22 | SEPTEMBER 10 • 2020
Kid
Entrepreneurs
Pandemic propels kids to start
businesses that help others.
BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Jews in the D
A
lthough the pandemic has present-
ed many challenges to the commu-
nity, it has inspired young people to
create businesses that also help the commu-
nity. Here are some of these young people
making a difference.
“TWIN TREASURES”
RAISES FUNDS FOR CAMP
COVID-19 dashed Brendyn and Emma
Tischler’
s plans for their first trip to sleep-
away camp when Camp Tamarack stayed
closed this summer. The nearly 8-year-old
twins needed something else fun to do.
They thought about a lemonade stand
outside their West Bloomfield home, but
that didn’
t seem practical in the pandemic
era. Since they enjoy creative arts, they
settled on making beaded chains for face
masks.
They had made beaded necklaces and
bracelets in the past, and Brendyn thought
it would be cool to clip chains onto the face
masks everyone now has to wear.
The twins were inspired by their father,
Jeff, a senior vice president at Fifth Third
Bank.
There was always lots of money talk at
home, said their mom, Elissa, a kinder-
garten teacher at Hillel Day School, where
the twins will enter second grade this year.
They each have a college fund, and they
knew whenever money came their way,
they had to save some of it.
They asked their father lots of questions
about building a business and what to do
with their earnings. Because tzedakah has
been a strong family value, they wanted
to give some of the money from sales to
a worthy cause. They settled on the Send
a Kid to Tamarack fund, which provides
scholarships for campers.
The chains are made to order, with cus-
tomers describing the colors and/or style
they prefer. Their dad created an Excel
spreadsheet for them to keep track of their
orders and sales.
Brendyn and Emma named their enter-
prise Twin Treasures. Their mom started a
Facebook page for them — EmmaBrendyn
Tischler — where customers can see their
products and order chains. Sales boomed
through word of mouth. To date, the twins
have raised more than $130 for Tamarack.
Elissa Tischler says there have been a lot
of little lessons along the way, including
pricing and profit margins. The twins sold
their first creations to family members for
$5 apiece, and soon discovered that after
accounting for their expenses, they’
d have
only $1 per piece left to donate. So they
raised their price to $8, with $2 from every
sale going to help needy campers.
They enjoyed working together and
doing something creative, said Elissa
Tischler. But they also learned that busi-
ness owners have to put in an effort even
when they’
d rather be doing something
else because their customers are relying on
them.
“
At first I thought having a business was
easy, but it’
s really hard work,
” Brendyn
said. “It’
s not about just making money for
ourselves. It’
s about giving money to other
people, too.
”
Emma said it makes her feel good to give
people something they want. “It makes me
happy that people are using our product,
”
she said.
DANDY DOG BISCUITS RAISES
FUNDS FOR ANIMAL WELFARE
Two summers ago, Alex Gross, then 8,
learned to make dog biscuits while attend-
LEFT: Alex
Gross biscuits
and dog toys.
BELOW: Emma
and Brendyn
Tischler with
chains.
“At fi
rst I thought
having a business
was easy, but it’s
really hard work.”
— BRENDYN TISCHLER