Common Sense Business for Kids could just as easily be marketed as a business primer for adults. Written by Kathryn Daniels, this 62-page book is based upon conversations with Anthony Joseph Maybury and his experiences while it is also informed by Daniels’ knowledge gained through her degree in business. While it mentions some of the technical and legal issues involved with starting and running a business, it focuses more on common senses thinking and planning.
Among topics covered are choosing a type of business likely to be successful, actual costs to consider, realistically assessing potential market share, employee relationships, and salesmanship.
Chapters are brief and filled with stories and illustrations, so this is an easy and enjoyable book to read. Children might read it at whatever point they think they want to start their own business. I suspect that ambitious teens would be the ideal audience, eager to learn and with enough life experience to understand the stories and illustrations. Adults thinking of starting their own business might find this a useful reality check before they commit to a venture. Even though written for kids, it’s not juvenile or dumbed down—just straightforward and basic.
In footnotes, it mentions two other books that fit well alongside this book: Capitalism for Kids and How to Lie With Statistics.
