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That Fickle, Fickle Stock Market

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If you had been in a coma for seven years and turned on the news last week, you probably thought no time had passed at all. The stock market was falling hundreds of points, and images of traders, heads in their hands, were leading the evening news. Why? Haven’t we recovered? Isn’t confidence in the markets improving? What causes such sudden panic?

Let’s face it: the stock market is a confusing place. If you’re a Biz Kid, you probably feel a combination of eagerness and fear at the idea of putting your hard-earned wages in such a roller coaster. Understandbly so. But education is power. The more you know, the more confidence you can have in your investment decisions.

We filmed an entire episode devoted to the question, “What’s up with the Stock Market?” and we’d love to share some clips with you.

Jeff Hanson, Blind Painter & Investor

Biz Kid$ Hosts on Market Indexes

Young Entrepreneurs Play the Stock Market

Sketch: Dow & Professor Jones

Want to teach your students about the stock market? Check out our FREE lesson plans on financial markets and the economy here.

Where are they now: Man Cans

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Do you smell that? That’s the smell of a manly scented candle. And that’s the smell of success. We first talked to Biz Kid Hart for a profile in episode 506. Hart had started a business making candles specially scented for the often overlooked male audience. At that time, he was still making each one by hand, using soup cans as containers and donating the emptied soup to local shelters.

Watch our original “Man Cans” profile below:

https://youtu.be/8euVDKIAs2E

Well, Hart has grown up. His business is still thriving, and things have picked up so much that he’s outsourced production to a larger candle manufacturer. But his heart for giving back is still beating strong. His business has donated 100,000 cans of soup to date. And his efforts just earned him the title of 2015 Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Way to go, Hart. You’ll always be a Biz Kid.

Read all about Hart’s success–and his recent award–here.

An oreo cookie on a black background with the words you can't dunk in the dark.

Change of Plans

There’s a word I’ve noticed being used at increasing rates in recent months, especially in the startup community: “nimble.”

According to Dictionary.com, nimble means, “quick and light in movement; moving with ease; agile; active; rapid.”

Our society is advancing at record speeds. An app you dream up in your bedroom can be replicated and improved upon in a week by someone halfway across the world. Speed is arguably more important today than ever before in history.

In the marketing world, opportunity for instant campaigns is now possible, thanks to social media. Oreo got some much-deserved attention a couple of years ago when they came up with a meme to poke fun at the power outage during the Super Bowl. In mere minutes, they had devised the idea, approved it, designed it, and posted it. Incredible. I’m sure there were a thousand reasons not to act so quickly: getting permission from the powers that be, clearing it will legal, giving designers enough time, and so on. But they put all excuses aside and uttered three words: change of plans.

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There’s a phrase that I think we, as entrepreneurs, often resist but should reconsider: “change of plans.” Focus is an admirable trait, and it’s what often separates successful people from people with good ideas. (In fact, I wrote about it earlier this year.)

But sometimes we need to exchange focus for humility. Is your idea not catching on? Perhaps longer hours aren’t the answer; perhaps you need a change of plans.

Sometimes we need to exchange focus for creativity. Did a social movement just catch on that could have major affects on your business? Change of plans.

Did the lights just go out during the Super Bowl? Perhaps your cookie company can come up with a clever campaign right now, not over the course of a year as usual. Change of plans.

If you’ve found yourself banging your head against a wall…

If you’ve struck gold with a new idea that scraps your former roadmap…

Consider these words: change of plans.

A newspaper article about a group of people sitting on a couch.

Biz Kid$ Featured in USA Today

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We recently participated in MediaplanetUSA’s Financial Literacy campaign where we united with likeminded industry leaders to educate and empower Americans to take action in managing their own personal finances by providing them with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to make responsible financial decisions on matters of proper budgeting, retirement savings, managing investments and avoiding debt. The campaign was distributed through The USA Today on June 26th 2015 and is published online. For the full campaign, visit: http://bit.ly/1BPaEzP

 

A man dressed in a hat and a woman dressed in a hat.

Knowing Yourself…When it comes to Money

How would you describe your personality?

Outgoing or shy?

Gutsy or cautious?

Creative or methodical?

Are you an introvert? Extrovert?

Personality tests are everywhere. Even before the days of social media quizzes (Which ___ are you?!), there were personality tests. The Myers-Briggs tests a number of different factors, including your introversion or extroversion, and how much you think and feel. The StrengthsFinder is a common test given in work environments. It identifies your top strengths, so you can look for careers or tasks that use your best skills.

I love personality tests, and I have a theory as to why I do. As people, we typically think that the way we operate is just plain right. So when we read a description of the way we think, work, and live, we’re flattered! We read our personality as a compliment, ignoring the disclaimer that there’s no “right answers” and assure ourselves that we’d won the personality lottery.

All that being said, I think there’s enormous value in understanding the way you operate. It helps you look for ways to take advantage of your strengths, and learn to grow in areas of weakness.

But your personality doesn’t end at work. Did you know you have a money personality, too? The way you handle money says a lot about you. When you get an extra $20, what do you do with it? Do you spend it? Save it? Give it away? Or do you invest it, hoping to turn it into more?

No matter how wise we are with money, we all have our weaknesses. You’re probably prone to one of the following three types of money personalities:

Money Star: It’s all about the bling. Spending on fancy things is a necessity, even when you can’t afford it.

Oblivious: You don’t think about money. You don’t know how much you make. When will you run out? Who knows.

Penny-Wise, Pound-Foolish: You love deals and will gladly spend money on a bargain, even if it means purchasing something you don’t need.

Which are you? Watch as a few friends find out for themselves along a golden road:

Want to learn more about money personalities? We devoted an entire episode to the topic of money personalities during Season 5. From  Check it out, and tell us how you handle money!

 

Two men sitting at a desk with a computer in front of them.

Savoring the Days of Small Beginnings

We’ve all heard the stories, and we’ve even profiled some of them:

“Teenager Sells App to Yahoo for $70 Million”

“Facebook CEO is youngest Self-Made Billionaire”

“True Tales of Overnight Millionaires”

The headlines are so frequent, and the stories so captivating, that it’s easy to be underwhelmed by your $100 sales week or your local paper exposé. You’ve worked hard. You’ve taken action on an idea that you think could be worth millions. You’ve done everything you’ve heard of those overnight successes doing. But here you are, selling products one by one out of your bedroom. There you are, sacrificing your weekends in exchange for just a handful of modest spending money. “What am I doing wrong,” you ask yourself.

So what are you doing wrong? Probably nothing. In fact, you’re probably doing exactly what you need to do.

tumblr_m1bon15Abj1rozuddo1_500There weren’t any news stories decades ago about Bill Gates’s hours spent learning to code in school (although there are plenty now.) But those hours set Gates up for his success today.

Warren Buffett got his start selling eggs to neighbors as a kid for just pennies in profit. Only when he turned those pennies into eventual billions did people take notice.

Ralph Lauren began his fashion empire by selling neckties on Wall Street, one by one.

And The Beatles allegedly spent thousands of hours practicing their craft in no-charge concerts for bar patrons before striking it big.

So what are you doing wrong? Well, if you’re okay with following in the footsteps of billionaires, culture-shapers, and tech mavens, nothing.

So stop worrying, and keep pressing on. Enjoy these days of small beginnings. Who knows: perhaps someone will write about them in thirty years.

Want to know what you can do to set yourself up for success? Check out our special episode, “Secrets to Success” to find out!

Two girls are holding parrots in their hands.

Two Sisters Turn Love for Nature into Educational Game

9- and 13-year olds Athia and Maia Strohm turned their passion for the outdoors into a business, creating an educational card game company called Two Sisters in the Wild. Today’s guest post features a Q&A between the girls and their father, Jason Strohm.

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Q: Why do you like to be out in the wild?

A: It is fun, we get to explore, and see squirrels. We get to pretend we’re stuck in the wild and need to survive or we just build things. We build things like forts, things made of sticks like fishing poles and hotdog sticks, or water wheels. We also love to hike, camp, and build fires. We do things like jumping on the trampoline, playing tag, and making up new handshakes. Yes, we love going outside.

Q: Why would I buy your game?

A: It’s like a regular card game, but a little different than usual ones. It is like an environmental twist on Pokémon or Magic but with all the fun of a normal card game. Plus it was created by kids.

Q: What is the game about?

A: The game is about environments and food chains. You learn about animals, plants, where they live, and what they need to survive. It is a fun learning experience for all ages. In the game your goal is to complete ten levels of an ecosystem.

Q: What do I need to play it?

A: The main thing you will need to play this game is a curiosity about nature. Everything in the game is based on what is already happening in the fields and woods outside.

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

A: Athia: I want to be a hairstylist, Artist, or any type of person who looks after kids minus the doctor.

Maia: I want to be either a great artist or a gymnastics coach

Q: How did you get your pictures?

A: We first got our pictures off of Google Images. These pictures were for the prototype. Once we saw that the game might be a success we started taking pictures of the plants and animals ourselves. We visited a lot of places like zoos, aquariums, and botanical gardens to take our many, many pictures. In fact we even went on a long trip down to Florida and got many pictures for our next game. Many of the pictures we took for the first three games came from on our property. For the original game the game was ready before the pictures were so a nice man named Randy Quinn gave us many of our pictures. The picture taking process is still happening and I think it will go with us till the end.

Q: What’s next for Two Sisters in the Wild, LLC.?

A: We got a grant for $7,500 to make an app and buy some equipment. The app is online at google play and Amazon Kindle. The apple store version should be up soon too. We plan to make a game for South East North America next. Then make one for North West and another for South West. We are working on a new surprise game too! I think you will be excited.

For more information about Two Sisters in the Wild, check out their Facebook page or website.

 

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Biz Kid Launches Dyslexia-Friendly Software

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Our friend and former Biz Kid profile Eli, a high school student in Seattle, has an update for us! Inspired by his cousin and her struggle with dyslexia, he is creating learn-to-type software built from the ground up for kids with dyslexia. “Dyslexi-type” uses dyslexic-friendly fonts and other features.

If you have or know a child with dyslexia, please have them try a test-version of the software for a few minutes on-line by clicking here, and then filling out a feedback form when they log out. Nothing is downloaded onto your computer; it is accessed purely in the cloud.

Eli’s goal is to get 100 kids with dyslexia to try the software by the end of the school year, so please pass this along to any friends or family members who may be interested.

To learn more about Eli and the features of Dyslexi-type, please visit his website www.dyslexitype.org or read this article.

Did you Know? Ten Outstanding Biz Kid$ Resources

Did you know that you should save more than you spend? Probably.

Did you know that the money you save by not buying that expensive mocha could add up to quite the nest egg when you’re older? Ya, you probably knew that, too.

Well did you know that Biz Kid$ is way more than just Emmy-winning television series? Did you know that we have ten different resources for everyone from teachers to parents to teens? Ha. Got ya. Well then let us share the exciting news with you!

We’ve put together a video series to give you the lowdown on our engaging, educational resources. Check them out!

BK in the Classroom:

Family Activities:

Games:

Teachers Forum:

Life on the Edge:

Community Toolkit:

Business Plans:

Piggy Bank Hunt:

Spanish Lesson Plans:

 

 

Two men posing in front of a building.

Catching up with Young Moguls Brand

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The business-savvy guys at Young Moguls Brand were featured on our show for their “Making Money for Teens” CD’s and books on financial management. Today we’re catching up with them and talking about their current business, Young Moguls Brand clothing.

1. What have you been up to since we last heard from you?

Since we were last on Biz Kid$, we have started a new clothing line called Young Moguls Brand. It’s an urban clothing line that carries a positive message of entrepreneurship. We started this movement because we thought that fashion and clothing was a great way to spread this message to teens in a way that they can relate to.

2. Is your business still running?

Most of our focus in on the clothing line now, but we still sell our Making Money For Teens CD series and our two books, Who Needs an Allowance? and Teenpreneur Marketing Guide. We also do speaking engagements for events and schools on the topics that we taught in our financial education products.

3. What challenges have you faced in your business since we last spoke?

It was challenging putting all the pieces together when we first started Young Moguls Brand. We had raise enough money to pay for the initial expenses and get our first products. We had a hard time finding a reliable and affordable manufacturer to work with in the beginning. The process was very long, but we stayed committed and it payed off. Now the brand is expanding into different areas across the country.

4. Any exciting successes you want to share?

The Young Moguls Brand movement has started to become nationally recognized. We have gotten the opportunity to be featured in Essence, JET, and The Root’s 2015 Young Futurists. We are also excited to be apart of the Fall 2015 TrepStart Digital Tour, a nine city entrepreneurship tour done by Independent Youth and Google.

5. Did being on Biz Kid$ help your business?

Being featured on Biz Kid$ was an amazing opportunity for us. It gave us a chance to spread our teen entrepreneurship message and publicize our business. Biz Kid$ is a great source of financial information for teens. We are grateful that we got to be apart of it and learn from its resources.

Find these Biz Kids on the web:

YoungMogulsBrand.com

Twitter: @MogulsBrand

Instagram: @YoungMogulsBrand

Facebook.com/YoungMogulsBrand

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New Game Alert! Break the Bank!

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BizKidz just launched a new game: Break the Bank! Can you defeat Mr. Boar and save your community bank?

Three people standing in front of the admissions office.

Where are They Now: DK Arts

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We featured Dylan of DK Arts on our show years ago. (Watch it here.) Today, we’re hearing an update on his life and work, written by Terri Rose, Dylan’s business manager, friend and mother.

Having the ability to reference Dylan’s life as a Biz Kid has opened doors for Dylan to be taken serious as a reputable business owner and artist. Being a Biz Kid has opened the doors for Dylan to receive further recognition for his success.

Dylan’s most recent achievement is his application to The Evergreen State College (TESC) as a full-time student, to start this coming September, 2015. His ambition is to study child development and music therapy. From this he wants to start a band that plays children’s music. This goal of starting a band that plays children’s music was mentioned in his Biz Kids episode. After all these years passed, he has continued this dream and we are hopeful for its inception. Patience and persistence are two of Dylan’s virtues. Prior to starting the band, he will need to write a business plan, something we remembered hearing about on other Biz Kids episodes. When accepted into TESC, he will be the first student with Down Syndrome to be accepted in a Washington 4-year college. We anxiously await the college’s decision.

Many people with a family member or friend with Down syndrome or other types f disabilities have contacted both Dylan and myself via email or Facebook to thank us. They say Dylan inspires them. They tell us Dylan gives them hope and encouragement to dream big. They say that Dylan is a perfect example of what might be possible if they focus on positive abilities and to pay attention to strengths, abilities and to what brings their family member joy. Dylan wants to make an impression by being himself doing what brings him joy. People often ask me, his mother, what I did to help Dylan become who he is. Biz Kids has been a great platform that has given others the courage to ask, how they too may live their life with passion and joy. Some have asked me, his mother, how they too could help start a business for their loved one. I am always happy to share resources and encouragement for them to begin.

Dylan’s successful life, art and business has been published in multiple publications. Below is a list:

  1. The Riot Newsletter ~ The Art Issue. Issue 27, January 2011. The Riot is a publication of the Human Services Research Institute,Tualatin, Oregon, http://www.hsri.org
  2. In the College Edition of the magazine called: I.d.e.a.l. (Individuals with Disabilities Express About Life) from Philadelphia, PA, http://www.itsanidealworld.com, Spring 2013 edition, “Raising the Bar” ~ Dylan is Living the Dream Musician and Artist ~ pages 56-57.
  3. The book titled: A Room of Golden Shells: 100 Works by Artists and and Writers with Down Syndrome, features 3 pieces of Dylan’s art along with a full page short biography of Dylan’s life and artistic influence, pages 148-153. Compiled and published by Woodbine House, Bethesda, MD, March 2013, http://www.woodbinehouse.com
  4. Apostrophe Magazine, Winter 2013 issue published a story titled: “Mom, son team up for Business”, page 45. This story tells our journey to accomplish the start up of Dylan’s visual and performing arts company, DK Arts (est. 2005). The magazine is published out of Anaconda, MT and focuses on PEOPLE – not their disABILITIES. http://www.apostrophemagazine.com
  5. Community Inclusion Newsletter (blog.satraininginstitute.org), December 5, 2013. This blog is sponsored by the Washington State Developmental Disabilities Administration Roads to Community Living. This story in entirety along with the images will be included in a book about Down syndrome that will be translated in Spanish and distributed in Mexico. Further plans are to have it translated into other languages and distributed in other countries.
  6. The book titled:” Educating Learners with Down Syndrome, Research, theory, and practice with children and adolescence”, edited by Rhonda Faragher and Barbara Clarke, published this book out of Australia in 2014. Dylan was interviewed and mentioned in this book on three separate occasions. Pages 2-3, 33, 257-258. This book is available for sale on Amazon.

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Dylan’s life continues to blossom. In 2012 he formed a youth and adult band, currently called, Living the Dream, formerly called The Jackson Memory Band. He brings a uniqueness to this band as the only person with a disability. He proves that Down syndrome ROCKS! They have performed on numerous occasions including to a crowd of approximately 6000 people at the opening ceremony for the opening ceremony for the 2013 summer Special Olympics, Maui and various venues in Washington State. They are currently planning their West Coast USA music tour. To learn more visit them on Facebook page ~ Living the Dream – Heal the World and on their website http://www.healtheworldtour.org. This band has a mission to promote INCLUSION and ABILITIES with music.

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Dylan’s business, DK Arts continues to flourish. Over the last few years he has made a change in his artistic medium. He has been taught techniques in the art of working with fused glass and dichroic glass. In addition of the sales of his art on greeting cards, he now cuts and designs fused glass art and jewelry. He sells his one-of-a-kind fused glass in retail shops, by commission and wholesale. He is most proud of his products being sold at the Pike Street Market in Seattle, WA and at the Sea-Tac airport. His cards and fused glass is also sold at a gallery gift shop in Morton, WA. He continues to love being the owner of his own business, being creative and knowing he will never get fired.

Challenges:

Some of the challenges Dylan has faced since his episode of Biz Kid$ has aired have been short lived. We often take a challenge and look at it an opportunity for something new. For example, Dylan’s elderly art instructor took ill and could no longer provide private art instruction. With this new “challenge” we chose to look for a Newark medium for Dylan. I found a glass studio quite near where he had been taking drum lessons. While Dylan was in his drum lesson, I took it upon entering myself to visit this glass studio and its owners. After introducing them to Dylan, they were more than eager to teach him a few techniques to get him started working with fused glass. Instead of purchasing a firing kiln of our own, I used this as an opportunity to expand Dylan’s community relationships and chose to use their kiln. Over the years we have established a close friendship both for business and friendship.

Another “challenge” came when Dylan announced he did not want to travel as much out of state for conferences and craft fairs. This decision impacted his earning potential. Our goals since, has been to increase his retail sales and look for more speaking and conferences more near his hometown of Olympia, WA. Consequently, his sales have decreased some, but we are hopeful for increased sales income.

Because Dylan’s new fused glass products are one-of-a-kind, we have found it somewhat difficult to sell on line. We are scheduled to meet with his web designer to create a fused glass art and jewelry page for his website. This will provide another option for the sale of Dylan’s new products.

Way to go, Dylan! All of us at Biz Kid$ are proud of your continued determination and success!

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