Before I knew what “entrepreneur” meant, I was hauling red wagons of Shurfine soda along the Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD) parade route. The image features me, my sister, Lori, and our friend Carol Lou posing before heading to a CFD activity.
That side hustle as a sixth grader taught me more about business than any textbook ever could.
Growing up in Cheyenne, CFD wasn’t just a rodeo and huge crowds, it was a rite of passage. For me, that passage started in grade school with a red wagon, a stash of off-brand pop, and hot asphalt in front of the parade-goers along the route.
I didn’t know it then, but that scrappy little side hustle was the beginning of my entrepreneurial spirit. Long before I understood words like “margin” or “market demand,” I understood this: people were thirsty, and I had something to sell.
Phase I – Parade Pop Sales: When I was in the sixth and seventh grades, one of my golfing pals, Pat, my sister Lori, and cousin Matthew from Salt Lake City sold ice-cold pop along the parade routes. My family was heavily involved with CFD. My sister and I are pictured getting ready to ride in one of the parades. Sitting in the hay wagon on a straw bale gave me my first look at CFD as a participant. From my perch, I noticed older kids pulling wagons and selling pop.
“I can do that,” I thought. My dad worked for Coca-Cola, and we could purchase products at a discount. Despite the wholesale price, I opted for a higher profit margin. Besides, thirsty parade-goers weren’t interested in brands. Coca-Cola did have bags of ice and cups. None of the other kids had those.
Two months ahead of time was spent hoarding all the cheap off-brand sodas, such as Shurfine and Cragmont, to sell at each of the three parades that wound through downtown Cheyenne.
They just wanted something wet and cold. This was well before bottled water. I think it was before flip tops, and we had to open them using a can opener.
In our first year, we ran out of pop and wasted at least half an hour running over to Brannen’s Market on Carey Avenue, which is now a Wyoming state government office.
During subsequent years, three red wagons were dispatched, and cars with additional supplies were strategically parked along the parade route. My cousin saved the bag of loose change from his first take as a reminder of his first entrepreneurial project. I wonder if he still has it.
These days, kids must obtain a permit and be accompanied by an adult. Plus, there is no selling in the street in front of potential customers, only on the sidewalk behind them.
Sheesh – talk about overregulation.
Looking back, selling Shurfine soda from a wagon might seem trivial. The lessons were lasting: prepare ahead, work as a team, and always stay close to your customer. It was my first taste of hustle, and it stuck with me.
As you think back on your own childhood, what lit your fire? What small moment—maybe overlooked at the time—nudged you toward the person you’ve become? Sometimes, it’s not the big milestones, but the hot July mornings with sticky fingers and jingling pockets of change that shape us most.
If the world needs more cowboys, maybe it also needs more kids who get their start selling pop at a parade.