By Raymond Viger
I have finished my school classes. After playing a bit in the schoolyard… business meeting. I meet the two artists I represent to review our sales.
One artist makes little crosses with small ceramic squares. They can be pinned to a collar or a shirt. The other artist does illustrations. He frames them in popsicle sticks. I promote their art products.
I clarify our sales methods.
“The product sells for 25 cents. Proceeds are shared in five equal parts: five cents for ach artist, five cents for me who is doing the selling, five cents to restock our products. The other five cents is set aside to allow the business to do research and development or to test new products.”
The artists want more. They don’t want to share their proceeds with each other. But you have to be clear on the rule of engagement so that the business runs smoothly.
All of 6 years old, proud of representing two artists, I go door-to-door most evenings. A complete success. How can you resist someone that age taking charge?
But nothing lasts forever. Two years later, the artists are less interested in creating. I have to go back to the drawing board and see life from another angle.
I am interested in selling newspapers. The Journal de Montréal has already got enough paper deliverers to cover my neighborhood. They work on street corners, at the church entrance… Then a new newspaper sees the day, Dimanche Dernière Heure. A dream opportunity to jump into the arena, to take my place with an unknown product.
In those days, newspapers printed their price on their front page, either 20 cents or 25 cents. One price was for sales at the depanneur (convenience store), and the other was charged when it was sold on a street corner or delivered to your home. That was what the paperboy (or papergirl) made.
Dimanche Dernière Heure was only sold at the depanneur. No paper routes were available. They didn’t have any subscriptions yet. I tell my father that this Sunday he will read Dimanche Dernière Heure. I will go and get it for him.
Sunday comes, and I ask my father for 25 cents for the new newspaper. With the financing of my new business assured, I head for the convenience store telling him, “I will be back in three hours with your newspaper.”
I buy my father’s first newspaper. I run to the street corner to sell it. The driver of the car gives me a 5 cent tip. I return to the depanneur and buy a second copy. I have 10 cents in cash left. After selling the second paper, I can buy two at once. After selling those two papers I can buy three.
I split my operation between the street corner and the church entrance. When traffic decreases and the Sunday morning services are over, I head back home, going door-to-door to sell off my inventory, retaining one paper for my father.
Giving him his newspaper, he asks me what happened to the 5 cents he is owed. Without hesitating, I tell him:
“Your newspaper was home delivered, so it costs you 25 cents.”
Managing inventory, marketing strategies, product presentation, the audacity to knock on doors to sell papers… Great training for a youth.
If you ask me what I think about the current provincial law forbidding kids under 14 from working, I am totally against it. I agree that we should avoid slavery and mistreating children. But we shouldn’t stifle their entrepreneurial instincts.
Do your research. Find out where and how the great entrepreneurs began their on-the-ground training.
Beethoven began playing piano at age 4. I was less precocious than him. I had two employees at age 6! Even though his first concert was at age 7.
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