Paper Route

Self Employed - 1976 to 1983

I started my first entrepreneurial business at the age of 9.

Since child labor was illegal, and my state had started prosecuting news media for employing anyone under the age of 15, even if they had parental consent ...

I proposed to the local newspaper that I set up an independent business wherein I was self-employed and had a diversified set of products in addition to their newspapers. Their attorney concurred and my business began purchasing newspapers in bulk from them at a wholesale discounted price in a B2B relationship.

I licensed a small geographic exclusive area from the local newspaper and began distribution to housing subdivisions consisting of about 120 households. I grew from an initial 30 subscribers to over 100 subscribing households in the first year, and also installed and maintained newspaper boxes and poles.

This income kept me replete with bicycles, erector sets, computer parts, and LEGO Technic until I left to attend college. The savings from this endeavor also purchased my first car.

Using my newspaper route as a base for leverage, a nearby 300 unit apartment complex, and a nearby trailer park, I also became the top sales person on a handful of consecutive fund drives for the regional Cub Scouts, Webelos, and Boy Scouts as the years progressed.