My coming-of-age story started younger than most others. Growing up in a family of six, we never had a lot of money. My two older brothers and I learned early on that if there was something we really wanted in life, we would need to earn it (and by that, I mean pay for it ourselves). We got to thinking of ways an 11-year-old (myself), a 13-year-old, and a 15-year-old could begin to make our first few bucks. We had to come up with a plan that did not include high upfront costs, transportation that involved more than a bicycle, and lastly did not require any of us to be sixteen. Luckily for us, it was the middle of winter, and the answer was falling in flakes right outside of the window.
We rounded up three snow shovels, bundled up, and headed out door to door. We put in a hard day’s work, made some money, and best of all picked up a few repeat customers. The rest of the winter, while other kids slept in or played in the snow, we were shoveling.
Once Spring came around, we decided to move on to the next job. We had saved a good portion of our money from the winter and decided to re-invest it.
We walked into the local hardware store and
picked out a bright red push mower, and a matching red trimmer. We went back door-to-door and visited potential customers new and old.
Business continued like this for the next few years. My oldest brother went off to college, and shortly after my middle brother off to the Marines. They left the business to me. I continued to run the business for a few years. This job allowed me to purchase my first car, and to move out of my parent’s house into an apartment.
The job started with three kids trying to make a few bucks, but later developed into so much more. It fostered a strong relationship with my brothers and my father (who was always there when something broke). It taught us to have a strong work ethic that we have all three continued to this day. It allowed me the freedom to move out on my own and begin my life as a strong-willed man, later a loving husband, and now a proud father.
~Bob Obringer
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