Jeff Meyer

“I had my first real job when I was 13. I was a peanut and popcorn vendor walking up and down the grandstands at our local racetrack. The races were every Saturday night and I would work from about 5 pm to 10 pm. It was commission only. I made a straight 20% commission on what I sold. Most nights I would make about $20. Some nights I would make up to $40. That was good pocket money for a 13-year old. The job I aspired to most though was the other vendor in the stands – the beer man. I saw he made really good money. I also learned if I followed him I would make more money because the same folks who bought beer also wanted some peanuts.”

“I had the job on Saturday night for about 3 years – from when I was 13 until 16. It was great. I learned some great life lessons. I found if I really worked hard I could make more money on any given night. I also learned about responsibility. One night I either dropped a bill or miscounted change and I came up $20 short at the end of the night. That $20 came out of my pay and I don’t think I made any money that night. I had no one to blame but myself. I also started to learn to manage my own money.”