Ben the Capitalist
(In the car, riding home from school. Ben and Christopher are in the back seat. Ken is driving. Ben is thinking of ways to earn some extra cash.)
Ben: On Saturday, can we go around the neighborhood and sell the paper airplanes I made? I could sell them for a dollar each!
Ken: Well, you need to know your market, right? Do you think people will want to spend a whole dollar on a paper airplane?
Ben: Why not?
Ken: You need to sell things people want. Like in the summer, kids sell lemonade because it's hot and people are thirsty, right?
Christopher (exuberant): And it's yummy!!
Ben: So, maybe...maybe we could sell...hats.
Ken: Sure! It's cold, right? And people want to keep their ears warm, right?
Christopher (silly): And it's yummy!
Ben: Yeah, Mommy could make the hats and I'll be the manager! And you guys can be my...workers!
Ken (dubious): Yeah....
Christopher: And what will I do?
Ben: You can draw the pictures, and Mommy will use the pictures to know how to make the hats.
Ken: So, you've got design, and production, and management. What else do you need?
Ben: And you can tell people to buy the hats!
Christopher: Me too!
Ken: So...now you've got sales. What about HR or Accounting?
Ben: What?
Ken: Well, you need someone to keep track of all the money you will be making and so you can pay your workers...
Ben: Right, I'll give some money to the workers and the rest I'll use to buy toys!
Ken: Right. That's called spending the profits.