December 20, 2023 • 16 mins
Have you ever had an idea for an invention and wondered how these ideas become a reality? đź’ˇ On this episode of Growin’ Up, Emily and Winston explore the exciting job of entrepreneurs, and take a special look at the work of Sophia Webster, a shoe designer who discovered her love for design in college and has been working hard ever since on her very own fashion business! đź‘ In this episode you’ll also hear about the history of business owners, a young entrepreneur who started her own candy company, and how entrepreneurs combine creativity with practical knowledge to change the world!Â
Link to episode transcript.
A Lingokids Original podcast produced by Paradiso Media
Starring Emily Calandrelli as Herself and Brock Powell as Winston.
Executive Producers: Emi Norris, Benoit Dunaigre, Lorenzo Benedetti, Louis Daboussy
Supervising Producer: Agathe Bouzat
Producer: Abi McNeil
With additional production support from Molly O’Keefe, Aimie Faconnier
Head Writer: Blake Knight
Associate Producer: Brendan Galbreath
Production Coordinators: Maddy Weinberg, Lucine Dorso
Editor: Marin Grizeaud
Theme Song Written by: Fredrika Stahl
Theme Song Composed by: Fredrika Stahl
Music Production: Dimitri Peronno
Theme Song Performed by: The Angel City Youth Chorale directed by Heather Catalena
Recording Engineers: Bill Trousdale at Audiovisions and Jason Schimmel at Bunker Studios
Legal Services: Lisa Nitti, Ludye Nisol, Alix d’Argentré
Special thanks to: Yael Even Or and Winfred Neisser and special guest Sophia Webster
With Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, you can unlock premium audio experiences, including early access, extra episodes, and ad-free listening.
***** Parents, in the Lingokids app, we have plenty of interactive activities, games, songs, and more that blend educational subjects and modern life skills to help get your kids ready for today's changing world! From math to making friends, reading to resilience, collaboration, creativity, and so much more, spark curiosity, imagination, and success with Lingokids! đź’™ *****
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hey there, welcome to Grown Up with Emily, a Lingo
kids podcast. It helps kids discover how to be whatever
they want to be growing up.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Well, show up us.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Do you want to find out what's amazing about being
an entrepreneur? Tune into this episode where we'll be hearing
from one who is especially inspiring.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
It was great because we had all the experience from
the year before to build on, and we put together
a new plan and that year we want so it
was even more special and it meant more to us
because we'd failed the year before. And there's a quote
that I love, which is a winner. Is just a
newser you tried one more time? Say yeah, that's one
(01:02):
of my favorite boats.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
Emily, Oh whitson?
Speaker 5 (01:08):
You scared me.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
What are you doing flying into the lab like that
is everything? Okay?
Speaker 5 (01:14):
Oh better than okay.
Speaker 6 (01:16):
I was just helping an old lady down the street
walk her two dogs, and I had the most amazing
and awesome idea for an invention.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Wow, an invention?
Speaker 5 (01:25):
What is it? Well?
Speaker 6 (01:26):
You know how if you walk two dogs at the
same time, they can get all tangled up in their leashes. Okay, sure,
so like if one dog sees a squirrel, and is
like whoa, whoa wrooh, and it chases after that one
and it's leash gets all wrapped around the other dog
and your legs and you're like, whoa, So what if?
Speaker 5 (01:47):
Are you ready for this?
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Yeah? I want to know.
Speaker 5 (01:50):
What if you had a handle with a little spinning
wheel with hooks on.
Speaker 6 (01:54):
It so that the two dog leashes could latch on
it once, so then when the dogs crossed each other,
the wheel would turn and their leashes wouldn't.
Speaker 5 (02:03):
Get all tangled up.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Neat RIGHTW A bit hard to picture it, but are
you sure those don't already exist?
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Though?
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Let's look it up.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Double dog leash that doesn't tangle.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
Hmmm, well, what's it say, Emily?
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Well, it was definitely a good thought, because it looks
like double dog leashes are already sold in most pet stores.
Speaker 5 (02:29):
Oh man, I thought it was my million dollar idea.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
Oh sorry, buddy. I do love your entrepreneurial spirit, though.
Speaker 5 (02:38):
My entrepreneur what now?
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Entrepreneurial spirits? You know, like an entrepreneur a business owner.
That's a person who has great ideas and starts their
own business to turn their dreams into a reality.
Speaker 5 (02:53):
That's a job.
Speaker 6 (02:55):
I have great ideas all the time. Like you know
how people always lose one sock in the dryer, Well,
I thought up self tracking sucks, so you can always
find them.
Speaker 5 (03:06):
Are you telling me I could be getting paid for
these great ideas, Emily?
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Maybe Winson if the idea is unique enough, and it's
got to be really good, because entrepreneurs usually take a
big risk when they're setting up a business.
Speaker 5 (03:20):
A big risk. What do you mean by that?
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Entrepreneurs either have to use their own money or borrow
money from a bank to get their business going.
Speaker 5 (03:29):
I should really start writing down my invention ideas more often,
but in a super secret notebook.
Speaker 6 (03:35):
So that no one steals my ideas like that double
dog leash.
Speaker 5 (03:39):
Dang it, it could have been huge. What's the alarm for, Emily? Oh?
Speaker 4 (03:44):
I almost forgot.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
I've got invited to a big fashion show.
Speaker 4 (03:48):
You should come along with sen.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
It's a show for this really amazing fashion designer, Sofia Webster,
and she's actually an entrepreneur herself.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
When it come, let's do it?
Speaker 6 (04:02):
Whoa?
Speaker 5 (04:02):
This is sweet, Emily. The lights and the cool music,
du do do do do? Do do do? It looks
like a big art gallery or even a museum.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Let's take a look around before the show starts. I
think Sophia's around here somewhere.
Speaker 6 (04:17):
Who check out all these fancy beautiful shoes and these
fancy beautiful display cases.
Speaker 5 (04:22):
They're all so different.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
These are shoes that Sophia Webster designed.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Aren't they gorgeous?
Speaker 5 (04:29):
I've never seen shoes like these. They're more like pieces
of art than things you're put on your feet. Look
at those.
Speaker 6 (04:37):
They're covered in shiny butterflies, and these have sparkles that
light up like stars on the sides.
Speaker 5 (04:44):
Cool.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
They're Sophia speaking to a bunch of people Inston.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
Let's go listen in. Maybe you can ask her something too.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
My name's Sophia Webster. I live in East London. I'm
a shoe designer. So what I do is a lot
of sketch, lots of choosing colors and finding really special materials.
I always loved art as a child, so I went
(05:12):
to a local art college and I did a foundation
course in our I realized what I really loved doing
was drawing shoes.
Speaker 6 (05:21):
So do we need to go to a fancy art
school and be able to draw really really well to
start my own business?
Speaker 3 (05:27):
No?
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Not at all.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
In Sophia's case, being able to draw was a very
valuable skill because she was creating a unique vision that
she had in her head to present to people. But
many business owners don't even draw a thing. They can
develop their ideas in other ways, through writing out business plans,
online presentations, and through conversations too.
Speaker 6 (05:49):
Hmm, Now I just got to come up with my
own invention to start a business.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Sure, but business owners don't only invent things. Sometimes they
take old ideas and put a fresh spin on them,
making them more exciting.
Speaker 6 (06:03):
Just like how Sophia didn't invent shoes, she just had
an idea to make them even more exciting.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
Yeah, you got it.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
It's all about invention or creating something new, or innovation
making something that already exists even better.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
Oh, Sophia is taking a question, Wincent, go for it.
Speaker 6 (06:24):
Oh, Hi, Sophia, I have a question. I know you
went to art school and you can draw some really
amazing shoes, but do you think it's important that you
sketch them yourself?
Speaker 3 (06:36):
I think to be a successful shoe designer you need
to be able to communicate your ideas really well in
a sketch so that the factory that you send that
to you will be able to interpret your design. So
being able to draw the details and embellishments that you
(06:57):
want on your shoes really accurately definitely helps to ensure
that your shoes end up looking exactly how you want
them to look.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
Sophia, I have another question for you.
Speaker 6 (07:10):
Please, Even though you're like the brains of the operation
who comes up with all the big ideas, do you
have people who help you.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
We work as a team to build a really creative
and colorful and exciting collection.
Speaker 5 (07:24):
Thanks Sophia.
Speaker 6 (07:25):
Wow, Emily, it makes sense the business owners need a
team to help with all the different parts of their business.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
I want to take a quick minute to tell you
and our listeners about Lingo Kids. You know how I
start every episode by saying that it's a Lingo Kids podcast. Well,
Lingo Kids is the number one learning app for kids.
They believe that learning can be fun and I think
so too. They've transformed screen time with educational and interactive games,
(07:53):
videos and songs, and you can play all these on
their app.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
What do you think, Wincent?
Speaker 5 (07:58):
What do I think? Sign me up?
Speaker 6 (08:02):
I have a question for you, Emily, Yeah, go for it.
You think you can snag me a pair of those
cool shoes.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
No, I don't think so, Winston. They're pretty rare.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
Oh man, Well, never hurts to ask. How about this? Then?
Who were the first business people ever? And what did
they do?
Speaker 1 (08:19):
We may not know who the very very first business
owners were, Winston, but Nicolo and Maffeo Polo were some
of history's earliest and most successful.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
Polo like Marco Polo.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Actually, yes, Winston very good. Nicolo was Marco Polo's dad
and Mafeo was his uncle.
Speaker 6 (08:40):
Oh I didn't even know Marco Polo was a real person.
I just thought it was a game I played by
the pool. So what kind of business did his dad
and uncle have?
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Emily, Well, they lived in the beautiful island city of Venice, Italy,
where people still use little boats to get around town
even today. Nicolo and Mafeo were very famous merchants who
walked up all the way from Venice and other parts
of Europe to Asia to sell and trade rare goods
to people along the way. In fact, they were some
(09:08):
of the first Europeans to ever visit Asia.
Speaker 5 (09:12):
What kinds of things did they trade? Like Pokemon cards?
Speaker 1 (09:15):
This was way before Pokemon cards Winsen over seven hundred
years ago. The brothers traded soft silks, shiny gemstones, furs
and spices.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
I mean that's almost as cool as Pokemon cards.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
And they were great at it too.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
In fact, they met royalty all across Asia because of
how good they were at their job.
Speaker 6 (09:39):
Oh wow, Hey, Sophia's taken another question, Emily, you go
for it this time?
Speaker 4 (09:44):
Oh thanks one cent, Sophia. Sophia.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Hey there, it's me Emily. I've got a question for you.
What are the hallmarks of a great shoe designer and
what should people do if they want to become one?
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Being shoe designer is not just created if it's practical
as well. So being able to understand how a shoe
is made and put together is really important. And then
being able to combine your creativity with a knowledge and
awareness of what people are currently wearing and what you
(10:19):
think people want to wear is really important. So I
would definitely say to just keep looking at people's shoes,
and if you're on the train or the bus, or
you're walking down the street, or you're in a restaurant,
just keep looking at what people are wearing, and that
would definitely inspire you to design some really amazing shoe.
Speaker 5 (10:42):
That's pretty cool, Sophia, what are you inspired by?
Speaker 3 (10:45):
I get a lot of inspiration from art, from movies, music,
But my favorite thing to be inspired by is magical
mythical characters or mermaids. But what I really love is nature,
So flowers. I've done lots of shoes over the years
(11:09):
which have all different types of flower embellishments. And I
love butterflies. I love their ability to adapt and change,
and they have such beautiful details if you really zoom
into their wings, they have amazing patterns that are just
created by nature and absolutely beautiful color palette that I
(11:34):
find just so inspiring.
Speaker 5 (11:37):
Wow. I guess you really can find inspiration anywhere, Emily
walking a dog, reading books about magical creatures, or even
people watching on the subway. You never know when ideas
will come.
Speaker 4 (11:49):
To you, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
I'm sure many entrepreneurs have come up with great ideas
in the most random situations. Sometimes, even if you have
a good idea, it's a while to make it just right.
In real life. A lot of business owners make mistakes
early on, Winston, It's part of the job. In fact,
many famous businesses failed at first but the owners learned
(12:12):
from their mistakes and change things so that they could succeed.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
Really like who Emily, let's listen in.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
I've tried and failed at lots of things in my career.
So one thing that sticks out for me would be
when I entered the Vogue Fashion Fund, which is a
big competition. If you win it, you win a lot
of money to help progress your company. And the first
(12:41):
year that I entered that I tried really hard, and
me and my husband we stayed up all night for
like a week working on our presentation and our entry,
and then we didn't win, which we were a bit
sad about. The next year it came around again and
we were like, yeah, let's go for it, let's try again,
(13:03):
and it was great because we had all the experience
from the year before to build on and we put
together a new plan and that year we won, so
it was even more special and it meant more to
us because we'd failed the year before. And there's a
quote that I love, which is a winner is just
(13:23):
a loser who tried one more time. So yeah, that's
one of my favorite quotes.
Speaker 6 (13:27):
So Sophia kept going and all her hard work paid off.
I bet there were some times where she wanted to
quit though.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
I'm sure you're right. No one likes to continue doing
something and failing. But sometimes if we stick it out
and get better at whatever the task is, it can
lead to excellent results.
Speaker 5 (13:45):
Yeah, that's true. You gotta just keep going. I had
such a great time learning about Sophia Webster.
Speaker 6 (13:53):
Today, Emily, and I'm even more excited about being a
business owner.
Speaker 5 (13:57):
What do you like.
Speaker 4 (13:57):
Most about it, Winston?
Speaker 5 (13:59):
I think it's pretty awesome.
Speaker 6 (14:00):
You get to make up your own rules if you
own a business, and then you can invent cool things
that make people happy, like fun toys or neat shoes.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
That's a great observation, Winson. Being a business owner can
let you really explore the things you love the most.
Speaker 5 (14:15):
The runway show is about to begin. Please dig your seats.
Speaker 6 (14:20):
Oh, let's get our seats, Emily. I can't wait to
see all the models walk in the insanely cool shoes
that Sofia's designed. And after that, can we get back
to the lab. My mind is swirling all kinds of
ideas for businesses and inventions.
Speaker 5 (14:35):
I gotta write them down.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
All right, Winson.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
I can't wait to see what you come up with
let's watch Sophia's fashion Joe.
Speaker 4 (14:45):
Thanks so much for joining us today on Growing Up.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
If you've got a fun or exciting idea for an invention,
jot it down. You could turn it into an awesome
business one day.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
See you again soon, Live Train, Celebrity shuffle to the.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Loon to count the star race fast car. We can't
do anything.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
We want closer. Yes, you'll see it.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
You have to leave it side by Surprise.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
We have a special present for you now. With your
Lingo Kids Plus membership, not only will you get an
unlimited all access pass to the Lingo Kids app, but
also they're exclusive podcasts only available on Apple Podcasts. Get
exclusive members only access to Grown Up, including all episodes
(16:05):
from seasons one and two, bonus content, and deep dives
into season one jobs with more cool facts and real
life stories.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
Sign up today.
Hey there, welcome to Grown Up with Emily, a Lingo
kids podcast. It helps kids discover how to be whatever
they want to be growing up.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Well, show up us.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Do you want to find out what's amazing about being
an entrepreneur? Tune into this episode where we'll be hearing
from one who is especially inspiring.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
It was great because we had all the experience from
the year before to build on, and we put together
a new plan and that year we want so it
was even more special and it meant more to us
because we'd failed the year before. And there's a quote
that I love, which is a winner. Is just a
newser you tried one more time? Say yeah, that's one
(01:02):
of my favorite boats.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
Emily, Oh whitson?
Speaker 5 (01:08):
You scared me.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
What are you doing flying into the lab like that
is everything? Okay?
Speaker 5 (01:14):
Oh better than okay.
Speaker 6 (01:16):
I was just helping an old lady down the street
walk her two dogs, and I had the most amazing
and awesome idea for an invention.
Speaker 4 (01:23):
Wow, an invention?
Speaker 5 (01:25):
What is it? Well?
Speaker 6 (01:26):
You know how if you walk two dogs at the
same time, they can get all tangled up in their leashes. Okay, sure,
so like if one dog sees a squirrel, and is
like whoa, whoa wrooh, and it chases after that one
and it's leash gets all wrapped around the other dog
and your legs and you're like, whoa, So what if?
Speaker 5 (01:47):
Are you ready for this?
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Yeah? I want to know.
Speaker 5 (01:50):
What if you had a handle with a little spinning
wheel with hooks on.
Speaker 6 (01:54):
It so that the two dog leashes could latch on
it once, so then when the dogs crossed each other,
the wheel would turn and their leashes wouldn't.
Speaker 5 (02:03):
Get all tangled up.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Neat RIGHTW A bit hard to picture it, but are
you sure those don't already exist?
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Though?
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Let's look it up.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Double dog leash that doesn't tangle.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
Hmmm, well, what's it say, Emily?
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Well, it was definitely a good thought, because it looks
like double dog leashes are already sold in most pet stores.
Speaker 5 (02:29):
Oh man, I thought it was my million dollar idea.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
Oh sorry, buddy. I do love your entrepreneurial spirit, though.
Speaker 5 (02:38):
My entrepreneur what now?
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Entrepreneurial spirits? You know, like an entrepreneur a business owner.
That's a person who has great ideas and starts their
own business to turn their dreams into a reality.
Speaker 5 (02:53):
That's a job.
Speaker 6 (02:55):
I have great ideas all the time. Like you know
how people always lose one sock in the dryer, Well,
I thought up self tracking sucks, so you can always
find them.
Speaker 5 (03:06):
Are you telling me I could be getting paid for
these great ideas, Emily?
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Maybe Winson if the idea is unique enough, and it's
got to be really good, because entrepreneurs usually take a
big risk when they're setting up a business.
Speaker 5 (03:20):
A big risk. What do you mean by that?
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Entrepreneurs either have to use their own money or borrow
money from a bank to get their business going.
Speaker 5 (03:29):
I should really start writing down my invention ideas more often,
but in a super secret notebook.
Speaker 6 (03:35):
So that no one steals my ideas like that double
dog leash.
Speaker 5 (03:39):
Dang it, it could have been huge. What's the alarm for, Emily? Oh?
Speaker 4 (03:44):
I almost forgot.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
I've got invited to a big fashion show.
Speaker 4 (03:48):
You should come along with sen.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
It's a show for this really amazing fashion designer, Sofia Webster,
and she's actually an entrepreneur herself.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
When it come, let's do it?
Speaker 6 (04:02):
Whoa?
Speaker 5 (04:02):
This is sweet, Emily. The lights and the cool music,
du do do do do? Do do do? It looks
like a big art gallery or even a museum.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Let's take a look around before the show starts. I
think Sophia's around here somewhere.
Speaker 6 (04:17):
Who check out all these fancy beautiful shoes and these
fancy beautiful display cases.
Speaker 5 (04:22):
They're all so different.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
These are shoes that Sophia Webster designed.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Aren't they gorgeous?
Speaker 5 (04:29):
I've never seen shoes like these. They're more like pieces
of art than things you're put on your feet. Look
at those.
Speaker 6 (04:37):
They're covered in shiny butterflies, and these have sparkles that
light up like stars on the sides.
Speaker 5 (04:44):
Cool.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
They're Sophia speaking to a bunch of people Inston.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
Let's go listen in. Maybe you can ask her something too.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
My name's Sophia Webster. I live in East London. I'm
a shoe designer. So what I do is a lot
of sketch, lots of choosing colors and finding really special materials.
I always loved art as a child, so I went
(05:12):
to a local art college and I did a foundation
course in our I realized what I really loved doing
was drawing shoes.
Speaker 6 (05:21):
So do we need to go to a fancy art
school and be able to draw really really well to
start my own business?
Speaker 3 (05:27):
No?
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Not at all.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
In Sophia's case, being able to draw was a very
valuable skill because she was creating a unique vision that
she had in her head to present to people. But
many business owners don't even draw a thing. They can
develop their ideas in other ways, through writing out business plans,
online presentations, and through conversations too.
Speaker 6 (05:49):
Hmm, Now I just got to come up with my
own invention to start a business.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Sure, but business owners don't only invent things. Sometimes they
take old ideas and put a fresh spin on them,
making them more exciting.
Speaker 6 (06:03):
Just like how Sophia didn't invent shoes, she just had
an idea to make them even more exciting.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
Yeah, you got it.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
It's all about invention or creating something new, or innovation
making something that already exists even better.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
Oh, Sophia is taking a question, Wincent, go for it.
Speaker 6 (06:24):
Oh, Hi, Sophia, I have a question. I know you
went to art school and you can draw some really
amazing shoes, but do you think it's important that you
sketch them yourself?
Speaker 3 (06:36):
I think to be a successful shoe designer you need
to be able to communicate your ideas really well in
a sketch so that the factory that you send that
to you will be able to interpret your design. So
being able to draw the details and embellishments that you
(06:57):
want on your shoes really accurately definitely helps to ensure
that your shoes end up looking exactly how you want
them to look.
Speaker 5 (07:08):
Sophia, I have another question for you.
Speaker 6 (07:10):
Please, Even though you're like the brains of the operation
who comes up with all the big ideas, do you
have people who help you.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
We work as a team to build a really creative
and colorful and exciting collection.
Speaker 5 (07:24):
Thanks Sophia.
Speaker 6 (07:25):
Wow, Emily, it makes sense the business owners need a
team to help with all the different parts of their business.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
I want to take a quick minute to tell you
and our listeners about Lingo Kids. You know how I
start every episode by saying that it's a Lingo Kids podcast. Well,
Lingo Kids is the number one learning app for kids.
They believe that learning can be fun and I think
so too. They've transformed screen time with educational and interactive games,
(07:53):
videos and songs, and you can play all these on
their app.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
What do you think, Wincent?
Speaker 5 (07:58):
What do I think? Sign me up?
Speaker 6 (08:02):
I have a question for you, Emily, Yeah, go for it.
You think you can snag me a pair of those
cool shoes.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
No, I don't think so, Winston. They're pretty rare.
Speaker 5 (08:12):
Oh man, Well, never hurts to ask. How about this? Then?
Who were the first business people ever? And what did
they do?
Speaker 1 (08:19):
We may not know who the very very first business
owners were, Winston, but Nicolo and Maffeo Polo were some
of history's earliest and most successful.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
Polo like Marco Polo.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Actually, yes, Winston very good. Nicolo was Marco Polo's dad
and Mafeo was his uncle.
Speaker 6 (08:40):
Oh I didn't even know Marco Polo was a real person.
I just thought it was a game I played by
the pool. So what kind of business did his dad
and uncle have?
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Emily, Well, they lived in the beautiful island city of Venice, Italy,
where people still use little boats to get around town
even today. Nicolo and Mafeo were very famous merchants who
walked up all the way from Venice and other parts
of Europe to Asia to sell and trade rare goods
to people along the way. In fact, they were some
(09:08):
of the first Europeans to ever visit Asia.
Speaker 5 (09:12):
What kinds of things did they trade? Like Pokemon cards?
Speaker 1 (09:15):
This was way before Pokemon cards Winsen over seven hundred
years ago. The brothers traded soft silks, shiny gemstones, furs
and spices.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
I mean that's almost as cool as Pokemon cards.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
And they were great at it too.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
In fact, they met royalty all across Asia because of
how good they were at their job.
Speaker 6 (09:39):
Oh wow, Hey, Sophia's taken another question, Emily, you go
for it this time?
Speaker 4 (09:44):
Oh thanks one cent, Sophia. Sophia.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Hey there, it's me Emily. I've got a question for you.
What are the hallmarks of a great shoe designer and
what should people do if they want to become one?
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Being shoe designer is not just created if it's practical
as well. So being able to understand how a shoe
is made and put together is really important. And then
being able to combine your creativity with a knowledge and
awareness of what people are currently wearing and what you
(10:19):
think people want to wear is really important. So I
would definitely say to just keep looking at people's shoes,
and if you're on the train or the bus, or
you're walking down the street, or you're in a restaurant,
just keep looking at what people are wearing, and that
would definitely inspire you to design some really amazing shoe.
Speaker 5 (10:42):
That's pretty cool, Sophia, what are you inspired by?
Speaker 3 (10:45):
I get a lot of inspiration from art, from movies, music,
But my favorite thing to be inspired by is magical
mythical characters or mermaids. But what I really love is nature,
So flowers. I've done lots of shoes over the years
(11:09):
which have all different types of flower embellishments. And I
love butterflies. I love their ability to adapt and change,
and they have such beautiful details if you really zoom
into their wings, they have amazing patterns that are just
created by nature and absolutely beautiful color palette that I
(11:34):
find just so inspiring.
Speaker 5 (11:37):
Wow. I guess you really can find inspiration anywhere, Emily
walking a dog, reading books about magical creatures, or even
people watching on the subway. You never know when ideas
will come.
Speaker 4 (11:49):
To you, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
I'm sure many entrepreneurs have come up with great ideas
in the most random situations. Sometimes, even if you have
a good idea, it's a while to make it just right.
In real life. A lot of business owners make mistakes
early on, Winston, It's part of the job. In fact,
many famous businesses failed at first but the owners learned
(12:12):
from their mistakes and change things so that they could succeed.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
Really like who Emily, let's listen in.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
I've tried and failed at lots of things in my career.
So one thing that sticks out for me would be
when I entered the Vogue Fashion Fund, which is a
big competition. If you win it, you win a lot
of money to help progress your company. And the first
(12:41):
year that I entered that I tried really hard, and
me and my husband we stayed up all night for
like a week working on our presentation and our entry,
and then we didn't win, which we were a bit
sad about. The next year it came around again and
we were like, yeah, let's go for it, let's try again,
(13:03):
and it was great because we had all the experience
from the year before to build on and we put
together a new plan and that year we won, so
it was even more special and it meant more to
us because we'd failed the year before. And there's a
quote that I love, which is a winner is just
(13:23):
a loser who tried one more time. So yeah, that's
one of my favorite quotes.
Speaker 6 (13:27):
So Sophia kept going and all her hard work paid off.
I bet there were some times where she wanted to
quit though.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
I'm sure you're right. No one likes to continue doing
something and failing. But sometimes if we stick it out
and get better at whatever the task is, it can
lead to excellent results.
Speaker 5 (13:45):
Yeah, that's true. You gotta just keep going. I had
such a great time learning about Sophia Webster.
Speaker 6 (13:53):
Today, Emily, and I'm even more excited about being a
business owner.
Speaker 5 (13:57):
What do you like.
Speaker 4 (13:57):
Most about it, Winston?
Speaker 5 (13:59):
I think it's pretty awesome.
Speaker 6 (14:00):
You get to make up your own rules if you
own a business, and then you can invent cool things
that make people happy, like fun toys or neat shoes.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
That's a great observation, Winson. Being a business owner can
let you really explore the things you love the most.
Speaker 5 (14:15):
The runway show is about to begin. Please dig your seats.
Speaker 6 (14:20):
Oh, let's get our seats, Emily. I can't wait to
see all the models walk in the insanely cool shoes
that Sofia's designed. And after that, can we get back
to the lab. My mind is swirling all kinds of
ideas for businesses and inventions.
Speaker 5 (14:35):
I gotta write them down.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
All right, Winson.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
I can't wait to see what you come up with
let's watch Sophia's fashion Joe.
Speaker 4 (14:45):
Thanks so much for joining us today on Growing Up.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
If you've got a fun or exciting idea for an invention,
jot it down. You could turn it into an awesome
business one day.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
See you again soon, Live Train, Celebrity shuffle to the.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Loon to count the star race fast car. We can't
do anything.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
We want closer. Yes, you'll see it.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
You have to leave it side by Surprise.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
We have a special present for you now. With your
Lingo Kids Plus membership, not only will you get an
unlimited all access pass to the Lingo Kids app, but
also they're exclusive podcasts only available on Apple Podcasts. Get
exclusive members only access to Grown Up, including all episodes
(16:05):
from seasons one and two, bonus content, and deep dives
into season one jobs with more cool facts and real
life stories.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
Sign up today.
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