Our brilliant boy, 9, is already saving for a HOUSE – and knows how he’s going to make a fortune as an adult
A COUPLE has shared how their nine-year-old son is already saving for a house – and has already planned out his path to riches as an adult.
The savvy youngster, Tommy Climmo from Devon, chops up wood, bags it and sells it as kindling for a profit.
And one day he hopes to upscale to a hotel refurbishment business – a desire he first expressed at the age of six, according to his parents.
After building up a customer base for his wood-selling exploits, Tommy has now launched his own company, T C Deals Direct.
Using scrap wood left over from his dad Dan’s waste management company, he sells around 80 bags of kindling every month.
The go-getting kid even advertises deals on a Facebook page overseen by his parents – and pays his younger brother to help him bag up the product.
Speaking about his son’s entrepreneurial spirit, Dan said he had brought up his children to have an understanding of business.
But, the dad said he never expected one of them to be running a company of their own at such a young age.
Speaking to DevonLive, he added: “He came to us several years ago and said ‘when I’m older, I’m going to buy hotels, do them up and then sell them on’.
“We just looked at each other and thought ‘where on Earth is this coming from?'”
He added that despite his young age, Tommy is already saving up for a house.
And, the business-minded pre-teen is also brainstorming ways of expanding his business – like selling nets of logs.
Dan added: “He’s constantly thinking about how he can make money, which I think is brilliant.”
Tommy and his siblings have been home schooled since the Covid pandemic – with Dan and his partner constantly thinking up news ways to teach their children practical skills.
By guiding Tommy through the process of running a business, they believe they are teaching him to “realise the values of life”.
It comes after another parent, Francesca Farrow from Wales, revealed how her seven-year-old daughter Luna Lily was already running a confectionery business, Luna’s Magical Sweets.
Just two months in, Luna had secured 270 sales and was in the green on her new business.
Francesca said: “The entrepreneurial spirit has always been there – growing up, her favourite game was always playing shopkeeper.
“She has always seen me doing my work, at meetings or designing things, and she has always wanted to help too.
“When she first started mentioning it I thought she would forget – but she didn’t!
“I built the website for her and did the adult bits, but she’s pretty much done the whole thing herself since then.”
RISKY BUSINESS
HAVE you got big ideas for a small business?
Just 37 per cent of would-be entrepreneurs have the ambition to start their own firm.
We’ve teamed up with Dragons’ Den’s Theo Paphitis to get you started.
Aurelija Meakin’s company balloonista.com was a Small Business Sunday winner in 2019, delighting the former telecoms worker.
Aurelija, from Orpington, Kent, said: “Running your own business can be tough.
“You need to be persistent and resourceful, and not to be too hard on yourself.
“If you have a dream, you have to go for it.”
Here are Theo’s tips for budding entrepreneurs.
- One of the biggest barriers aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners face is a lack of confidence. You must believe in your idea — even more than that, be the one boring your friends to death about it.
- Never be afraid to make decisions. Once you have an idea, it’s the confidence to make decisions that is crucial to starting and maintaining a business.
- If you don’t take calculated risks, you’re standing still. If a decision turns out to be wrong, identify it quickly and deal with it if you can. Failing that, find someone else who can.
- It’s OK not to get it right the first time. My experience of making bad decisions is what helped develop my confidence, making me who I am today.
- Never underestimate the power of social media, and remember the internet has levelled the playing field for small businesses.
- Don’t forget to dream. A machine can’t do that!
- See theopaphitissbs.com