Table of Contents INTRODUCTION Letter to Kids Letter to Parents, Educators, and Mentors How to Use This Interactive Book The LGMM Business Stand The Little Green Philosophy Safety SECTION 1: GOAL SETTING Goal Setting Visualization Writing Your Goal Statement Visualization Exercise Section 1 Review SECTION 2: STARTING YOUR FIRST BUSINESS Choosing Your Business Worksheet: Business Idea Forming Your Business Naming Your Business Section 2 Review SECTION 3: SALES & MARKETING Setting Up Shop Banners Flyers Signs Business Cards Free Publicity Salespeople Customer Service: Politeness Pays! Section 3 Review SECTION 4: TEN DIFFERENT BUSINESS IDEAS IDEA #1: The Little Green Drink Stand IDEA # 2: The Little Green Carwash IDEA # 3: The Little Green Snack Shop IDEA # 4: The Little Green Arts & Crafts Sale IDEA # 5: The Little Green Yard Sale IDEA # 6: The Little Green Flower Shop IDEA # 7: The Little Green Gift Basket Shop IDEA # 8: The Little Green Health Food Market IDEA # 9: The Little Green Personalized Product Store IDEA # 10: The Little Green Sales Team Other Business Ideas Section 4 Review SECTION 5: THE LITTLE GREEN FUNDRAISER Fundraising
Choosing Your Fundraiser Ways to Use Your LGMM Business Stand as a Fundraiser 10 Steps to a Successful Fundraising Event 10 Steps to a Successful Food Drive Other Fundraising Ideas Section 5 Review SECTION 6: NEVER GIVE UP! Determination Tips to Keep Your Little Green Business Going Section 6 Review SECTION 7: THE LITTLE GREEN MONEY MANAGEMENT Start-Up Costs Worksheet: Start-Up Costs Pricing Revenue, Expenses, and Profit Money Management Worksheet: Little Green Money Management Daily Chart Worksheet: Little Green Money Management Weekly Chart Worksheet: Little Green Money Management Monthly Chart Bank Accounts Section 7 Review CONCLUSION IMPORTANT REMINDERS VOCABULARY QUIZZES GLOSSARY ONLINE RESOURCES MEET THE AUTHOR
Letter to Parents, Educators, and Mentors Hello, my name is Anthony Delmedico. As an entrepreneur and a father, I want to share some important information with you information that will help our kids become more self-reliant, self-confident, and financially independent. Most kids don t know much about earning and saving money yet want to buy more things. Kids, and parents, are constantly bombarded by advertising and peer pressure for items like toys, video games, designer clothes, and a growing list of other things. We, as parents, cannot give our kids everything they want. But we can give them the tools they need to earn their own money and eventually make their own way in the world. I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood where money was sometimes hard to come by. When I was just 8 years old, I realized I was going to have to earn my own money to buy things I wanted and needed. So way back then, I taught myself entrepreneurial skills by starting several different kid businesses like selling lemonade, snacks, and washing cars to earn money. I even spent one holiday season selling Christmas bows! I then spent the next 25 years launching various companies based on those early experiences. Today, I own a successful, growing company with over 50 employees and offices in several states. It was those entrepreneurial skills I learned as a boy that have served as the foundation for my success today and my inspiration for writing The Little Green Money Machine : Kids in Business Around the World. My other inspiration for launching The Little Green Money Machine is being a father to a very smart and curious daughter. I have spent many birthdays and holidays looking for educational toys and products for her, but not finding much in terms of quality. So I began writing a book for kids to learn how to set goals, create and run their first business, earn and save money, as well as give back to the community! Kids can progress through the book by themselves, with friends or an adult. And don t be surprised if you learn something too! Many parents have written to me after completing exercises in this book with their kids, telling me that they were inspired to start their own business! Knowing that young entrepreneurs would need more than just a book to succeed in launching their first business, I launched a unique product line, including a proprietary Business Stand and a website with online support for kids, making The Little Green Money Machine a complete, fun interactive learning experience. Kids can go to our website and customize their very own banners and marketing materials for their new business. As parents and educators, we owe it to our children to lay a foundation of self-reliance, self-confidence, and financial independence. This same entrepreneurial foundation I learned as a child certainly helped me through my life, and I am excited to now share it with you and the special kids in your life! Before we start, though, I want to take a moment to answer a question that some parents in our focus groups have asked me: IS MY CHILD GOING TO LEARN ONLY ABOUT BUSINESS AND PROFIT IN THIS BOOK? IS THIS JUST TEACHING MY CHILD ABOUT MONEY AND MATERIALISM? While this book is going to teach our kids the skills they ll need to set up and run their first business, they ll also be acquiring a confidence factor, a value set about themselves and about the world, that cannot be taught by reading a book alone or in a traditional classroom setting. I believe that we should teach basic entrepreneurial skills to all children at a young age. They should be given the tools to not just survive or simply earn a high school degree, but to succeed in the world. Every child needs this foundation, and I believe the earlier the better! I also believe that all children, regardless of income, background or circumstance, can eventually realize their own American Dream by using the skills they will learn from launching their own company with The Little Green Money Machine.
If you consider the fact that today 75% of all new jobs being created come from small businesses led by entrepreneurs, this only makes sense! We ve also dedicated an entire section in our book on social entrepreneurship, providing a complete blueprint for kids to set up their first fundraiser or charity and learn the importance of giving back to the community. If you want your kids or students to acquire fun entrepreneurial skills that will last a lifetime, then The LGMM interactive book and product line is for you and your child. And you never know you might be launching the career of the next Bill Gates or Oprah Winfrey right in your own home or classroom! ~ Anthony Delmedico
SECTION 1: GOAL SETTING Have you ever wanted something really badly but you were not sure how to get it? A new bike? New clothes for school? New video games? Have you ever needed to raise money for a school or group fundraiser but didn t know how? Maybe you have a goal but aren t quite sure how to reach it. Even if you are too young to get a job, you can still make money for yourself and start your own business. Dream first. Without dreams and goals, there is NOTHING. With the Little Green Money Machine, you can realize your dreams and accomplish whatever goal you set. But first, you need to think about what your goals are. Goal Setting A goal is a purpose, or something you want to do. When you want something, it helps to think about why you want it. This is called motivation. See the examples below on how to set goals. EXAMPLE 1 - GOAL SETTING
Even as a child, I am more powerful than I realize. What I think, I can achieve. I create the world around me. Setting goals will allow me to accomplish whatever it is I dream. ~ Anthony Delmedico Visualization Think about what you want. And remember, no goal is too big! What we dream and what we focus on, we will have. Think about all the reasons why you want something and what might happen when you have it. This is called visualization. VISUALIZATION HELPS YOUR DREAMS BECOME REAL! Now write two of your top goals in the spaces below. Then, pick one of those goals you plan to achieve when you start your Little Green Money Machine business. Think really hard about your goal, and whether you want it or really need it.
Writing Your Goal Statement Once you ve chosen your goal and visualized why you want it, then you need to write a goal statement. This is just a few sentences about your goal. Rules to Follow When Writing Your Goal Statement 1. Write exactly what you want, how much money you need to earn, and set the deadline for your goal. 2. Write what you will give up or sacrifice to achieve your goal. 3. Write an action plan that states how you will earn the money. Check out the example below for help. Then on the next page, you will write your goal statement. You will then be using the Little Green Money Machine as a way to help you make money and accomplish your goal! EXAMPLE 2 - GOAL STATEMENT 1. I want to buy a new bike so I can get places faster, like my friends houses, the park, and the pool. The new bike will cost $150. I will earn this money by May 1st. 2. I will give up playing with my friends for three hours on Saturdays to accomplish this goal. 3. I will set up and operate my Little Green Money Machine on Saturdays from March through May to earn $150 to buy the bike.
Visualization Exercise Write your goal statement in the box below. The picture will help you to visualize your goal. Then, tear out this page and tape it up to a place you look at often next to your bed, on the bathroom mirror, inside your locker, etc. Be creative! This is your dream. You can either draw or paint a picture of your goal, or tear a picture out of a magazine and paste it into the picture box. YOU decide how you want to visualize your goal. Read this goal aloud to yourself once in the morning and once in the evening before you go to bed. You must read it out loud. If you do this every day, you will accomplish this goal. This is called visualization. Add photo of your goal. Check us out at www.littlegreenmoneymachine.com
Section 1 Review NOW, LET S REVIEW WHAT YOU ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR!! Wrote my goal statement (Goal Statement Worksheet) Decided how much I want to earn Decided why I want to earn it Set a deadline for my goal! Visualized my goal (Visualization Exercise) Created a picture to paste into my Goal Statement Worksheet Said my goal OUT LOUD to myself every morning and every night Keep doing this throughout my entire business operation! It will help me keep my focus.