Not everyone’s path to success is paved the same way. For one young boy, that meant walking away from traditional schooling and starting his own money-making business.
Tucker Findley was struggling. He had severe learning disabilities, as well as a neurological condition, that made school too much for him to handle. He had yet to learn how to read, write or count higher than 10. So, his family pulled him from public school and begin homeschooling him.
His dad, Ryan Findley, quit his job as a COO of a payroll company to help homeschool his son. It was during this change that Tucker had an idea. He had been playing with friends near his Sterling, Va., home, when he noticed a golf ball. A lot of golf balls to be exact.
Tucker Findley with one of his vintage finds. Photo courtesy of the Findley family
In a stream that flows down from two golf courses, lost golf balls had made their way to Tucker. “I found golf balls everywhere,” he said. So, he cleaned them and listed them for sale on Facebook Marketplace. He sold all 2,000 golf balls in three days.
The entrepreneurial wiz took his profits and began paying his friends 5 cents per ball they found and cleaned. Tucker also bought a kayak to help him find even more golf balls. He didn’t stop at just finding them in the water. He began buying them cheap, and then selling them.
He would search yard sales for bargains. “I bought a couple thousand at yard sales for $50 or $100,” Tucker said. All of this work had an extra perk: He began learning math by counting the golf balls and then selling them by weight.
I probably sold $5,000 in golf balls,” Tucker said.
Tucker is a huge fan of TV shows like “Antiques Roadshow” and “American Pickers” and learned how to invest his profits into buying antiques. Ryan, along with Tucker’s mom, Rebecca, fully supported their son. As the golf ball business took off, Tucker saw that some people on YouTube were opening eBay stores to sell their items.
“I said, ‘Dad, I want to start an eBay store,’ and he said, ‘What the hell are you talking about?’” the now 14-year-old said, laughing. It didn’t take long for Tucker to convince his parents to help him. His first items up for sale – an Army jacket and a brass bell.
“He had things that were sitting at flea markets for like $10,” Ryan said. “He’d put them online for $100 and it would sell in five minutes.” His parents quickly learned that their son had an eye for what would sell quickly. Once, they said, he bought a BMX bike that was missing a wheel, as well as other parts, for only $6. By breaking up the bike into pieces, he sold them all for more than $5oo in less than 24 hours.
The most important thing is to find what you’re good at, not focus on what you’re bad at.”
From selling a Barbie doll for $1,000 to 600 sports cards for more than $20,000, Tucker has found his calling with his eBay store, Tucker’s Vintage Treasures. His mom helps with shipping – often there is more than 100 items each day that goes out to customers. Their house, she said, is packed full of merchandise, from Air Jordan to G.I. Joe toys.
Tucker Findley stands behind boxes being sent out to customers. Photo courtesy of the Findley family
All of his work is part of the online school he attends, called Conduit. Thanks to his hard work, he has excelled in math, reading, speaking as well as negotiating. His parents were thrilled. “It’s the first time he wanted to learn, when he could count a golf ball or do a spreadsheet,” Rebecca said.
Tucker said he has found value in himself, just like the items he sells. “I’m really happy now,” he said. “The most important thing is to find what you’re good at, not focus on what you’re bad at.”
Source: People
