How many of us had childhood businesses? Honestly, now. Who hasn't had, at the very least, a lemonade stand? I'm willing to bet no one raised their hands. We all did, and we know it. We all worked the corner as children. Waking up early on a Saturday morning, getting mom to make the Kool-Aid, or as we got older, made the Kool-Aid yourself, making sure to sniff in all the Kool-Aid dust. Then we'd lug it down to the corner and sell it for anywhere between a dime and a quarter, depending on the state of the economy and the exchange value of the yen. Those were the days.

I once had another business. I was about 12 or 13, and me and my best friend were desperate for some money. So we thought, "What do grown-ups do for money?" Since we were too young to enter a legally binding contract with Satan, we started our own small business-- the C.A.M. Club. I wish i could remember what any of that stood for. But we made business cards, distributed them throughout the neighborhood, and i don't think we ever recieved a single call. So we decided we'd take our business on the road. So we loaded up a red radio flyer with sponges, rags, towels, soap, a radio, and of course, more business cards. We were nothing if not persistant. I think the most we ever grossed in a day was $10 between the two of us, and that was a record setting day--my friend's parents had let us wash both their cars.

As nice as it is to stroll down memory lane, all this has a point. At the ripe age of 12, I had already under my belt, a solid year or two of business training. I understood finances (I could make change with the best of 'em), advertising (which apparently was not my strong suit), and labor relations (we had to demand the use of the car owners' hose). And yet, here I am, 20 years old, desperately looking for a summer job that uses none of this experience. Why? I just don't know. I think i'm gonna put my expertise to good use. I'm loading up that radio flyer one more time, but this time, I'm bringing lemonade.