Biz kids

It’s never too late to do something big. It’s never too early, either.

Typical kids spend untold summer hours watching television, networking on Facebook, playing video games and hanging at the mall, happily oblivious to the pressures of turning a buck.

But a few young people possess a beyond-their-years business savvy coupled with the rare desire to launch an early career or do their part to better the world.

Meet the neighborhood’s most enterprising youths — trust us, they are people you might want to know in the future.

Mail call

Name: McAllister Hobbs
Age: 7
Biz: M&B Mail Service

Cruising down Northaven on his bicycle, 7-year-old McAllister Hobbs clutches a box of about 50 flyers, eagerly promoting his mail service. For just $1 a day, he picks up neighbors’ mail while they’re out of town.

“I’m trying to save up for an iPhone,” McAllister says, beaming with excitement.

After one year of business, he has saved about $40, which he stores in a metal lunch box. Initially, he charged only 25 cents for his service but upped the price after some customers opted to pay more. To boost productivity and payback, McAllister employs his 5-year-old brother, Brodie, penning the name M&B Mail Service. The boys split the profits.

McAllister had been collecting mail for the family’s next-door neighbor, who suggested he start his own business.

“Once you paid him, the light bulbs went off,” says his mother, Rachel Hobbs. She and her husband Brian, a financial planner, say they try to teach their children to work for the things they want. They also have a 2-year-old daughter, Kennedy.

And it’s not just about working. It’s about saving money — not blowing it on candy. So Rachel and Brian came up with an incentive, agreeing to match every $20 that McAllister earns.

“I feel like kids are given a lot of stuff now,” Rachel says. “I don’t want them to think that just because they ask for something, they get it.”

When he’s not making the rounds in Hillcrest Forest, McAllister attends St. Rita Catholic School and plays lacrosse. Sometimes he buys his own lunch or treats himself to a piece of candy at school.

“[The business] allows me to have my own money to spend,” he says.

McAllister says he thinks it will take one or two years to save up enough money for his iPhone.

McAllister and Brodie cover homes along Northaven from the Jewish Community Center to St. Jude. If you live nearby, look for the boys’ M&B Mail Service flyers.

Adventures in babysitting

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Name: Mallory and Abby Pratt
Age: 18, 17
Biz: Mallabbys Sitting Service

Mallory and Abby Pratt have more business references than most college graduates. That’s because about two years ago, these savvy sisters took their routine babysitting to a whole new level, creating endless clientele.

“We had been babysitting for a long time,” says Mallory, 18. “It was sporadic, so we thought, ‘Why don’t we make this the real deal?’ ”

They sent email blasts to hundreds of their parents’ contacts, advertised in HOA newsletters near their Chapel Downs neighborhood and promoted the business at their church nursery. Soon, they had successfully launched Mallabbys, a baby, pet and house sitting service complete with its own website.

The girls admit that, initially, they weren’t thrilled about running their own business.

“We were terrified,” Abby says.

They received an overwhelming response but, after some practice, they learned to balance the workload, which now averages to about two gigs a week. The girls’ success stems from their genuine interest in the children.

“A lot of babysitters think, ‘I’m just here in case something bad happens,’ ” Mallory says. “We are friends and mentors to the children, engaging with them. We want to brighten their day.”

Jennifer Schumacher recognizes that energy. For two years, Abby has been babysitting her three boys who are 8, 7 and 4.

“From the minute she walks in, she gets a ball and goes outside to play,” Schumacher says. “She’s just fun. My boys ask for her all the time. I never for a second worry that my kids aren’t taken care of.”

Abby, 17, is a junior at the Cambridge School of Dallas. She plays volleyball and does costume, hair and makeup for the theater department. Mallory just finished her first year at Harding University, majoring in English and history. The girls are heavily involved in their church, The Branch at Vista Ridge in Carrollton, where they carry out their true passion — mission work.

That’s the real reason behind Mallabbys. All the earnings help fund their church trips, and this month the girls will travel to Ghana, Africa, to teach children about healthy eating.

“We love to travel, and this is our favorite way to do it … interacting with so many different people, not for luxury but to do something good,” Mallory says.

Besides managing clientele, the girls have learned all about the financial side of business, too, realizing that it’s not so boring after all.

“We see that amount rise, and we get excited,” Mallory says.

While some high school-aged kids care mostly about parties and friends, Abby and Mallory see the bigger picture.

“This opens us up to other aspects of the world — to reality,” Abby says.

To learn about Mallabbys, call 972.804.9466 or visit mallabbys.com. 
These girls are in high demand, so book at least a week in advance.

A real gem

Name: Ashley Austin
Age: 13
Biz: AZA Designs

Halfway through dinner one evening, Ashley Austin jumped up from the table and said, “I have an idea for a necklace!” She grabbed her supplies and locked herself in the hall bathroom to create her new jewelry design.

“I don’t like people to watch me work,” she says. “It creeps me out. I like it to be a surprise.”

The 13-year-old Preston Hollow resident has her own jewelry line, AZA Designs, but it’s not plastic beads on a string. Ashley’s handmade work is sold at Random, the former Inwood Village boutique that has since moved to Lakewood, where she attends school at St. Thomas Aquinas.

“My friends call it ‘Ashley’s store’,” she says with a smile. “It makes me feel special.”

Random owner Mark Hearne remembers when Ashley came into the shop two years ago, her mother shooing her over to the counter.

“She had a little bag of stuff in her hand,” Hearne says. “She crept up to the cash register and said, ‘I sell jewelry. Would you like to see some of it?’ ”

Ashley laid out 10 pieces to show, and it didn’t take much convincing.

“For a girl her age, the designs were well-thought out with great color coordination. I was immediately impressed by it,” Hearne says. “I took all she had with her, and it started selling immediately.”

Self-taught, Ashley became serious about her craft in fifth grade. She sells her pieces for about $15-$30, and it took a while to actually make money. So far, she has earned about $120 in profits, most of which go back into the business to buy beads and other materials.

“I just got in the black two months ago,” she says.

Yes, Ashley knows her financial lingo. She manages her own money through a credit union account and uses the Quicken computer program to track what she sells. Also, 5 percent of her sales benefit an impoverished child the Austins sponsor through the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging.

“It just made me feel bad,” Ashley says. “I thought it would be a good idea to give to that.”

In addition to Random, M Salon (where Ashley gets her hair cut) also carries her jewelry. And last fall, she had a booth at the October Market at St. Thomas. But she doesn’t spend all of her time making jewelry (as much as she’d like to).

Ashley also plays soccer, and last school year she made the High Honor Roll, scoring 94 or above in every subject.

She wants to take her business to the next level, experimenting with clays and fusing. As a reminder of how far she has come, Ashley has held onto her plastic Hello Kitty tote bag full of amateur “kid jewelry” made with pipe cleaners and cheap plastic beads.

“We never knew it would turn into a business,” she says.

For Hearne, Ashley represents an elite group of kids who get an early taste of the real world.

“She’s kind of an inspiration, I believe. I think it’s good when kids get into that at a young age because it shows them that it doesn’t come easy. It teaches them work ethic … getting a check for something that you put together with your hands. It’s a snapshot of reality.”

Look for AZA Designs at Random, 6465 E. Mockingbird, Suite 366, or at M Salon, 1918 Abrams. Also, search for it on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.