What is a company, and what makes a good boss?
A nice name isn’t a company yet. A kid who sells cookies for one day has a stand. A company sells or offers something again and again, with a plan, on a regular basis, for lots of people. For that it needs an idea, a target group, start-up money and someone who takes responsibility. That’s the boss. Not the loudest one, but the one who answers for it when something goes wrong.
Good to know: we explain how things work in Germany, where the books are set. Rules and numbers can be different where you live.
That’s how the guinea pigs explain it in Volume 3: Rocky Becomes the Boss!
What’s the difference between a stand and a company?
Mr. Grey explains: A nice name isn’t a company yet. A kid who sells cookies for one day has a stand. A company sells or offers something again and again, planned, regularly, for lots of people. Christian adds: For that you need materials, prices, responsibility and a reason.
What makes a good business idea?
Mr. Grey lists it. First, the idea itself: What are you offering, and why do people need it? At a hot summer party, there’s real demand for cold lemonade. Second, the target group: Who exactly is the offer for? Kids who are playing and sweating, parents who want a break. And when it comes to the name, Daria has the best tip: It has to appeal to the customers, not just to Rocky.
What makes a good boss?
Not the loudest one, and not the one who got there first. Mr. Grey: A boss is the one who takes responsibility. Who makes the call when nobody else dares to, and owns it when something goes wrong. Being the boss doesn’t mean everyone serves you. It means you serve the thing you’re building. Rocky learns it the hard way and says it himself at the end: Being the boss is harder than getting applause.
- A company needs an idea, a target group and a reason.
- The name has to appeal to the customers, not just to the boss.
- Being the boss means you serve the thing you’re building, not that everyone serves you.
Unternehmen
company
In the books, every paragraph is in German with the English right below it. That way you pick up new words in both languages along the way.
Your turn: take the quiz
No account, no score, nothing gets saved. Just tap an answer.
1. What’s the difference between a stand and a company?
2. Why does a good business idea need a target group?
3. What makes a good boss?
Idea, costs, revenue, profit and responsibility.
Volume 3: Rocky Becomes the Boss!
Idea, costs, revenue, profit and responsibility. For kids 10 and up, bilingual German and English, 52 pages, illustrated in full color throughout.
