I home business school my kid
Wednesday, November 30, 2011 We have a persimmon tree in our backyard. My mom loves persimmons like unicorns love bacon, but unfortunately she lives on the other side of the country. If you've never had a persimmon, they taste like an unripe tomato crossed with a papaya. Papaya tastes like corpse. This is why I dislike persimmons. Fury and Lisa also hold them in similar disdain. So every year, I have the same problem: what to do with these persimmons. Sometimes I get some social media traction with them, sometimes I give them away, and sometimes I simply let them rot on the tree (this is how I discovered the abomination of evolution that are yard rats).
This year, I did something different: I incorporated them into the BusyDad curriculum of life skills. Today's class: starting a business.
Lesson 1: Hammer out a supplier arrangement
Fury and I struck a deal. In exchange for providing him with high value product (the street value, i.e. price at Pavilions Supermarket, of a Fuyu Persimmon is $2.49 each), Fury would pay me a commission of 25% of gross sales.
Lesson 2: Philanthropy sells
I told Fury that I would donate my 25% cut to my Movember Team. This way, he could tell customers that part of the proceeds went to charity.
Lesson 3: Don't put anything in permanent writing
Market sentiment and demand fluctuate constantly. Never commit fully to signage that cannot be adjusted accordingly. Dry erase boards are highly recommended.
Lesson 3.5: Slam your competitors a little bit
In case 4th grade penmanship isn't your forte, the bottom reads: don't buy smaller ones for $2.49 each at Pavilions.
Lesson 4: Put the product into your customers' hands
Also, make sure there's always plenty of beer around to keep your supplier happy and willing to cut up fruit samples for you.
Lesson 4: Lift with your legs, not your back
Or, always have your chiropractor on speed dial.
Lesson 5: Tend to your shop
Patience is a virtue, but your iPod touch kills boredom dead (as soon as it's done recharging, which leads me to a bonus lesson: always keep your gadgets charged).
Lesson 6: Provide security
Those dogs will slobber the hell out of anyone who tries to jack Fury for his fruit.
Lesson 7: Woo high dollar customers
You know you've tapped the right market when your first customer rolls up in a pimped out Mercedes.
Lesson 8: Utilize partnerships to leverage resources
Your neighbor has a table, Sour Patch Kids and a box full of Pop Chips? Expand your storefront and diversify your product line!
Lesson 9: Don't get high on your own supply
Your baby sister, however, gets the friends and family discount (turns out she loves persimmons).
Lesson 10: Take advantage of the holiday shopping rush to boost sales
This is one week after the first stand. You can't really pass up the opportunity to have a Black Friday sale, and you might as well also sell your extra Lego set while you're at it.
Lesson 11: Hire professionals, and barter services to help with cashflow
The sign above was created by a professional whiteboard artist. In return, Fury agreed to help that artist make one last push for Movember donations by making him look really badass. Fury actually had an app for that (and his iPod was fully charged).
Side note: Today is the FINAL day of Movember!! My team has raised more than $12,000 dollars for men's cancer awareness, treatment and education. That is frikkin incredible!! Every dollar counts. If you'd like to donate to the cause, click to go to my Movember page.
Lesson 12: Money does grow on trees
You just have to exploit the right ones.
Reader Comments (14)
I had a persimmon tree when I was a kid too, yet I have never eaten a ripe one. My brother and I would trick unsuspecting visitors into biting into green fruit. Good times!
OMG LMAO. For realz.
This reminded me of my Dad's brilliant idea when my parents ran a bodega. At Halloween he would sell rotten eggs (otherwise wasted) for double the price, on the condition that the store was not a target. He raked. it. in.
I love persimmons. LOVE. Ship them up here, I'll totally take them off your hands.
Now you just need to teach him to shout DO THE RIGHT THING! BE A MAN! at oncoming traffic. Shame: successfully driving the human race for 5000 years.
#1 Papaya tastes like a corpse?? I must be a zombie then because I can down a whole one in a sitting. There isn't much I like more than papaya...except maybe persimmons! Yummers
#2 Your mustache IS funny. Hee hee
That's awesome! It's time to put my kids to work now. All we need to do is find some unicorns because our bacon tree is just becoming ripe. Can't wait.
lol I would have eaten that tree down in a week, with the help of mom...
You are so awesome.
We love persimmons! You forgot about Cyber Monday deals! BTW, I wasn't comfortable seeing that pimped out car do a drive-by...keep your kids close!
Fat Tire, represent.
Also, Lesson Number 9 man, Lesson Number 9. Where were you when I was in college? My start up business might have turned a profit.
P.P.S. We had a persimmon tree growing up in the farm. You use them in a slingshot, hurts like a mofo.
My kids had their first persimmons from their grandfather's tree at Thanksgiving. One kid loved them, the other hated them. BUT they loved eating all the other fruits, like plums, grapes, pomegranates, apples, pears, figs. I never thought I could live in a climate like CA until then, but now I see the appeal. (Of course, visiting a former fruit farm and having a farmer for a grandfather makes things pretty nice, too.) I should have thought of a fruit stand for them too. Now I know what to do next year. :) thanks!
That's awesome! it is really enjoy........
Finally, a life lesson that'll actually get him somewhere! I'm tired of reading dad blogs who teach their kids such time-wasters as "Daddy loves you," "Treat others how you wish to be treated," and "Meth kills."
I hope I could have persimmon tree also in my house. I loved to see the images above. It was a heart warming.