Drayton MacDonald knows he’s no ordinary kid, and he likes it.
“I’m a businessman, ma’am, I think you can say,” the 12-year-old girl politely told NPR.
And he’s been around for several years.
He said that when he was nine years old, his father, Dominic McDonald, gave him a proposal.
So Elder MacDonald went out to buy his son a 14-by-8-foot trailer. This trailer has been converted into a mobile shaved ice shop called Ice Ice Dreyton. On weekends, trailers are set up at parks and special events in Ocala, Florida, where Drayton and his dad live.
“I’ve driven and set up the generator, but really he’s calling the shots. He does everything else,” McDonald said.
This means that Dreyton is responsible not only for making shaved ice, but also choosing which flavors to serve (his favorites are Dreamsicle and cotton candy), attracting customers, and handling all the money.
When asked what he liked about his job, Dreyton said:
For his father, who runs a massage therapy business, part of the inspiration for the Snow Cone Shop was to help Drayton feel connected to Ocala. But it also arose out of necessity.
“I’m a single father,” said MacDonald. “It’s hard to pull through … and I wanted him to know that he had to contribute as well.”
It also helps my son stay focused in a constructive way.
“I wanted something that would keep him and his buddies out of trouble,” McDonald said. “It’s a way to make money so that I can buy myself the things I need and want: clothes for school, toys, games, shoes. And if I can help him and his peers do so.” , it means I help other families and that is my purpose.
Drayton said he likes being in control and working with friends.
“I think I’m a good boss,” he thought for a moment before adding, “That’s what my friends say.”
He also likes that everything is independent.
“Not only does it feel good to know that I have my own money and can buy what I want, it feels good to know that my father is saving it for me. ”
McDonald saves most of his profits for Drayton’s college tuition and any new business ventures he may want to pursue in the future. He added that he has thousands of dollars in the bank so far and will have more by the time he graduates from high school.
That’s not to say McDonald’s doesn’t allow his son the occasional indulgence.
Drayton recently picked up a new school wardrobe and coveted Nike Air Jordans.
“It was $150!” Drayton said happily. It’s the most expensive purchase he’s ever made.
Drayton would work more if he could, he said. But with schoolwork and basketball practice, he’s limited to weekends and the rare school night special event where he throws “shaved ice that makes people happy.”
He definitely inherited his father’s entrepreneurial spirit, he said. The two are now talking about one day opening a shop that his dad will run by day and he will take over by night.
“I am taking cooking in school this year, so maybe I can learn recipes and start selling food,” he said.
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