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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think these kids are CFs

82 replies

IsItOnly2023 · 01/05/2023 12:59

Hi all, first post as OP, hope it's not too lengthy.

My DS (15) is running a student company with 14 others under the Young Enterprise Company Programme. He's appointed as "Managing Director" and has esentially single-handedly (with some help from others) turned it into a success.

The company does a few things but one of the things it does is buy sweets/brownies and drinks from cash-and-carry and sell it at the school's weekend sports events. He and the boy who runs that are usually at the events but DS was at Alton Towers with a friend and the other boy had an argument with his dad so couldn't go.

Anyway, 4 people went to the event with £65 worth of stock and came back with £25 and little stock. 1 boy says he tried to keep it under control but the others ate/drank all the stock. DS not impressed, and not entirely sure on what to do. Context: They are going to the Company of the Year competition on Wednesday (which DS wrote the entire entry for!) and have End of Year exams this week. Year 10 so not too bad but still important.

I said DS should get them to pay for new stock and go to the cash and carry themselves (me/DH have tended to drive DS there). Every student had to pay £20 in for share money, so it could be taken off their shares so they get less return after eating £40 of profit! Or even ask teacher to warn them/stop them representing the business at the competition.

What do you think? I am happy to answer any clarifying questions.

OP posts:
Original poster
IsItOnly2023 · 01/05/2023 13:59

Also there's a meeting tomorrow and DS is asking for advice on how to approach it all.

OP posts:
Lifesagamethentheytaketheboardaway · 01/05/2023 14:01

The school should have a policy for how to deal with these situation. It won’t be the first time. So yes, just get him to find out at the meeting tomorrow.

Original poster
IsItOnly2023 · 01/05/2023 14:04

@Lifesagamethentheytaketheboardaway Sadly it is the first year they're running this company thing, teacher seems supportive but is mostly leaving it up to them to run it.

OP posts:
Saz12 · 01/05/2023 14:12

So then they pay retail price for the stock they ate, surely?
If they refuse to, then the others need to meet up and decide what to do, but I'd be taking the amount they owe out of the money theyd get out of the project.

Original poster
IsItOnly2023 · 01/05/2023 14:31

@Saz12 That would be my thoughts too. Is it reasonable to say that the next time the company needs stuff from the cash and carry, they should be the ones to go and get it (with company money) rather than me or DH with DS. By retail price, do you mean what they sell it at or what they bought it at?

OP posts:
Smineusername · 01/05/2023 14:43

Surely the whole point is that they run it themselves (ie without parental interference)? Nose out let your son figure it out for himself

IKnowItsNotMine · 01/05/2023 14:54

It’s tough at the top - lesson learnt

OrangeKettle · 01/05/2023 14:54

Smineusername · 01/05/2023 14:43

Surely the whole point is that they run it themselves (ie without parental interference)? Nose out let your son figure it out for himself

Don’t be a dick. If everyone had this mindset, no advice would ever be exchanged.

OP, I know you said the school hadn’t really done this before. But maybe now is the time for them to step in and learn at the same time as your son. I’d ask them for input.

Testina · 01/05/2023 14:59

What are your son’s suggestions? He’s 15, he should have some.
I do think it’s fine to come to a parent for advice, but this is hardly a complicated situation.
You will support him best by listening to his ideas.

And random but I’m curious - why is he having end of year exams when it’s not the end of the year? 🤣

Hawkins003 · 01/05/2023 15:00

Basically do an Alan sugar

Jumbojem · 01/05/2023 15:02

Shouldn't those who were there report back to everyone else why the sales money doesn't match the level of stock gone? They will then have to admit to everyone else they ate the profit effectively. It's akin to theft, if it was taken from someone employing them out would be? Sounds like there needs to be a rule that even those in the company need to pay for anything they eat?

RoobarbandCustud · 01/05/2023 15:03

Easily done for a group of 14/15 s to be silly. They have effectively stolen company property. Would a pragmatic compromise be for them to replace what they ate at cost price? Otherwise the accounts will show a deficit. If they arent going to play by the rules they shouldn't be doing YE.

HauntedPencil · 01/05/2023 15:03

My feeling would be to run the business as normal address at the meeting that it wasn't on to do and that the money would be deducted equally from their share of the profit at the end.

I do think it might be worth your DS asking everyone for ideas and getting some input from the teachers.

RedHelenB · 01/05/2023 15:04

Smineusername · 01/05/2023 14:43

Surely the whole point is that they run it themselves (ie without parental interference)? Nose out let your son figure it out for himself

This

Original poster
IsItOnly2023 · 01/05/2023 15:06

@Smineusername He's done pretty much everything himself, he's finding this a bit of a tricky situation.
@IKnowItsNotMine Isn't it just🤣- no one listens to him, he gets sworn at on meetings but somehow he's managed to get people completing their tasks
@Testina They have their end of year exams now as they need to be finished before GCSEs. He's not sure whether to ask the teacher to take action, to be fair to him it's the first time he's come to us cap in hand saying what do I do?
@Hawkins003 Assuming you mean fire them, he can't. It's supposedly an equal board of 15 people, with a 2/3rds majority for ejection. He is considering proposing a vote though doesn't want to lower morale

OP posts:
Floralnomad · 01/05/2023 15:06

They need to pay for what they ate / drank at the cost it would have been sold at or replace all the stock used at their own cost . Idiots .

sparepantsandtoothbrush · 01/05/2023 15:07

Smineusername · 01/05/2023 14:43

Surely the whole point is that they run it themselves (ie without parental interference)? Nose out let your son figure it out for himself

They're 15 ffs. Of course there should be some adult input. If my child came to me asking for advice at ANY age am I supposed to just send them away?

Clymene · 01/05/2023 15:12

I would suggest he calls a company meeting and gets all the shareholders to agree on a course of action. Either they replace the missing stock immediately or they reduce their shareholding.

He could ask the teacher to be there if he thinks it's likely to kick off.

Original poster
IsItOnly2023 · 01/05/2023 15:12

@Floralnomad @RoobarbandCustud Basically it's down to:

  1. Does he ask for cost price or full whack/replacement considering they (tbh it will be DS) now has to trek to the cash and carry to replace the stock in huge amounts as they had a little of everything left.
  2. Does he ask the teacher to get involved and potentially ban them from representing the company at the competition?
OP posts:
Weedoormatnomore · 01/05/2023 15:13

Give the boys an option they replace the products out of their money, pay retail price or loose a percentage of their stock.

WeAreTheHeroes · 01/05/2023 15:14

I think he needs to put together a proposal as to what to do and speak with the teacher supervising before going ahead. It sounds as though these other students are riding your son and his friend's coat tails anyway. If the others won't pay for what they stole then they forfeit their shareholding in proportion to their debt to the company.

ElonMust · 01/05/2023 15:15

It sounds like you think your son is solely responsible for all the good things that have happened and isn’t a team player.

Isn’t the point that he needs to learn to work with others and deal with any of the negatives of running a business?

Beelezebub · 01/05/2023 15:16

IsItOnly2023 · 01/05/2023 15:12

@Floralnomad @RoobarbandCustud Basically it's down to:

  1. Does he ask for cost price or full whack/replacement considering they (tbh it will be DS) now has to trek to the cash and carry to replace the stock in huge amounts as they had a little of everything left.
  2. Does he ask the teacher to get involved and potentially ban them from representing the company at the competition?

Both

Waterfallgirl · 01/05/2023 15:18

It doesn’t sound like the others want to be involved so why are they? Is it compulsory as part of a gcse subject ? eg business studies. If so the teacher should be checking in on their progress and recognising they are not all pulling their weight. It sounds as though your DS is the only one doing anything.

The weekend event was run at a loss, so in business , you’d review the event, look at the loss and examine how this occurred.
The teacher supporting the YE group should be there, to facilitate this discussion, that’s how they learn from these things. In this case I’d expect them to support in how they recover the loss, either by running further events, taking less of a return on investment, or funding the loss.

Piony · 01/05/2023 15:18

I'm not sure this "him running it single handedly" angle you're pushing is helping him here.

The team turned up to the event. The team will be at the meeting tomorrow. He should take the role of facilitator rather than boss - here's the problem everyone, what are we going to do about it? Eyes in particular on the boys who ate the stock.

Talk to him about what is in his control and what isn't. And don't encourage him to take this as his problem to solve, for him to step in and be the knight in shining armour correcting everyone else's mistakes. Maybe he doesn't need to fix this "single handedly" this week. Maybe it's ok if the group decide on a solution that he doesn't think is fair or ideal.