What The Kids Are Up To... Brainstorming

It all began...

(click here)

as we sat together creating a list of things to do over the summer

(their list starting off great)

with things like...

Go swimming

Go fishing

Learn to sew

Ride bikes

Get new books at the bookstore

Make pizza

Tour a college campus

Have friends over for a play date

but the conversation quickly shifted...

Go to an amusement park

Go to a water park

Go to Pretend City

Go to the indoor trampoline place

Go to the zoo

Go to the county fair

Go to the children's museum

Go to the movies

Go to Hawaii

and as I began to notice just how

"price heavy" their list was,

I asked...

How do you plan to do all of this?

Who is going to pay for all of this?

When they could not sufficiently answer my questions, I suggested

they earn their own money by becoming business partners!

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SESSION 1

The focus:                                                                                                                      
Brainstorming and Strategic Planning

The lesson:
I presented "An Introduction to Business" and explained the pros and cons
of two business venture categories (selling a product vs. offering a service)


The assignment:
Brainstorm business venture ideas
Bring a list of at least 5 business venture ideas to the next meeting (at the end of the week)

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Then when the
Kid's Edition of the ABC Television Show "Shark Tank" aired

(I knew that it was no coincidence)

I decided to use it to help evoke their entrepreneurial spirit
and get their creative juices flowing!

And together we

watched
paused
discussed

the ideas
the pitches
the presentation styles

and when the end of the week finally arrived
we had our first official business planning session!

(which means...)

we ordered pizza
spread a blanket out in the middle of our living room floor

and brought our

pens and notepads
notes
ideas

(yes, very official, I know)

listened as each took turns sharing 5 business ideas

discussed them
finally deciding that

since they already

love making rubber band bracelets
are good at making these bracelets and
have all of the supplies and materials necessary to make them...

it would make the perfect business venture!

Rubber Band Loom Bracelets
also known as "Rainbow Loom" bracelets

The next step:

Create a Business Name

Identify Business Goals and Objectives

Create a Written Business Plan

And after a few days I asked if they had given any thought to

their vision

their mission

their values

and my daughter said she was thinking about

Colossians 3:17

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed

do all in the name of the Lord Jesus

And after a second meeting,

we decided upon...

Colorful Creations

adding color to the world one band at a time

(but found the name Colorful Creations already taken)

so I suggested a play on words...

Color (full) Creations

and we agreed that if we're celebrating color

then we needed to add some, and it became...

Color(full) Creations

then finally...

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Color*full Creations
creating a life full of color

What the kids are up to next...

Branding