Wee Ones was my first big miss. I was still in college and working in child care with a friend. We had been working together for a long time when we realized the units we thought o kids in our classroom could a visiting event at daycare all around the Denver metro area. We gathered supplies and put together a menu of STEM visits. Together we created a targeted list of child care centers that fit our demographic. Our high target grassroots list built by elbow grease had a great return. Quickly a spin-off arose. We kept hearing again and again from the parents in our classrooms and at the other centers that they needed weekend support. Wee One’s Events. Wee One’s served the childcare center, Wee One’s events served the parents. We all served the kids.
This was a fantastic business. It got to a point where we need investors and back the idea or pull out. In the end: both of us in school, dependent on our regular jobs and no wiser advisers to guide us. We pulled out unable to maintain all. It is important to note, that my partner was willing to take the risk, I was too close to see this project in all its possibilities.
It took me a few years to see this as the near-miss it was. I like to include it here becaues I learned so much! This was a lot of success bookended with a huge mistake – I failed to see our business for it was and cost us an early success.
Skills learned from this project
- The value of Hard Work
- Being Objective
- The power of Advisers
- The Importance of a Clear Mission
- Exercises Skills I was Still Learning
- Good Record Keeping
- Value Stacking
