Why this dad and his gymnast daughter are flipping for Greenlight

As a parent, you pass down all kinds of things. Genes, sometimes actual jeans and the big one — life lessons. With the help of Greenlight, Dan C. is teaching his 14-year-old daughter (and talented gymnast) the value of a dollar. In return, he’s learning that she’s one driven entrepreneur. 

Meet Dan 

Like most parents, Dan wears a lot of hats. He works full time at an Atlanta-based tech company and is a loving husband and doting dad of two boys and one girl. How does he make it happen? He has an exceptional work ethic that goes back decades.  

His parents taught him that if you want something, you have to earn it — so that’s what he did. At age 11, he landed his first job at a pizza joint, saving up his earnings to buy a skateboard. When high school rolled around, he was on to Häagen-Dazs, where he worked his way up to assistant manager. Dan put in 25 hours every week for a year to save up for his first car: a 1980 Ford Fiesta.

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Like dad, like daughter — his 8th grader Grayson also has a work ethic that just won’t quit.

Meet Grayson

Grayson has one true love — and luckily for dad, it’s not romantic. (He’s not ready for that.) She is head over heels for gymnastics. She’s been tumbling for years and it shows. Just check out her Instagram, you’ll see what we mean.

Gymnastics isn’t just fun for Grayson — she’s also making a profit from it. Between teaching kids over Zoom and making and selling gymnastics scrunchies, she’s hard at work building her brand. But she’s not all business. Grayson spends her free time playing soccer, tubing on the lake and working out with her dad. Lucky guy.

How Grayson got started

When she was younger, Grayson and her dad watched Shark Tank together. They loved talking through the pitches. Those conversations sparked her interest in starting a business. Naturally, she landed on teaching gymnastics. To get started, she needed to save up for the proper equipment. Think balance beams, bars, mats and the like. That’s where Greenlight came in handy.

Her parents were already using Greenlight to help her make smart money decisions. The app lets them schedule monthly allowance payments. With Allowance Allocation set up, 10% would automatically go to her Give account, 40% to Spend Anywhere and 50% to General Savings. Grayson was looking for a way to track progress toward her equipment goal, so together with her dad, she used her Greenlight app to set up a Savings Goal specifically for that. She moved every allowance payment that was deposited into her General Savings, over to her Savings Goal. But, she didn’t rely on allowance only to get the money. Instead, Grayson got creative. 

She’d heard of charging electric scooters to make money. So, she did that, and in six months, met her goal. Once the equipment arrived, it was time to build up her Instagram. She ramped up her content, promoted gymnastics products and tried different marketing moves. This was all self-taught through YouTube. Soon, she hit 5,000 Instagram followers! 

While her followers were booming, customers had slowed. So, like a true entrepreneur, she pivoted and decided to create a scrunchie biz. She’s always enjoyed sewing, ever since her grandma showed her how when she was just four years old. Gymnasts love scrunchies. And Grayson could use her Instagram to get the word out. With her business model decided, she once again turned to Greenlight.

Grayson needed supplies, like fabric and elastic. She set up another Savings Goal in her Greenlight app. Between allowance and charging scooters, she hit her goal in no time. It was on to logo-building, branding and product design. Grayson was in her groove… then she broke her foot while tumbling (ouch). She took time off from the biz — but kept on learning about managing her money. 

How Dan teaches Grayson about money

Dan uses every chance he gets to teach Grayson smart money habits. Take grocery shopping. Together, they compare the per-ounce cost on the shelf tag to figure out the best deal. He’s also used “As seen on TV” products as a conversation starter. “If it says two for the price of one, how can they afford to do that and make a profit?” This is the kind of thinking that got Grayson ready to jump back into her scrunchie business. 

What’s next for Grayson and Dan

Grayson is now making and selling her scrunchies — and she’s ready to scale her business. She’s switching up prices, working with brand ambassadors to boost awareness and partnering with other girl-run businesses. All that’s missing is a new iPhone to capture her scrunchies in the best light. With Greenlight and dad by her side, we know she’ll reach that savings goal. No doubt. 

Are your kids saving up for something? Big or small, Greenlight can help them go for the gold!