Food Waste Collection Entrepreneur Balances Business With Grade School [Video]

I suppose I’m showing my age by admitting that the lemonade stand comes to mind when I think of a business run by a child. But just like young adults foregoing college for entrepreneurship, younger kids are much more savvy than I ever was at that age.

Carter Schmidt hasn’t finished grade school yet, but he’s already a seasoned entrepreneur: he’s been running his bicycle-based food waste collection and compost delivery service since 2012. In this interview with local news in his home town of Traverse City, Michigan, Carter shows he understands both the benefits of composting, and the means by which he can keep his service profitable:

While this interview is a couple of years old, Carter is still at it: he’s even expanded his range of services, and brought on employees! He’s got a website, a logo, and active accounts at Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. And he’s taking advantage of other forms of technology: you pay for on-demand pick up, for instance, with a smart phone app.

Sure, he’s obviously getting some help – it’s pretty clear he’s working hard, too. Just as important, he’s certainly educating his adult neighbors on the benefits of composting (and making it easy for them to do it).

Know of other kids who’ve already gotten into the waste business? Share their stories with us (or point us to their websites!).

Photo credit: Shutterstock