The $5.10 Lesson that I’ll Always Carry with Me

“Mom, I have an idea. Can I ask you about it?!”

Cameron (my son) asked me last month, his eyes bright with excitement.

He told me that he and his friend wanted to package and sell their leftover Halloween candy to kids at school.

(Look at my little entrepreneur go!)

They’d both contribute their own candy, and sell it for a profit.

“But Mom, do you think I’m allowed to do that?”

I paused for a moment, then told him “If your teachers say you can’t, you need to respect that… But sometimes it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission!”

The next day, he went to school, armed with his candy inventory, bundled and packaged to sell.

By the end of the day, he came home glowing!

He made $5.10 in profit and presold $15 worth of candy from other friends who wanted to join in!

To him, that $5.10 was everything.

He was already dreaming bigger, talking about sourcing more candy, building an inventory of stickers, slime and other things he could sell and inviting another friend into the business.

That’s when I realised how much context shapes our perspective.

For Cameron, $5.10 was a triumph.

It was proof that he could create something out of nothing.

And I thought about how in business, the numbers that once felt huge can start to feel small.

The milestones we celebrate today might seem insignificant tomorrow.

But there’s always someone dreaming about reaching the place you’re standing in right now.

It reminded me to celebrate every win… not just the big ones.

Sometimes the simplest ideas can teach us the biggest lessons.

And that’s something I’ll always carry with me.

What are you celebrating this week?