July 29, 2018 By Malla

Minneapolis Teen Who Fought Back from Having His Hot Dog Stand Shut Down

Did you hear about this story? It reminded me that there is HUGE value in nudging the entrepreneurial spirit in our daughters.

A young teen in North Minneapolis had the police called on him. He was running a hot dog stand to pay for school supplies. Someone called the permit police because he did not have a license.

This story ends well. But it also provides a few tips for any teen who wants to start a business. There are a handful of things you want to do if you are unsure about how to get started.

The residents of North Minneapolis were shocked by what the city did for a teen who opened a hot dog stand to sell hot dogs.

After a complaint, the city decided to help the thirteen-year-old Jaequan Faulkner to open up a place outside his home. He was raising money for school supplies. According to Dan Huff, the Minneapolis Environmental Health Director, “When I realized what it was, I said, ‘No, we’re not going to just go and shut him down’ like we would an unlicensed vendor,”. He organized some support and helped Jaequan get licensed.

If your daughter wants to start her own business, here are a few tips if you don’t have community advocates like Minneapolis:

There are city officials who get it and want to support youth.

City officials are willing to help. They spent time training Jaequan and contacted Northside Economic Opportunity Network (NEON). Together they helped him set up a legitimate business.

Consider calling your local council person’s office or politician. They might have recommendations about programs in your area. If you are starting a food based business, you will probably need a permit or license. So ask what types of businesses will need permits or licenses for your area.

For example, in New York City, there is the Department of Small Business Services. While their programs are focused on adults, they do have walk-in hours as well as random workshops for young people.

So reach out and see what resources exist.

Google entrepreneurship training in your area

Google entrepreneurship training in your area to see if there are nonprofits who offer training programs.

I remember the first youth entrepreneurship program I had the privilege to teach. We reached out to area nonprofits to find young people interested. We had little time to invest in marketing or widespread outreach. But happily, the nonprofits we partnered with were influential and made recommendations.

Therefore, there might be a program already in existence in your area. Make Google your BFF.

Or consider dropping the idea into the discussion. Your school or local after school programs might be looking for new program ideas. There are a host of organizations that have curriculum and can provide programming support.

Entrepreneur drive is still valued in this country

Your child doesn’t need to wait until she is old enough to learn how to start a business. During the weekends, evening after school or the holidays, she can start a business if she wants to. In the case of Jaequan Faulkner, he was only thirteen and the Minneapolis Environmental Health helped him get the permit. They made the whole idea a positive thing and helped him own a business.

Learning entrepreneurship skills at an early age is very crucial, especially for young girls. When you think about teaching your daughter entrepreneurship skills, a lot can be said and done.

So consider some of the ideas in this article. You’ll take care of the legal requirements – ie. do you need a permit or license? And what resources already exist?

And make sure to encourage young people to roll up their sleeves and market their talents. I love Jaequan’s spirit and hope other young people will be willing to do the same!

Discover your daughters “brand” and give her the most amazing holiday gift ever

So it’s officially the holiday season. Whoo hooo!

That means food, shopping and spending time with more relatives and friends of the family than your calendar has hours for.

Yup! I said it right. Get out the Red Bull, wine and coffee because it’s that time of year….visiting friends and family members that you haven’t seen in months.

And this year I want you to notice something – how is your daughter re-introduced? In other words, after you do the initial introduction to family and friends how do they “re-introduce” her in conversation to others? What stands out for others?

Seems very basic. But if you listen carefully, it can be an incredible eye opening insight into what really makes her shine.

Let me share an example. I was talking friends recently who asked for the latest news on my daughter as she had officially advanced from “babyhood” into official “toddlerdom”. Was she learning new words? Asserting her independence? Starting to explore new activities? Officially using the word “NO” everywhere? Beginning to display new insights and creative talents?

And I realized after telling three different friends that I started saying the same things:

She can count from 1-100 and knows quite a few shapes
She can say her alphabet without any coaching
And she’s blowing me away with the list of animals that she can identify – in cartoons or at the zoo.

Sooooo guess how my daughter is being labeled? Smart.

And guess what people start asking her to do or share with others when they tell her about her progress – she can count to 100, she can say her ABCs, and she’s really good identifying animals.

On the surface, it seems harmless and actually a wonderful thing that she is standing out for her intelligence.

But on another level, it’s also crafting her brand and the expectations that she’ll have every year when she sees these family members – what new things has she learned? How well is she doing in school? What new accomplishments has she had?

Which can both be a great thing (that she’s smart) and put alot of pressure on her as well.

I’m proud to have established her own innate intelligence as part of her “brand”. But it’s good that she is also remembered for other things. Like her infectious smile. Or her quick wit to catch jokes from her Dad. Or her love of certain activities.

Because the more that she hears alllll of the facets of who she is, the more she will internalize that her brand is representative of many things.

Not just her looks.
Not just her brains.
Not just one or two personality traits.

It’s about her totality and full presence. She’s got to hear about all of the aspects – from me telling others and others sharing it back to her.

Why does this matter? Easy. She’s going to be in competitive situations at some point in her life. And the things she’s heard about herself will come out at the most inopportune time. I want to her know that she’s more than just a cute face or a smart girl.

So challenge your friends and family this year to talk about all aspects of your daughters personality. So that she hears it and internalizes it.

And challenge the adults that see her on a daily basis to consider it as well.

It will be one of the most amazing gifts she could ever receive.

Minneapolis Teen Who Fought Back from Having His Hot Dog Stand Shut Down

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