Hacker News Reader

Comment by ChuckMcM | Hacker News Reader

I am really happy for the success here, and it does reflect the Silicon Valley narrative that anyone can make it big. But I am never sure if stories like this help or hurt. The cynic in me sees a PR guy who exploited his own daughter to create a viral PR campaign, the optimist in me sees it as validation that shooting for a large goal is never "stupid" and if your chance of success is equal for what ever goal you aim for then "go big" as they say.

I would be both sad and pretty impressed if the lemonade stand idea was just a pre-planned launch vehicle for the app.

View on HN

I agree with most of what you said, but I don't think the narrative here is that anyone can make it big... it's that if you have connections in Silicon Valley, it's fairly easy to raise money.

This shouldn't diminish the creativity and good-heartedness of the 10-year old, but if her dad were a fast food worker, I don't think we would be reading about her in the Times.

I always find stories like this troubling because 1) how much of it was actually driven by the parents? 2) what's going to happen when it's no longer a quirky action by a cute little girl?

Planet Money's podcast 567 covered an assertive, outgoing little girl who was making good money by buying lollipops at retail and going around selling them to adults at a markup. She acknowledges that it only works because she's adorable, and that her sales have dropped as she's gotten older.

Maybe this kid is really driven and will go on to great things, or maybe she'll end up burnt out and miserable because her primary value turns out to be her youth and novelty.

We live in a world of contradictions - I think it's both.

Agreed.

>Why pay 4.9 percent, the amount Make a Stand charges, as a transaction fee?

If it was a pre-planned launch, then it's impressive. I'm leaning more toward cynical. Hopefully she'll learn enough to navigate those waters for herself in the future, if she's so inclined.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com