New Venture Lab: Equipping Christian Entrepreneurs

Are you looking for ways to teach your children about entrepreneurship?  This is a story about a 13-year-old boy that has been planning his hot dog stand for some time and is now in the final permitting stage.  What a great way to learn with little risk...

Most youths want to spend their summer vacation lounging at the beach, hanging out with their friends or playing outside, but not 13-year-old Jake Genereux. This summer, he is beginning his first business venture — selling hot dogs at the town pier.

Jake’s mother Wendy said he has been an entrepreneur since he was a small child. With his saved money, and a little help from his parents, he is buying a hot dog cart and beginning the business. Although she and Jake’s father Paul plan to supervise him in the beginning and help him out where they need to, they want Jake to run the hot dog stand on his own, and so does he, Wendy said.

“He has always wanted to work,” she said. “He put some of his savings into the cart, and we are behind him 100 percent.”

Jake said he began researching the idea of selling hot dogs when he was 10. Last year, he attempted to get a permit, but Wendy said an application to sell hot dogs had already been taken out for that spot. This year, he went back for an application early and was able to obtain one.

“When he gets something in his head he doesn’t let it go.” Wendy said. “He’s one of those kids who is always looking for ways to make money. He had paper route at 11, but he wanted to do something more; he wanted to be around people and do something he enjoyed,”

Jake said he knew he would have to a get a permit to sell the hot dogs, but he was not aware of the list of permits he needed to get in order to set up his cart. But that doesn’t deter him; Wendy said that by Tuesday he was ready and waiting to go out and start completing the 12 applications and licenses needed so he could begin his business.

“I really wanted to start my own business,” Jake said. “Once I get all the permits, I will be ready to go to the town pier, set it up, and start selling them.”

On Monday night, selectmen were all for Jake’s ambition and willingness to work, but had some reservations with his age before giving him the green light. Chairman Jon Witten said from a legal perspective, the board would require a parental co-signer on Jake’s application and license. The selectmen unanimously supported allowing Jake to sell hot dogs on the pier from May 22 to Oct. 31, once all required licenses and permits were obtained and as long as he had an adult co-signer on his application.

At one point during the meeting, Wendy thought selectmen were going to deny the license because of Jake’s age, but they agreed to let him move forward with parental consent and guidance. Once the board voted in favor, Jake was so happy that Wendy said, “It was one of those parent-child moments to see his face light up and him say, ‘I told you we would get it.’”

“It makes me happy to see him happy,” she said. “It is a small dream at this point, but he has those entrepreneur skills and we don’t want to deny that.”

The eager seventh-grader has covered all his bases, researching carts and prices online and prioritizing his permits. His parents don’t have to do a thing, besides drive him, of course. Jake e-mails and calls all parties needed to gain his permits, and wants to be in charge of his business. He said he plans to save the money he earns from his hot dog business for his college education.

“I really wanted to earn some money and this idea popped into my mind,” Jake said. “It was the first thing I thought of, I looked it up online and thought it was good way to earn money, so I decided to sell them.”

With his parents 100 percent behind his hot dog cart operation, look for Jake out at the town pier this summer Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

By: Andrea Farrell

Source: The Duxbury Reporter and Patriot Ledger