Amazing ten-year-old, Zara Nayeem, is a budding entrepreneur of the Plaistow Youth Market. Home-educated Zara heard about a ‘Fiver challenge’ on an online home education group.

Children were being given £5 to invest, then tasked to make as much money as they could. Zara, who had already been making hammer bead jewellery was excited to take the challenge and wanted to make jewellery to sell.

Zara attended horse riding lessons at a stable and really wanted her own horse. Her parents promised her a horse one day, but Zara had other plans. After asking her mother if she could sell her beads to earn money to buy her own horse much sooner, she approached the stables to get consent to sell her products there.

Mum Nina approached Plaistow Youth Market after seeing a Facebook post and thought it would be a great place for Zara to sell her wares too. On acceptance, young Zara went into full production mode, working over a few days to prepare her goods for sale at the Plaistow market.

Mum explained: “My husband and I were so worried about her disappointment in case she didn’t sell anything, we had a backup plan to pay someone to buy her stuff.” But there was no need. Zara sold her fridge magnets, jewellery and other trinkets. Within 2-3 hours she had completely sold out.

Zara continued to work hard creating her own products for each market and developing her own business plan. Explaining how she managed her money, she said:

“I was putting it into groups, one group was 50 percent of the sales towards buying a horse, 25 percent was for investment so I could buy new beads and make more, 12.5 percent went to charity, I would put this in the charity boxes in shops and the other 12.5 percent was for other things. I wanted to buy like books or anything for myself.”

Zara actively searched and found another market to sell her products from. Although she raised enough money to buy an older horse, she said: “I wouldn’t want to lose it, so want to save up for a younger one.”

Currently unable to run her market stalls due to Covid, Zara is considering creating Easter egg and Easter bunnies designs to sell online from her Facebook page.

She has inspired other friends and worked with her best friend to make and sell stuff together. Speaking to young people like herself Zara said:

It is a great feeling to earn your own money. Think about your hobby and turn it into your business.

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