We were low on groceries, the kind of low where you have food in the house but nothing goes together. We did not have any bread for sandwiches, no mac & cheese (a go to around here), and no hotdogs for the hotdog buns we happened to have. For some reason we had deli meat, which we never have in our house.
Now Jackson has never been a fan of hotdogs. Seriously. Like never. What boy doesn't like hotdogs? My boy, apparently. So we had a moment of exasperation from me, "ugh, nothing goes together" and a moment of inspiration from Jackson, "let's put the ham in the hotdog bun." And the Hamdog was born. Put some shredded cheese on it and everyone in the house is happy. Hamdog with cheese coming right up.
This idea, like many in our house, went down the path of Jackson's entrepreneur brain. He wants to build a Hamdog stand to sell Hamdog's. His dad and him talk about it nonstop. He has to plan it out via a drawing. He enlists the help from his handy grandpa, Paw. And, before we know it, we have decided to do a yard sale on a January Saturday morning, really for the purpose of selling our junk, but also to launch his new business.
And Jackson is stoked beyond stoked. He learned how to progress a business from an idea to solid form. He brainstormed, decided the price, came up with the toppings, prepared, served, used customer service skills, and handled the money. He also branded the business name "Hamdog It". And most importantly he followed through. In a world where someone can start a business by buying a domain name with little commitment more than deciding the URL he grasped his little hands around a concept, believed in it, and made it happen.
Obviously this isn't possible without the help of us, the parents, but beyond that, without the help of good people. Time and time again we saw people walk up to a yard sale, where they would have most likely bargained down to the penny on a hundred dollar piece, soften their hearts and immediately respond to a good old fashion lemonade stand. When Jackson asked, "Would you like a Hamdog?" Most of our customers initial reaction was a no thank you, especially because they had no idea what a Hamdog was. But as soon as we told them it was Jackson's first business and how he came up with the idea himself, they melted. Some started out buying a flavored water he was also selling. As soon as they saw him prepare a Hamdog for another customer, they quickly changed their minds and ordered one as well.
Hamdog It's 1st Customer
A great family we met. They all ended up with a Hamdog eventually!
Hamdog It sold out. He made $36. He is hooked.
Jackson's 1st Transaction
The next morning we counted the money, talked about where it all came from, what is most important, and my big boy tithed for the first time. Yeah, I'm a proud mama.
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