Start Your Own Business!

You can start your own business by becoming an entrepreneur—that means someone who starts her own company! A company can be anything from a small jewelry-making business to a large corporation. It's all what YOU make of it!

We asked entrepreneur expert Sylvia Scott, who has helped tons of girls start their own businesses, to give Club BSG some tips on how to be your own CEO right in time for the holiday season.

Question: I just read Beacon Street Girls book #12, Time's Up, and I want to start my own business just like Katani did! But, I don't know how to start? Any ideas?

Sylvia Scott: Sure! Even when you are too young to get a job, you can still make money for yourself. Today is the perfect time to start your own holiday business. It is best to start small and take little steps.

Here, we're going to use the example of starting a holiday cookie-baking business—anyone can do it!

Create a Launch Calendar: A launch calendar will organize when you'll officially start or launch your baking business. Once you decide on the date, write down all the things you need to do to before you start selling your home-baked cookies. For example, this will include the days you shop for supplies, pass out flyers to your neighbors letting them know about your business, and bake your cookies.

Do Your Market Research: Market research is finding out who will buy your cookies and for how much. Talk to your neighbors, friends, teachers, and relatives about when they might buy cookies, what kind they would want, and how much they would pay. This information will help you make cookies your customers will want to buy. Your market research will also show you the holidays that might prompt customers to buy cookies!

Identify Supplies You Will Need: Once you know the cookie flavors your customers will buy (chocolate chip, peanut butter, etc.), decide on the number of cookies you need to make. Next, make a list of the ingredients and supplies you will need, like flour, sugar, and maybe even holiday cookie cutters and food coloring for decorative frosting! Before you buy, visit different stores and write down the prices for the ingredients and supplies you need to create a budget (how much money you'll have to spend to start your business!).

Read part two: Create a Budget