it is easier to have a positive perspective of your business when you are making money…or at least you think you are making money.

This isn’t all about being the kind of person who thinks the sun is right around the next rain cloud, or the glass is half full…it is where you start, how you get where you’re going and what your expectations may be.

Take for example, the ten year old who opens a lemonade stand. A simple model. Low overhead, no expense if mom and dad foot the bill for the water, glasses (cups), ice, pitcher, lemons, sugar as well as the table, chair and umbrella. Heck, mom and dad provided location, location, location, too.

If you have a good day selling, $5 per hour let’s say, then, your perspective is sure to be a positive one. In a couple hours, you’ve earned enough to buy a matinee movie ticket, or some good, cool stuff at Five Below. 

At $0.50 per cupful, that’s just one sale every 6 minutes. That is, if the customers don’t tip you or say that they don’t have any change and give you far more than the half-dollar you’re requesting.

If your mom and dad want to keep you happy, which is fairly likey on a hot summer day, they’ll let you keep all your earnings. 

That is the kind of perspective I’m talking about tonight. Learning the value of the real earnings of your money, means calculating expenses, equipment, furnishings, advertising (Facebook works I’m telling you…at least if your audience is indeed paying attention); however, all of that is probably over the head of the average under 10 crowd today…but doesn’t mean you can’t explain it to them the next time your in the market and see lemons at 10/$1.00 (wait a minute, now who’s being optimistic?) 

You don’t have to make them return all their earnings to prove a point and teach a life lesson. That will turn the smile and optimistic grins into frustration, negativity and disinterest in learning more about the free market. Let’s keep the positive perspective as long as we can, but give them the tools to figure it out when it really matters.

~ Dawn aka Hat Girl