Editor’s Note: For the rest of the summer, The Dispatch is profiling some of the area’s youngest entrepreneurs. Do you know a child earning money in a unique way? Let us know by emailing [email protected].
It’s never too early to start saving money for college.
But you don’t have to tell 6-year-old Marque Dawson that. He has been running Marque’s Munchies and Kid Zone for the last three years toward that end.
Dawson’s mother, Ebony Hill, told The Dispatch she came up with the idea while trying to find a way to prepare for her son’s future. So far, the business has raised $5,000 for him to attend college.
“It kind of started with him because he loves all the different snacks and chips, and so I just kind of figured I can just take what he loves and kind of turn to a little business for him,” Hill said.
Accompanied by Hill and his grandmother, Paula, Dawson attends the Market Street Festival, Fireworks on the Water and other small events from May to August.
Dawson said that he likes to count every dollar he makes and averages between $200 and $500 per event, selling hotdogs, chips, soda, bubble blowers, light-up and blow-up toys and sunglasses.
Hill said the business averages about $1,500 or more per season. Prices for his products are $1 and $3 for toys and jewelry and 50 cents to $2 for food and drink items. Hill said she purchases the products from local stores and cooks the hot dogs Dawson sells.
Since starting the business, Dawson said he enjoys people coming up and talking to him and feeding people the food he likes, such as hot dogs and spicy chips.
“I like feeding people who are hungry,” Dawson said. “It feels good because I want to help them.”
Hill said she uses the business to teach Dawson about money management through tracking the costs and profits of the company. She also said Dawson learns more social skills while running the business, which is important to maintain while he isn’t in school.
“I’m trying to teach him some life skills,” Hill said. “I’m trying to teach responsibility with money management and making deals. I’m trying to expose him to how he will be working when he is on his own and how to own his own business.”
While Dawson enjoys the business and spending time with family while doing it, he eventually wants to use the people skills he learned to work with animals as a veterinarian.
“I like animals like cats and dogs,” he said. “I want to work and play with them. I want to teach children about them too.”
As he gets older, though, Hill said she wants him to continue running it while she and his grandmother take a step back and let him operate more independently. She hopes that she and her son can raise at least $20,000 before he goes off to college.
“I’m going to try to do it until he graduates high school,” Hill said. “I’m hoping when he gets older, he gets a job and can start putting a little bit back (into the savings account) because I want him to know that you can’t have just other people investing in you if you don’t want to invest in yourself. So, I’m going to try to continue with (Marque’s Kid Zone and Munchies), but We’ll see how that goes. That’s the plan right now.”
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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