Think Like a 12-Year-Old (Seriously, It Could Change Your Business)

My son is 12. And honestly? I think he might have a better business brain than most adults.

Here’s why.

Kids don’t overthink. They don’t sit around stressing about why something might not work. They just decide what they want to do — and then go do it. No mental gymnastics. No self-sabotage. Just pure, unfiltered action.

Adults, on the other hand, we’re professionals at talking ourselves out of stuff.
We overanalyse, spot every potential problem, and before you know it… the idea dies before it even gets started.

We need to start thinking more like kids.

Come up with great ideas — things that are fun, things you enjoy — then figure out how to monetise it. Worry about the problems later. Because trust me, there will be problems. Always. But if you want to succeed, you don’t avoid problems… you solve them.

Meet Jack, CEO of Lemo-liscious Enterprises 🍋

My son’s on school holidays, so I asked him:

“If you were going to start a business, what would you do?”

He thought for a second and said: “Sell lemonade.”

Solid. Old school. Respect.
I asked why.

“Well,” he says, “we have a lemon tree. So lemons, water, and sugar are free.”

Now — side note — in his world, anything that comes from our house is technically free.

But I let it slide because I loved the thinking: resourceful, low overhead, and using what you’ve already got. Honestly, some of my favourite qualities in employees and applicants.

So he’s got the product. But now comes the big one:

Who’s going to buy your lemonade?

This, my friends, is where most businesses crash and burn. It’s not the product. It’s not the brand.
It’s Access to Market.

You Can Have the Best Product in the World… But If No One Sees It, It Doesn’t Matter.

Jack thinks for a bit and says: “Mt Edgecombe.”

If you’re local, you’ll know — Mt Edgecombe is an upmarket golf estate down the road. He’s got a bunch of mates there, and when they’re not running wild or playing ding, dong, ditch (Google it if you must), they’re causing chaos somewhere within the gates.

It’s a great call. High foot traffic. Kids with pocket money. Parents with wallets.

Only one problem.

We don’t live there.

So while he’s nailed the target market, he now has to figure out the hardest part of any business: How to get in front of that market.

Sound familiar?

Now We’re Plotting Like Bank Robbers 😎

After much thinking, scheming, and brainstorming, Jack says,
“We need someone on the inside.”

For a second, it felt like we were planning a heist, not a lemonade stand.
But honestly? It made perfect sense.

This is where real business decisions start getting made.
Because now we’re talking:

• Network

• Partnerships

• Negotiation

• Access strategy

So I asked him:

“Who do you know that lives there?
Who could help you?
And what are you willing to give them in return?”

That, folks, is business in a nutshell.

The 3 Real-World Options Jack Had:

I broke it down for him like this:

1. Sell your lemonade to them (aka wholesaling)
They buy in bulk, sell it themselves, take all the risk — and all the potential profit.
You get paid upfront, but probably less overall.

✅ Low effort
❌ Low reward
❌ No control

2. Find a partner and split it 50/50
You bring the product, they bring the access and help sell it. You both win.

✅ Shared effort
✅ Shared reward
✅ Shared risk

3. Pay them a fee to get access (like a commission or gate fee)
You hustle solo, keep all the profit, but also do all the work.

✅ All the profit
❌ All the effort
❌ All the stress

We picked Option 2.
Because the truth is — in life and in business — a good partner doesn’t slow you down.
They help you cover more ground, faster.

So… What’s the Point?

There’s a huge business lesson in this lemonade story.

• Don’t wait until everything’s perfect.

• Don’t overthink the problems before you even start.

• Use what you’ve got.

• Know your market.

• And if you can’t reach them — figure out a way in.

And remember: Access to market is everything.
If you can solve that, the rest becomes a lot easier.

If a 12-year-old can figure it out, so can you.

Final Thought:

If you’ve got a great skill, a unique way of thinking, like to solve problems — but struggle to get in front of the right people — that’s literally why we built Perspectv.

We help job seekers and businesses find the right match — faster.
No cold outreach. No middlemen. No guessing games.
Just smart, data-driven introductions that get you where you want to go.

Think less like an overcautious adult.
Think more like a 12-year-old with a lemon tree and a plan.