WHITE HOUSE, Tenn. (WTVF) — There's a lot Caiden Cantero could be doing on his last day of summer break. But instead of a dip in the pool or a pedal around the park, he and his mom are setting up on a red hot day, hoping to sell some treats that are ice cold.
Watch him at work in the player above.
"It’s like a frozen Oreo but it’s not a stick," explained 10 year old Cantero, who owns his own business that he's named Sweetsicle. "A Fat Boy is just an ice cream sandwich."
Caiden's goal in all of this? Rake in some cold hard cash.
"That’s the first thing I want, a car, when I’m older," he said.
This idea came a few months back, when his mom Sierra was scrolling around on Facebook.
"It’s actually an old Nestle bike," explained Sierra Cantero. She found the tricycle cooler available for just $150 and showed it to her son.
"I was like, 'oh Caiden, look at how cool this is and he was like — wait, I want that,'" she remembered. "Can we get it please so I can drive around and sell ice cream?"
It took plenty of elbow grease, but mom and son got the cart looking its business best.
"It was broken, old, cobwebs all over it," explained Sierra.
School may start in Robertson County on Tuesday, but Caiden's education has lasted all summer. He learned how to fill out the proper business paperwork and even took out a liability insurance policy to be a bona fide White House, Tennessee business.
"Yeah, he's got a million dollar liability insurance policy on this thing," said Sierra with a laugh.
I don't even know what that means," said the 10 year old.
Caiden has also quickly developed a good business acumen about profit margins.
"Do you give a friends and family discount?" asked NewsChannel 5. "No," he replied without hesitation.
Caiden has also gotten a crash course in making change.
"One, two, three, and here’s his extra dollar he gave you," coached his mother.
To be fair, it's a lesson Caiden's pint sized patrons also have been learning this summer.
"She gave you all kinds of money there. She probably gave too much," joked one mother, helping her child make a purchase.
Caiden's biggest lesson of all — when he can make customers happy, there's nothing else he'd rather be doing.
"He could be spending his last day of summer in the pool or playing with his friends, but he wanted to be selling. It makes me proud," said Sierra.
The incoming fifth grader isn't thrilled to be returning to school, because it limits his ability to sell during the school week, but he does plan to sell some on the weekends. You can follow along where they'll be selling on their Facebook page.
The entrepreneurial spirit runs in the family. Caiden's parents own a food truck of their own along with a few other businesses.
Do you know of any other impressive young kids in our area? You can email me at Chris.Davis@newschannel5.com
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
