I’m all about getting children prepared for work both so they learn about the importance of hard work and to propel them to find their passion. To help foster their entrepreneurial spirit, JJ Ramberg, host of Your Business on MSNBC and the founder of Goodshop, along with Melanie Staggs and S. Taylor, created the book, The Startup Club: The Big Idea: The Big Idea, a fun fiction early-reader series about a group of elementary school kids who use their creativity and passions to start small businesses.
Through the book, kids will learn the components of starting a business in an age appropriate way. to learn more about the book, check out our recent interview with authors, JJ Ramberg and Melanie Staggs.
Interview with JJ Ramberg and Melanie Staggs, authors of The Startup Club
Weekend Jaunts: Why did you write this book?
Melanie: Kids are natural entrepreneurs – we have been the back office for our fair share of lemonade stands for our own kids! – but there are few books that tap into this interest for younger aged kids. We thought that the fact that there was no fun early-reader story about starting a business was a missed opportunity to teach kids some lessons that would help them through their lives.
JJ: Melanie and I have a rule – never pass a lemonade stand without buying some! We always want to encourage kids who are out there trying to make their own money. But, I also always ask kids how much their expenses are and if they’re making a profit. Most of them can’t answer. So, we wanted to find a fun way to teach kids the basics of running a business through a fun story that they could relate to.
Weekend Jaunts: What will kids learn from The Startup Club?
Melanie: First and foremost, we wanted to write a book that would be fun for kids to read without them feeling like they were being lectured on how to start a business – so they are learning without even realizing it. Once we came up with a relatable story about a group of friends who start a business, we wove in the concepts you need to think about when you run a company. So, they learn (in an age-appropriate way) what profit and loss, marketing, competition etc… are. Basically, once they’re done with this book, they’ll know that when they have a lemonade stand, they need to pay their parents back for the lemons to get to their profit!
Weekend Jaunts: Why is it important for kids to learn these lessons early on?
JJ: No matter what job they have later in life (even if they work for a large company), being entrepreneurial will serve our kids well. Our kids will need to be able to think on their feet and be creative about fixing problems and finding solutions in their careers. Also, this is a fun way to get kids comfortable dealing with money. We’re using entrepreneurship as a way to kick off a lesson in financial literacy. The earlier our kids understand money so they don’t get into financial trouble later on, the better.
Weekend Jaunts: JJ, you started your own company, Goodshop, and you are a journalist who covers entrepreneurship for your show Your Business, how do you teach your kids from your own experiences?
JJ: Well, my husband and I both run our own companies (he founded Guerin Glass Architects) and we try to talk about our work days around the dinner table so that the kids can feel like they are a part of what we do. If I have an issue going on at work that’s appropriate to talk about, I ask the kids what they would do if they were me in the situation. They’ve come up with some good ideas!
We also watch my show so that they can hear the stories of other entrepreneurs and business decision makers.
Weekend Jaunts: What kinds of things can we all do to get our kids thinking about how companies are run?
Melanie: Ask them a lot of questions. For example, if there is an empty storefront you drive by, ask them what kind of store they would open there and why it would be successful. Or ask them what their favorite ad is and why they think it worked on them. It can really become a fun game.
Weekend Jaunts: You two are sisters – what was it like working together?
JJ: The best. I always turn to my sister for advice with all my work, so it was so fun to actually get to do something together.
Melanie: We already talk to each other many times a day and so it was great to mix this project into that. We’re also both so passionate about this idea that it never felt hard to do.
Weekend Jaunts: Any idea for businesses our kids can start?
Melanie: Ask them what they’re interested in – is it lemonade, slime, bracelets, shells they can paint?
JJ: For their first business, it matters less what it is and more that they are just giving it a try!
The book comes out Aug 7 but is available for pre-order now.
