What My 6-Year-Old CEO Taught Me About Staying Relevant in Business
The other day, my youngest gave me the full story of how he started his first business. He’s six.
It started at aftercare, where he saw how all the kids were obsessed with 3D-printed dragon eggs. So he had an idea. He went straight to his older brother—who owns a 3D printer—and pitched him a deal:
“You print the dragons. I’ll sell them. We split the profits 50/50.”
I supplied the seed money—bought the filament and even added some smaller eggs to diversify his inventory. We were off to the races.
Business was good… until the market shifted.
One day, he came to me with serious eyes and said,
“Mom, we have a problem. Kids are buying the eggs on Amazon!”
And just like that, he had his first lesson in competition. I told him, “It’s okay—this is your chance to pivot. Let’s find something your brother can print that’s cooler and can’t be found on Amazon.”
That pivot worked. Business picked up again. Even better? The dragon eggs kept selling too. Turns out, some kids were skipping Amazon, saving their money, and choosing to buy from him instead.
Now he’s brainstorming his summer strategy. He floated the idea of a stand outside… but we live in the country and Florida summer is no joke, so we’ll keep iterating.
So, what did I learn from my mini-CEO?
💡 Competition is normal. Pivoting is power. Adapt and stay relevant.
🧠 There’s always a customer—even if Amazon is your competitor. People value different things.
📈 Seed money is just the start. Profit + reinvestment = growth.
👬 Collaboration can be family-powered. And it works.
❤️ Entrepreneurship is best learned by doing—even at age 6.
From Dragon Eggs to Due Diligence: My Business Isn’t That Different
Watching him build his business reminded me of my own work as an entrepreneur.
What started for me as a focus on environmental strategy in seafood has evolved into something much deeper and broader. I didn’t plan on becoming an expert in Human Rights Due Diligence or social risk assessments—but that’s where the market went, and I had to pivot. It’s no longer enough to “check the box” with social audits. I’ve had to get creative and resourceful in how I support my clients, whether it’s helping them follow up on corrective action plans or building out climate strategies.
These days, I’m also learning about alternative feed ingredients, like deforestation- and conversion-free (DCF) soy, and trying to stay ahead of the curve as more buyers ask for it. I need to be able to talk traceability systems, labor recruitment, FSMA, and yes, emissions data—all in the same week.
In an industry full of organizations doing great work in overlapping areas, I’ve realized:
I have my own “Amazons” to compete with.
And that’s okay.
My Takeaway (From Him and From Me):
- 🔁 Pivoting keeps you relevant. What worked before might not work tomorrow—and that’s the challenge and the opportunity.
- 🛠️ Creativity and resourcefulness are strategic advantages. Sometimes the answer isn’t in the playbook—it’s in the relationship, the workaround, the workaround to the workaround.
- 🤝 Pre-competitive collaboration is not just idealistic—it’s cost-effective. Fighting for the same piece of the pie is exhausting. I’d rather build a bigger table.
- 🌎 There’s enough work for all of us. I believe in abundance, not scarcity. And I believe in showing up focused, sharp, and generous—with knowledge and clients.
Whether it’s 3D dragons or due diligence frameworks, business is business. You learn. You pivot. You serve. And you keep believing that there’s always a customer out there who’d rather buy from you than Amazon.