What I learnt from starting my first business at age 11

What I learnt from starting my first business at age 11 For Hannah Mia Neo Labude, a love of craft-making has led to lessons in running her own business while in school, collaborating with partners and helping causes close to her heart. I was 10 years old when I first started doing crafts. During the December 2024 holiday break from school, I began making keychains, phone charms and hair accessories, giving them to my friends and family. Everyone around me seemed to love what I made, and encouraged me to keep going. I invited two of my close friends to join me, and together we started a small business selling our handmade crafts outside of school. My parents were supportive and encouraged me to go ahead, as long as it did not interfere with my schoolwork. At first, everything went well. We were excited, our sales were steady and we enjoyed working together. We were also glad to receive some extra pocket money from the items we sold. Our group grew from just three people to six as more of our friends asked to join in. Doing this together not only brought us closer as friends, but also allowed us to try out new things. We also inspired a few other friends to start selling their own handmade items, which made me feel happy and proud. However, as the business grew, it became harder to stay aligned on our vision. We started to have differing opinions on things like what items we should each make and sell. Eventually, we felt that it was more important to preserve our friendships than our business partnerships. When I suggested disbanding, not everyone agreed at first – but we talked it through and eventually came to an understanding. Being part of a group had been fun. It had given me a sense of safety and support. After all, which kid doesn’t like spending more time with their friends? But we were only 11, and none of us really knew what it meant to run a business with partners. It taught me important lessons about collaboration and leadership: I cannot always satisfy everyone, but I have a responsibility to make fair and thoughtful decisions. I also learnt to listen to others, to explain my reasoning, even when it became difficult for a shy person like me. If one teammate was reluctant to go with a suggestion, I couldn’t just ignore their concerns – I had to at least try to talk to them and help them see what the best decision was for the whole team. After that, I continued my craft journey on my own, with my new business, Crafts Cove. I encouraged my friends to do the same; for those who chose to do so, I try to support them just as they once supported me. Even if we were no longer business partners, we were still friends. After we disbanded, I had a massive learning curve to navigate. Working independently was scary at first, as I had high expectations of myself to make sales. However, I quickly learnt to embrace a new sense of autonomy and purpose. No longer being part of a group meant there were less communication problems, but it also meant I was now solely responsible. Where my friends and I used to split deliveries, I suddenly had to handle every customer myself – especially tricky for orders placed by other students I didn’t personally know. Starting my solo business journey also gave me the independence to pursue other passions. I began exploring how I could use my small platform to support good causes and give back to my community. For as long as I can remember, I have always been passionate about the environment and animals. My parents have always made me feel empowered to take action when I feel it’s important – even though I may still be young, I know I can always make a change with the right mindset. One of my proudest moments was collaborating with a flamenco dance group to create 30 handmade wristbands for their charity concert at a senior care centre in January this year. It took a long time – about a few days – to make all the wristbands. At some point, I even felt like giving up as there were just so many to make. Seeing the senior citizens smile as I helped them put on the brightly coloured wristbands, it immediately felt like all my effort had been worth it. This experience showed me that by making others happy whenever we can, we also bring joy to ourselves. I also started participating in a few community markets, which were a completely new experience as I had previously sold my crafts only online. I worried that I would struggle to find the right words to explain my craft, and found myself feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of strangers all at once. Nevertheless, I kept doing more markets. Over time, I became less fearful when talking to new people and sharpened my marketing skills. By making others happy whenever we can, we also bring joy to ourselves. At every market, I tried to raise awareness about important charities aligned with my interests. For instance, I’ve made pledges to donate everything I make from a market stall to a certain charity. One such charity was EB Impact, which supports youth engagement aligned with the United Nations' sustainable development goals. My mother was aware of my passion for the environment and making a positive change, and with that in mind, she helped me find this charity. Another charity I worked with was the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (better known as ACRES), which promotes wildlife protection and works against illegal wildlife trade. When I first heard about their work, I was eager to support them in any way I could, as I care deeply about animals and wildlife. They also invited me to their animal sanctuary for a private tour. There, I saw the amazing work that the ACRES volunteers do, from rescuing victims of illegal wildlife trade to rehabilitating animals which had been treated poorly in their previous homes, such as turtles and birds. I felt incredibly proud to have been able to help raise awareness of an organisation doing such important work. I feel lucky to have had all these experiences, made possible by my little craft business. Not many 12-year-olds have the chance to build communication and marketing skills or to give back to the community in this way. I took a brief hiatus from the business in August to focus on my Primary School Leaving Examination, which I recently completed. Now, I’m back to work and already looking forward to what’s in store. For starters, I will be participating in ACRES’ World Animal Day Carnival on Oct 17, where I plan to sell crafts made with reused materials. This will be a new experience for me, and I’m excited to explore new ways to use sustainable materials to make crafts. I hope to encourage more young people to realise that it really doesn’t take much effort to make a positive impact in their communities. What matters is taking that first step – learning a skill you’re interested in, exploring a talent you have, or simply sharing what you love with the people around you. Whether it is a small hobby or simply a talent, once we put our minds to helping others, to serve the community, we can achieve that and more. Hannah Mia Neo Labude, 12, is a Primary 6 student and the founder of Crafts Cove, a small craft business. This contribution was penned with support from her mother, Dr Jaclyn Neo, who is with the National University of Singapore. 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