I was twelve years of age when I realised I needed to work for a living. How about you?
It was the time I’d started secondary school. All my friends were riding cycles to and from school and so, naturally, I thought life would be so much better if I was able to ride instead of walk the 2/3 miles to be with friends.
So, I did what most kids my age did – I asked my dad if he would buy me a bike.
‘Perhaps wait until Christmas,’ came the response from dad. ‘Besides, if I go out and find a bike for you, then your brother will need one as well.’
‘But dad, he doesn’t start ‘big school’ until next year …’
‘I tell you what, Charlie …’ Dad began…
‘I’ll buy you half a bike if you can raise the money for the other half. If you can do this, you shall have what you want.’
Of course, I hadn’t a clue where to start, although it didn’t take me long to realise I’d need more money than I had in my possession, to purchase ‘half a bike.’
That said, I knew better than to argue with my father … I’d try Mum instead.
‘Charlie, if it’s important you need to try and find a job after school, or at the weekend?’ Came a sensible reply.
So, I busied myself knocking on doors offering my services for odd jobs. Before long, I found that by running errands, collecting rubbish and helping out around the house … with a garden tidy, or washing the neighbour’s car, the collective small sums soon set me on the path to ‘entrepreneurship.’
The next endeavour was the summer lemonade at the end of the driveway, I even had a ‘trusty’ helper in my brother who soon learned the value of partnership. We then progressed to delivering leaflets … then, by the Autumn I was offered a ‘paper round,’ if I had a bike!
Now, I hadn’t all of the money that paid for a bicycle, although one morning, to my amazement, there on the porch was the bike I’d been working for.
‘That’s reward for all your effort, Charlie. Said Dad. By making yourself available for work and becoming reliable, you’ve put yourself in a position for further opportunity. Good for you! Now work on that paper-round so we might save something saved for your brother’s bike, eh?
These days I don’t have a ‘paper-round’ although I do sometimes yearn for those simpler times. Today I am always ready to tell (a condensed version) of the above story if anyone ever queries when they are likely to see a return on their efforts while business networking …
Networking meets you halfway.
Such as life, we see a return on what we put in, right?
CharlieKenny.me 