By Chrystie Keller
This weekend, as thousands of people stroll through the Coeur d’Alene Street Fair, Art on the Green, and Taste of Coeur d’Alene, many will stop to admire artwork, discover handmade treasures, and support local businesses.
Some will also meet two young entrepreneurs.
My granddaughters—affectionately known as Sugar & Spice—are proudly welcoming visitors to The Everything Nice Co., the business they have created around handmade Mermaid Collection sugar scrubs and naturally crafted lip glosses.
To many people, it may simply look like two girls selling products.
But when I look at their booth, I see something entirely different.
I see a classroom.
Not one with desks, textbooks, or report cards.
A classroom where life is quietly teaching lessons that will last far longer than any weekend street fair.
The Lessons Begin Long Before the Booth Opens
Entrepreneurship doesn’t begin when the first customer arrives.
It begins weeks before.
Creating products.
Testing ideas.
Choosing ingredients.
Designing labels.
Calculating costs.
Packing inventory.
Preparing displays.
Solving unexpected problems.
Learning that details matter.
Before Sugar & Spice ever greet a customer, they are already discovering that dreams require preparation, patience, and persistence.
That lesson alone builds confidence.
Children begin to understand that success isn’t accidental.
It’s created through consistent effort.
Every Conversation Builds Confidence
Throughout the day, people stop at the booth.
Some purchase products.
Some ask questions.
Some offer words of encouragement.
Others simply smile before continuing on.
Every conversation matters.
The girls are learning how to introduce themselves.
Explain their products.
Listen.
Answer questions.
Look people in the eye.
Share their story.
These may sound like small moments.
They aren’t.
They’re building communication skills, emotional intelligence, and confidence one interaction at a time.
Learning That “No” Isn’t the End
Perhaps one of the hardest lessons for any entrepreneur—especially a young one—is realizing that not every customer becomes a sale.
Children naturally wonder,
“Did I do something wrong?”
The answer is almost always no.
Sometimes people simply aren’t buying today.
Learning to hear “not today” without losing enthusiasm is one of life’s greatest skills.
Because resilience isn’t built when everything goes our way.
Resilience grows every time we choose to keep smiling, keep believing, and keep welcoming the next opportunity.
Success Is More Than Sales
One of the highlights of today is watching Sugar & Spice being interviewed by the CDA Press.
What an incredible experience for two young business owners.
They’re learning how to tell their story.
Speak with confidence.
Answer unexpected questions.
Represent themselves professionally.
Those skills will serve them whether they someday own businesses, become teachers, artists, scientists, or parents.
The interview is exciting.
But it’s also another lesson.
Confidence grows through experience.
The Gift of Mentorship
One reason this experience is especially meaningful is because the girls are sharing their booth with my daughter’s business, Iconic Nails, a business that has earned the trust of the community through years of dedication, professionalism, and genuine care for the people it serves.
They are in good hands.
Children learn far more from what they witness than from what we tell them.
They watch adults solve problems.
They observe how customers are treated.
They see what integrity looks like.
They discover that lasting success isn’t built overnight.
It is earned one relationship at a time.
Watching one generation of entrepreneurs encourage the next is a beautiful reminder that mentorship often begins at home.
The Smallest Beginnings Often Lead to the Biggest Dreams
Watching these girls today brings back memories of my own childhood.
My very first job wasn’t glamorous.
I collected night crawlers for my father’s hobby bait shop.
He paid me one penny for every worm I found.
At the time, I wasn’t thinking about entrepreneurship.
I wasn’t imagining owning businesses or writing books.
I was simply learning that effort had value.
Looking back, I realize those pennies represented something much bigger.
They were teaching me responsibility.
Commitment.
Pride in my work.
The satisfaction that comes from earning something through perseverance.
Perhaps that’s where the first spark of entrepreneurship began.
Not with a business plan.
Not with a dream of owning a company.
But with one small opportunity that quietly planted a seed.
Planting Seeds That Last a Lifetime
Not every child will grow up to own a business.
That isn’t the goal.
The goal is helping children discover what they’re capable of becoming.
Maybe it begins with a lemonade stand.
Maybe it’s selling handmade bracelets to neighbors.
Maybe it’s baking cookies.
Maybe it’s collecting one night crawler at a time for a penny.
The activity itself isn’t what matters.
The lesson is.
Every small experience teaches responsibility.
Problem-solving.
Creativity.
Communication.
Confidence.
Perseverance.
And resilience.
Sometimes those little experiences grow into successful businesses.
Sometimes they inspire lifelong careers.
Sometimes they simply awaken the belief that, “Maybe I can do something bigger.”
That belief can change the course of a child’s life.
More Than a Street Fair
As a children’s author, my mission has always been to help children discover courage, confidence, kindness, and inner strength.
Those qualities aren’t found only within the pages of a book.
They’re discovered through everyday experiences.
They’re developed by trying something new.
By making mistakes.
By solving problems.
By hearing “no” and choosing to continue anyway.
Today, that’s exactly what’s happening behind one small booth on Sherman Avenue.
Sugar & Spice are selling handmade sugar scrubs and lip glosses.
But they’re also building something far more valuable.
Character.
And perhaps that’s the greatest product they’ll ever create.
