The Startup Squad: You're the Boss

A kid's guide to entrepreneurship and starting your own business, from the renowned entrepreneur and founder of the Startup Squad!

Are you bursting with great ideas for a new business but aren't quite sure where to start? Do you know that you'd be great at selling something but first need to figure out what that "something" actually is? Are you gearing up to be an entrepreneur but think that kids can't really build anything big? If any of these sound like you—you've come to the right book!

You’re never too young to start a business. Whether you want to launch a babysitting service, run a lemonade stand, sell crafts online—or don’t even know what business to start—You're the Boss is here to help. In this book, you'll learn how to figure out which business is right for you, find your ideal customers, manage the competition, calculate costs and profits, pitch your ideas, and so much more.

Ready to build up the confidence, creativity, and grit that come along with being an entrepreneur—and ready to make some money and build your business empire along the way? Let You're the Boss show you how!Praise for The Startup Squad: You're the Boss

“[A] one-stop shop for all future ­entrepreneurs...[Recommended] for all nonfiction ­collections; there are impossibly few resources available to this readership that take on this topic and cover it in such depth.” —School Library Journal

"Readers will be inspired by the variety of cited success stories and their range of products . . . This helpful and timely offering will appeal." —Booklist

“This guide will walk you through step by step what it takes to create your own business—starting with your why…A valuable resource for young entrepreneurs.” —Kidsbookshelf.com

“This book is just what every budding entrepreneur needs, child or adult. It’s filled with easy-to-digest information, inspirational stories and immediate actions to bring your dreams to life…This isn’t just a book about starting a business, this is a book about developing a mindset that will serve us well throughout life...[I]t is a kids book but...this is a book that I think anyone, anyone could benefit from. But my goodness to get it as a child, and to realize the possibilities and to have it not seem daunting, but doable with so many examples filled in the pages of how and why, it’s powerful, it’s so so powerful." —KidLit Love podcast
Brian Weisfeld is a youth entrepreneurship advocate who has spent his life building businesses on three continents: from a gummy bear business as a kid to billion-dollar businesses such as IMAX Corporation and Coupons.com as an adult. Brian created You’re the Boss to inspire kids to start their first businesses and to empower them to think like entrepreneurs. Brian is the coauthor of the Startup Squad book series and founder of the Startup Squad Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching entrepreneurship to girls from underserved communities. Brian lives in Silicon Valley with his wife and two daughters. You can visit Brian Weisfeld online at BrianWeisfeld.com.

Bonnie Bader has written more than fifty books for young readers, including contributions to the popular Who Was...? series, Little Golden Books, American Girl Doll books, and more. As associate publisher at Penguin Young Readers, Bonnie edited many bestselling series and created the Penguin Young Readers leveled-reading program. She now serves on the Board of Advisors for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. You can visit Bonnie Bader online at BonnieBaderBooks.com.Introduction

When Mikaila Ulmer was four years old, she was stung by a bee. And believe it or not, less than a week later she was stung again! (Not by the same bee, of course.) The stings hurt, and Mikaila became frightened of bees.

But instead of hiding from them, Mikaila started re­searching those flying—­and sometimes stinging—­insects. She became fascinated. Mikaila learned that some bees make honey and that bees are a very important part of our ecosystem. But she also learned that bees are endangered and that without bees, there would be a lot fewer flowers, fruits, and vegetables in the world.

Around the same time, Mikaila’s parents encouraged her to create a product for two children’s business fairs: the Acton Children’s Business Fair and Lemonade Day. What should she make? Mikaila thought and thought. When she received a cookbook from her great-­granny Helen that included a recipe for flaxseed lemonade, she wondered if she should use that recipe. Great-­granny’s lemonade sounded delicious . . . but could she put an original spin on the recipe to make it her own?

Then Mikaila had an idea. What if she created something that brought awareness to the fact that bees are endangeredand used her great-­granny’s recipe at the same time? So Mikaila added some honey to Great-­Granny’s recipe. The lemonade tasted delicious! And that was the very moment her business was born.

Mikaila started selling her lemonade at the business fairs and from a stand outside her home in Austin, Texas. She learned how to save some money from her business and how to create a budget for buying supplies. She donated a portion of her profits to organizations that were working to protect honeybees, and she came up with the business slogan “Buy a Bottle . . . Save a Bee.”

Today, Mikaila runs a successful business that continues to grow and grow. By the time she was fourteen years old, she’d sold more than a million bottles of her award-­winning lemonade, Me & the Bees Lemonade, in supermarkets across the nation. Plus, Mikaila has an entire team working for her, including her mom! And when Mikaila is not busy making lemonade, she is speaking to other kids about being an entrepreneur and how to help the bees (of course!). She even published her own book:Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid.

Of course, starting and maintaining a business isn’t always as smooth as honey. Mikaila had several challenges along the way, but by working hard and seeing opportunities instead of problems, she succeeded. And you can, too!

Read on to create your own recipe for success . . .