ABC Kate Forrester: It's a pretty common sight in a suburban street. A few kids behind a table trying their hand at selling lemonade or cupcakes. But when you live on a farm in a little town in the south-west of WA, a lemonade stand doesn't quite work. But for seven-year-old Charlie Smith, he's found another way to make a little bit of money and bring a little joy to locals in the process. I'm Kate Forrester and this is the Make Me Feel Good podcast.
Charlie Smith: I want to grow one tree and some flowers one day. Because it'll make people happy for their birthday. It makes the day shine.
ABC Kate Forrester: Charlie might be young, but he's got a blooming business, growing sunflowers on his family's farm.
Charlie Smith: I water them with my sprinklers and look after them and make them pretty. I do it on my own.
ABC Kate Forrester: After harvest, the flowers are sent straight to their retail shop front, which is conveniently located in Charlie's driveway.
Charlie Smith: We cut the sunflowers and put it in the sunflower shed. It looks like a little shed and it has like a money box and you put money in there and then I take it to buy stuff.
ABC Kate Forrester: The business has given Charlie a glimpse of life working his parents' potato farm. It was his dad's idea.
Michael Smith: Alright, mate, so before you jump on the tractor, we might go and start the pump so I can give you sunflowers and a bit of water.
Michael Smith: I was actually given some sunflower seed last year and I thought it would be interesting if he'd plant them himself and watch them grow and he's really blossomed with it. At the moment he's probably got about 100 square metres there, I suppose, of sunflowers this year, but he's definitely keen to grow on that. I think it's very important to encourage your kids from a young age. They certainly do take in everything that you talk about and say, so they're like a sponge. It makes me happy to see him happy and doing what he loves doing. The feedback we have had from him selling his sunflowers is it definitely does brighten people's day. We actually have had the management of the hospital come and grab some and the receptionist said it really brightens people's day when they come in and out of the hospital.
Charlie Smith: I want to make more money and I want to make more sunflowers.
ABC Kate Forrester: What do you think you'll spend your pocket money on?
Charlie Smith:Lollies, milkshake and chicken treat.
ABC Kate Forrester: If this story has you feeling a little brighter, make sure you follow the Make Me Feel Good podcast on ABC Listen. Until next time, thanks for listening.
