I have been all of my life. Tonight, I sat at dinner with my ultra-supportive spouse and reminisced a bit.
My first entrepreneurial venture was as a five year old. In the grocery store with my mother, I noticed near the exit door a large stack of empty green stamp books. (Green stamp books were effectively a precursor to the modern loyalty card that grocery stores use today.) The books were just left there, at no charge, for the patrons to pick up on their way out so they didn't lose the stamps they'd just earned at the store.
Later, I walked the mile back to the store along a busy highway (remember, I was five) dragging my mother's little wheeled, fold-up "grandma" shopping cart that she never used herself for embarrassment. I picked up a stack of the books and dropped them in my cart, fearing that, notwithstanding the fact that they were to be given away free, I would somehow get in trouble. With my little stack of books in my basket, I headed home.
On the way, I went door to door selling the books--typically asking and receiving a penny for the books I'd picked up for free. Of course, I didn't appreciate that folks only bought the books because I was a five-year-old kid standing on the front porch asking for a penny.
I made six cents.
My name is Devin and I'm an entrepreneur.
What's your story? Comment!
I must have been five... I saw the MS Telethon, and decided that I would help-out. So I got on my tricycle, going door-to-door in my neighborhood... soliciting money for "Jerry's Kids".
Well, that was until the resident "mean old lady" called the cops and reported me as an unlicensed solicitor (or somesuch). Good thing the cops had a better sense of humor than she did... but I was terrified that I was going to go to jail, as they drove me home.
Posted by: Silus Grok | August 23, 2006 10:02 AM | Permalink to Comment