Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Cha-Ching!

I have a little entrepreneur on my hands...Abby! Yes, I think she may very well be the next Donald Trump, minus the comb-over, of course!

It all started the other day when she asked me if she could go on our neighborhood's message board and sign up for babysitting and pet sitting. I must admit that I was a bit hesitant, at first. I knew I'd be the main one to shuffle her around all over the place, but what else is new, right? So, needless to say, after much persistence on her part, she finally convinced me to let her sign up for the sitting services. I explained to her that since we live in such a large neighborhood (2,600+ houses), she may not ever get a call and to not be disappointed.

Well, the very next day, the phone rang and it was for Abby. A lady in another neighborhood had a friend who lives in our community and she had seen Abby's "ad" on our message board. She told her friend about Abby because she was in need of a pet sitter and she decided to give Abby a call. She was needing someone to let out her 2 Golden Retrievers and feed them while she and her family were away for the evening. Abby gladly accepted her offer without any hesitation!

Here she is with her notebook in hand before her job began. She'd written down very explicit instructions about how to get into the lady's gated community, how much food to give the dogs, what their names were, etc. So, on Sunday evening, Chris and I drove Abby over to the lady's house. She'd left their back door unlocked so that Abby could go inside and let the dogs out. They were 2 old dogs who were as friendly as could be! They got lots of lovin' from all 3 of us! They were thrilled to see Abby!As you can see, she was almost like the "Dog Whisperer"...she just had a special way with them.
We were at the house for only 15 mins. and everything went like clockwork. Now, want to know how much money Abby earned for her first real job? 20 bucks! She was so excited! Not too bad for 15 minutes of playtime with 2 adorable dogs, huh? The lady has already told Abby that she might call her, again, in July to care for her dogs while they go on vacation! Abby left her a thank you note on the kitchen table, as well as a flyer she'd created on the computer advertising her services. I'm so proud of her for doing all of this on her own! By summer's end, she may be singing, "I'm in the money, I'm in the money!" Hmm...wonder if she'll consider treating her poor ol' mom to dinner out at Chick Fil-A?

"The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more."~Jonas Salk


P.S. My good buddy, Tim, over at Fort Thompson is having a Father's Day Giveaway...check it out! My sweet friend, Lori, is, also having a giveaway involving JEWELRY! Head that way...don't delay!
April
April

Hello, I'm April, welcome to my blog. I look at every day as an adventure and an opportunity to laugh and to learn. You will soon discover that my family and my faith are at the heart of who I am.

37 comments:

Denise said...

Way to go Abby.

Lindsay-ann said...

Well done Abby. You did great with the dogs. I am sure you are well on your way to a successful pet sitting service. Jessica would run a mile from any strange dogs! So would I! You are very brave. They did look to be friendly dogs. We would have to specialise in the bird and rabbit department if we worked for you!!!
April you must be so proud. Chick- a Fil-a here you all come!
Lindsay
x

Queenie Jeannie said...

Look at your Abby go!!! Great job!!! You should be so proud April - your girls rock!

mysteryhistorymom said...

Wow! I am impressed! I wish she lived in my neighborhood so she could pet sit our kitty... Good job Abby! Keep up the good work!:) Lori

Shelley said...

Abby is such a smart cute girl!! I would hire her in a second to pet sit my kitty and my new puppy!! can you guys please move to Michigan???? :-0

Sue said...

Way to go Abby! I know she was thrilled to have a job so quickly and I am sure the word will get out and she will have more before long. It was pretty neat that she left a thank you note....this speaks so highly of her training. My answer to your comment on my blog today is...yes, this is my home in the picture. We built it over 20 years ago. I'd be happy to share the plans with you when you move to Alabama if you are going to build.

Paula said...

Wow- way to go Abby! She's a real go-getter already... thank goodness without the comb-over! *giggle*

Darlene said...

WAY to go Abby!!! I bet she is going to have more jobs than she can handle by the end of summer. She did GREAT!

Keeper of the Skies Wife said...

What an awesome summer job to have!!

I know you are proud of Abby to do all that on her own.

I hope she gets many more jobs!

Anonymous said...

Great job, Abby and way to be thinking of ways to make extra summer money! That took a lot of initiative.

Deb said...

wow where do I sign up for Abby's job???? you have raised a smart girl....

Robin Beck said...

Donald Trump watch out there's a new girl in town with a better hair style! (though I think Abby could pull off a comb over-She just that stinking cute!)

I'm so glad that Abby is staying so organized-I'd hire her in a second if we lived close by!
You tell her to just keep on keeping on and Good Job!

Robin~♥

Christina said...

Woo-Hoo Abby!

I hope she makes lots of money and has lots of fun this summer!!

Jodi said...

I am so impressed! Good for her for making good use of her summer, and making some $$ too! You must be so proud of her! They are beautiful dogs.

Tina said...

Great job Abby!

This is when you really see how fast they are growing up.....

You should be so proud....you raised her right!

SmilingSally said...

Good going, Abby! For $20, I'd happily do that job.

Heather said...

yay for Abby! those dogs are gorgeous. glad she had a great experience with her first job!

michele said...

Ok, this is awesome~ WAY TO GO ABBY! Organized, motivated and ready to enter the "work force"!Good luck and I hope you earn lots of money this summer.

Mommy Mac said...

Is that Abby an Aries?

Just wondering!!!

.mac :)

Daphine said...

Now that's what I'm talking about! You go Abby!!!

I have a post to share about how Jae recently made a few bucks! I'll post about it before the week is out!

I am sooooooooo enjoying the girls 2nd day of summer!!!! Yes, I am still working, but life is totally stress-free! Well, stress free in the education dept anyway....lol!

Happy Tuesday sweet friend!

Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com said...

Good for Abby! What a great thing for her to do. I always had a job and I think it taught me a lot. How to manage money, to appreciate the value of money too.

Good for her!

XOXO
Jen

Rebecca Jo said...

That's the way to do it... find what you're good at & do it!! Glad she's learning that YOUNG!!!

Unknown said...

What a great experience for her to have this summer! Way to go Abby!!!

Billy Coffey said...

Way to go, Abby!

Jill said...

Great for Abby. Goldens.. they are great dogs and they love meeting new faces. Abby got an easy first job! Good for her...

Sit A Spell said...

Way to go Abby! We have a Golden...maybe Abby can dog sit while we go to Orlando this summer??? Ok, maybe MI is a bit too far. A good friend of mine has a 6th grade daughter that helps us sometimes with our Golden.

Beth in NC said...

That is wonderful for Abby! WTG! Yay!

Jennifer said...

Go Abby!! Would this work for a middle-aged empty nester like me?? Somehow I doubt it - Abby is just so cute!

missy said...

wow.....that is awesome!!!!!!!
i wish my kids were that motivated!!!!!!

-stephanie- said...

That's awesome! I would totally hire her to watch my girls if you lived closer. Except I don't think I could afford $20 for every 15 minutes.

Pam D said...

Woo hooo, Abby! That's an incredible payout. Hmm.. does she really need to go to college? I mean, she could set up a pet sitting business and have her retirement nest egg socked away before she ever graduates from high school! Awesome....

LisaShaw said...

What a special blessing she is!

Anonymous said...

Yay for Abby! In that one picture she really does look like a dog whisperer. It looks like they adore her!

Anonymous said...

Yay Abby! Way to go! Pet/house sitting has been a pretty good gig for me as a single young adult. People at my church tell their friends and I get gigs often to just hang out and feed and play with the pets and spend the night places. It's fun!

Georgia Girl said...

You Go Girl! Wow I think I need to dog sit if you can make 20 bucks in only 15 minutes.

Abby wanna help me out with my goats....

wife.mom.nurse said...

This is so neat. What a great opportunity. Yeah Abby!

Putting the FUN in DysFUNctional said...

Good for her! Those dogs are beautiful.