Editor’s note: This article was first published in April 2012 as a news story. The figures, 300,000 views, more than $80,000 and the statement that the business keeps growing, are from that time.
We head to Los Angeles to hear the story of little Caine, a 9-year-old entrepreneur who, faced with the economic crisis and the closure of his father’s business, looked for a way to raise money so he could go to university one day.
His father had a car parts shop, a badly located store that was therefore hit hard by the crisis and by the industry giants. Once the business had closed, where everyone else saw only empty boxes, young Caine saw a great business opportunity. All he needed were those boxes and some tape to build a cardboard arcade for kids.
After a few days of hard work, once the idea had taken shape, it was just a matter of waiting for the first customers. Plenty of people came in looking for car parts, though they could see what the shop had turned into. Then one of the customers, who happened to work in film, had the idea of making a video and posting it on Facebook, among other social networks. The video quickly racked up 300,000 views on YouTube and thousands of likes on Facebook.
So when young Caine came back from lunch, he found hundreds of people queuing at the door of his business, eager to play in his arcade.
Caine’s idea was very ambitious: he wanted to raise at least $20,000 and save it so he could go to university. That ambition fell short, as he has ended up taking in more than $80,000, and the business keeps growing.
Here is the video made by filmmaker Nirvan Mullick, along with a couple of morals:
- Where some see only rubbish, others turn rubbish into a business.
- Entrepreneurship has no age limit, though it does take enthusiasm.
Watch: Caine’s Arcade
Via SFGate
Featured image: Lance Cpl. Mark Watola, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
