By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
One of the biggest struggles of quarantine is the unending obstacle of making sure kids are constantly entertained. For some, it’s as easy as handing them a tablet and letting them disappear into a plethora of apps or watching a number of streaming services.
Some parents, however, have to dive a little deeper to keep their kids busy.
Annika, Kiran, and Kavi Balachandra’s father was trying to find the best way to keep his kids entertained while he did some yard work. As a way to keep them busy, he explained that he would pay each of them $1 to pick all the dandelions in the yard. They completed the task and happily received payment for their work.
Shortly after, the three came up with an idea after realizing that many of their neighbors had the same dandelion problem. The kids created flyers offering their dandelion-picking service and delivered them to seven houses in their neighborhood. For $3, they agreed to picking all the dandelions on every side of the yard. Potential customers were left a space to check yes or no for the services, and the Balachandra's address to return the ad. Within two days, Annika (8), Kiran (6), and Kavi (5) had four customers.
In the short time since creating their business, the kids have learned some valuable lessons in entrepreneurship. “Our favorite thing since starting our business has been seeing that even though corona was out, people still said yes. And another was seeing that we could actually earn money this way,” said Annika. Since starting, the kids have learned the best way to remove the weeds and dispose of them in upcycled grocery bags.
The weather had been poor since collecting responses for their ad. As a result, Annika, Kiran, and Kavi were only initially able to rid one house of its dandelion problem. But as weather improved, the kids finished the job - and made their neighborhood as dandelion free as possible. Between five houses, the Balachandra kids managed to collect at least 15 pounds of dandelions.
As they rid their entire neighborhood of the bothersome weeds, Annika, Kiran, and Kavi will have to find new ways to keep busy. These three siblings will surely find an interesting way to do it, though - and they'll probably learn a lesson or two along the way.
