All,
I'm trying to teach my 13 year old about "providing value". I'm not an entreprenurial type, so this is wobbly ground for me as well. What I want to do is free him somewhat from the 'dad dependent' activities we have all enjoyed: mowing the lawn, cleaning the toilets. I want him to get entreprenurial experience, and I really want it to be around MAKING stuff.
I've started him off with pen making. He's made a couple of cheap kits and traded them at school for stuff. ut turning pens into money is tough because of the oceans of people making them.
I'm having him post things on ebay for me, and he gets a cut of that. The idea being that he provides a 'service' by photographing, listing, packaging, shipping. That's working out.
After making my first brush, I thought maybe brushmaking would be a decent activity. He'd learn to turn, which he likes. I would start him off by sponsoring his first couple, but then expect him to buy new knots from revenue. You get the idea. It'll be counter productive to the learning excercise if the fruits of his labor don't make the labor worthwhile.
The question I have for you all is: is there enough of a market between here, B&B, Ebay, etsy, etc to support 2 or 3 month (tops) at a price to cover expenses and make it worth his while?