-Smart Kids program.

I left a comment on Rich’s blog post, letting him know about the program – I wonder if he will come and check it out?

At his blog post, “Shaking In My Boots” you can download the gorgeous ads he had these 5-year-olds make to convince their parents to buy them things. Imagine how much more powerful it would be if they also included a business plan as to how they would earn the money to pay their parents back for the purchase?

Rachael Ford (right) with her twin sister, Erin.Hi, my name is Rachael Ford, and I am a Cash-Smart Kid! I am 12 years old and live in Sydney, Australia, and this is the story of me and my businesses. …

Divyank Turakhia, of Mumbai (Bombay), India, started internet consulting at the age of 14, and started his domain registration and site-building company two years later with $600 borrowed from his parents….

British designer Romero Bryan started designing clothes at the age of thirteen. In 2003 he was listed number 5 on the Bank of Scotland Rich List 2020, with the prediction that he would be worth 30 million pounds by then.

Dominic McVey started importing motorised scooters to the UK at the age of 13, earning an estimated fifteen million pounds by the time he was fifteen.

Donny Ouyang, of British Columbia, Canada, built several successful internet businesses before turning sixteen. His ventures, which include kinkarso.com, christianavenue.org, battleforums.com, and live.tv.ws,…

Shropshire teenager Louis Barnett, like many successful people, struggled at school. At the age of 11 he was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia in combination with a high IQ, and withdrawn from the…