Eve Hobsbawm’s story is one that will make you feel inspired or incredibly lazy. The 8-year-old child from London has started her own business, charging customers to solve all their problems.
Hobsbawm describes her business, Problem Solved, as a “problem-solving consultancy” that will solve “Problems about love, life and work-life balance, but not “Schoolwork-related problems (especially not maths).” Hobsbawm accepts problems via email, and pricing ranges from 10 pence for “everyday problems” up to £1.00 for tougher problems.
Hobsbawm has garnered the attention of the media recently, with articles about her services appearing in Jezebel and the Guardian, whose Patrick Kingsley wrote:
Two weeks ago, I got in touch: I had lost my keys, and was panicking about what to cook my friends. But I also couldn’t work out how Eve manages to run a business while attending school – since she is just eight years old.
“What inspired me was my daddy,” says Eve of Andy, who runs a tech start-up. “As soon as I saw his business and understood the kinds of things businesses do, I thought that’s what I’m going to do.” At first she wasn’t sure what kind of company she wanted. “Then it just popped into my head: problem solving.”
It all started in December, when Eve was seven. “The first person I exchanged business cards with said her husband was really annoying. So I said: ‘It all cancels out. You might do stuff to him that’s also really annoying.’ She was really impressed.”
Hobsbawm did help Kingsley find his keys, by the way.
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