Presentation of Learning

Entering the Marketplace: Running a Temporary Micro-Business

One of the best ways to learn about running a small business is to jump in and run a low-stakes one yourself!

iLEAD learners Revery and Rosalind Davis had just such an opportunity when they signed up to sell items at the market day at the learning center. The pair planned out their ideas, gathered necessary supplies, and spent hours creating items to sell at the market. They were both inspired to create items that their peers could enjoy and have fun with.

Fifth grade learner Rev enjoyed the challenge of figuring out what worked best for his design. He made Pokémon ring-toss games using a 3D printer for the Pokémon figures and rings, wood for the base, and adhesive spray and modeling turf to give the base an earthy look. He was originally going to use Astroturf, but decided it didn’t lay as flat or look as nice as he wanted. He also spent time adjusting the size of the Pokémon sculptures and scaling the rings. He wanted the rings to be big enough to catch the Pokémon but small enough to make the game challenging and fun. He made adjustments and was happy with the end product.

Rosy, grade three, created handmade bracelets, keychains, wall hangings, Perler bead hearts, and slime. She had an unexpected issue arise with the slime and had to pull it from her sale at the last minute. Setting up for the market, she noticed the slime had separated a bit after sitting for days. The bottom layer was stickier than the surface layer, but since it was too late to adjust, she made the hard decision not to sell it. She worried that people who bought it might not enjoy it as much because it was so sticky. Instead, she took the opportunity to think of ways to catch anything similar in the future and avoid having to make such a drastic last-minute adjustment. Rosy was happy with all she had to offer because she had a lot to choose from at her table, which provided customers variety and one place to shop without having to go from booth to booth.

During the course of the market day, Rev and Rosy had the opportunity to use their math skills to figure out costs for multiple items sold and make change for larger bills on the spot. Their advice for anyone selling at a market is to have a variety of products and to design an attractive booth and display items that draw people’s attention.

The market day event was a learning experience for both Rev and Rosy. When choosing items to create and sell at the market, Rev and Rosy had to think about the interests of their peers. They decided to create products that are popular for their age group in hopes of sparking some good interest.

The sibling duo had a successful sales day and attribute their success at least partly to presentation and marketing. They made sure to be informative about their products and friendly to their potential customers. They had a fun time interacting with customers. It was a rewarding and encouraging experience to create products and have others purchase them.