17 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
17 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

A birthday present with a difference

by Deedah
15 replies
My daughter will be 16 in a few months time and I am considering giving her some kind of simple website (which I could work on so it's already earning money) as a present. I did say I would let her have a driving lesson as my son did for his 12th birthday but I thinkshe'd appreciate something that brings her in an income. Come her birthday, she could carry on working on it herself if necessary.

Only thing is it would have to be something very simple as I'm in my last year of uni with tons of work and i'm working on my own website too so I have very little time left.

What do you all think? Good idea? Any suggestions??

By the way, her birthday is in may.
#birthday #difference #present
  • Profile picture of the author burtie
    What are her hobbies?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[387043].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Deedah
      Originally Posted by burtie View Post

      What are her hobbies?
      She loves listening to music - her taste can vary,
      she loves drawing - she wants to get in to graphic designing
      She's a book worm - only just a short while ago she was complaining of not having anything to read! (just finished reading one she bought last week)
      She LOVES the internet
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[387061].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author burtie
        Originally Posted by Deedah View Post

        She loves listening to music - her taste can vary,
        she loves drawing - she wants to get in to graphic designing
        She's a book worm - only just a short while ago she was complaining of not having anything to read! (just finished reading one she bought last week)
        She LOVES the internet
        So, which hobby could you work into a nice site? After we have the idea we can work out how to monetize it.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[387066].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Deedah
          Originally Posted by burtie View Post

          So, which hobby could you work into a nice site? After we have the idea we can work out how to monetize it.
          Mmm, I think it would have to be music
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[387073].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author burtie
            Originally Posted by Deedah View Post

            Mmm, I think it would have to be music
            Cool. have a bit of a brainstorm and see what you can come up with.
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[387075].message }}
            • Profile picture of the author Deedah
              Originally Posted by burtie View Post

              Cool. have a bit of a brainstorm and see what you can come up with.
              Yep, thinking cap on I think!
              {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[387080].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author R Hagel
    Has your daughter shown an interest in this before?

    If so, then I personally would scrap it as a bday present and instead you two can work together to research the market, build the site, etc. In other words, make it a learning experience. She'll learn a lot more about the business working alongside you as opposed to having it handed to her.

    Otherwise, if she hasn't shown an interest, then maybe a website isn't a good idea. If she isn't interested, then she may just see the site as a ball and chain (as work) rather than as potential income.

    Think of it this way -- if someone isn't interested, then giving a website is almost like saying, "hey, I got you a job slopping hogs at Farmer Joe's farm. You're welcome!"

    Cheers,
    Becky
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[387056].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Deedah
      Originally Posted by R Hagel View Post

      Has your daughter shown an interest in this before?

      If so, then I personally would scrap it as a bday present and instead you two can work together to research the market, build the site, etc. In other words, make it a learning experience. She'll learn a lot more about the business working alongside you as opposed to having it handed to her.

      Otherwise, if she hasn't shown an interest, then maybe a website isn't a good idea. If she isn't interested, then she may just see the site as a ball and chain (as work) rather than as potential income.

      Think of it this way -- if someone isn't interested, then giving a website is almost like saying, "hey, I got you a job slopping hogs at Farmer Joe's farm. You're welcome!"

      Cheers,
      Becky
      I have mentioned the idea of earning money using the internet and she hasn't turned her nose up at the idea. She used to go on about selling things on ebay but i'm not so convinced about ebay anymore with all the fees etc...
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[387077].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Sirius Lin
    Burtie seems to have a good idea there, Deedah. You can build a site with a focus on your daughter's hobby so she's be motivated to continue updating it herself when you hand it over

    ~ Sirius
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[387060].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Jen McVey
    I've got to second what Becky said; unless she's shown a REAL interest in owning a website, it's likely she won't follow through.

    I have a 17 year old who's always saying how much she'd love to be making money online. I've tried to help by giving her small "homework" projects to do, promised I'd set her up with a site, help with marketing it, etc., and for the most part, nothing happens. It's frustrating because she gets the whole process, she's a terrific writer and smart as a whip, but at this stage, she's got no motivation.

    So while *I* think owning her own web site is a great idea, until she shows some real passion and drive for it, there's nothing I can do.

    I would test the waters with her first before jumping full steam into creating her a web site. With so little time available to you already, I'd hate to see you waste it on a project she's not interested in.
    Signature
    San Diego Vacations
    Site Build It Reviews
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[387413].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Deedah
      Originally Posted by Jen McVey View Post

      I've got to second what Becky said; unless she's shown a REAL interest in owning a website, it's likely she won't follow through.

      I have a 17 year old who's always saying how much she'd love to be making money online. I've tried to help by giving her small "homework" projects to do, promised I'd set her up with a site, help with marketing it, etc., and for the most part, nothing happens. It's frustrating because she gets the whole process, she's a terrific writer and smart as a whip, but at this stage, she's got no motivation.

      So while *I* think owning her own web site is a great idea, until she shows some real passion and drive for it, there's nothing I can do.

      I would test the waters with her first before jumping full steam into creating her a web site. With so little time available to you already, I'd hate to see you waste it on a project she's not interested in.
      Perhaps then I could help her set up a simple squidoo page with a few affiliate links and use something like twitter to direct traffic?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[387804].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Jen McVey
    That sounds like a great idea! Much easier (and cheaper!) to set up but can use the same marketing methods you would for a regular web site so she can get a real feel for how the process works. And how much time is involved
    Signature
    San Diego Vacations
    Site Build It Reviews
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[388388].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author whitewindow2009
    Depends which field interests her... You can make a website about new fashion suggestions, if she is fashion educated and has keen interest in the new trends.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[390455].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Alexandre Valois
    This reminds me of a story that was shared with by a dad who's teenage son wanted a car for his birthday. The father decided that instead of giving him the car right away, he would help his son start his own business so that he could in turn buy the car he wanted.

    3 months later or so, the son had a car, plus a profitable business that would get him through college.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[390460].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Deedah
      Originally Posted by Alexandre Valois View Post

      This reminds me of a story that was shared with by a dad who's teenage son wanted a car for his birthday. The father decided that instead of giving him the car right away, he would help his son start his own business so that he could in turn buy the car he wanted.

      3 months later or so, the son had a car, plus a profitable business that would get him through college.
      That's a great story. She won't be having a car just yet though - bit too young me thinks.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[391231].message }}

Trending Topics