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STANDARDS
CCSS: 6.SP.B.5, 7.SP.A.2, MP1, MP3, MP5
TEKS: 6.12C, 6.12D, 7.6G, 7.12B
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Ayaan and Mika’il’s Ornament Anchors
THE KIDPRENEUR FILES
How brothers Ayaan and Mika’il Naqvi of Shelton, Connecticut, keep Christmas ornaments from crashing to the floor
Courtesy of the Naqvi Family
Ayaan, 16, and Mika’il, 17, with packages of Ornament Anchors
Scholastic: Why did you start your business?Ayaan: One winter, our dog Zara wagged her tail and knocked an ornament off the Christmas tree. When it smashed on the floor, I realized this happened every year—someone would hit the tree by accident, and our ornaments would fall off and break. I had been looking for an idea for my school’s invention convention, and suddenly I had it: I could make something to keep ornaments in place on the tree. I designed a small device that uses a string and toggle. The toggle tightens a loop that securely attaches an ornament to a branch. I call it an Ornament Anchor. My older brother, Mika’il, suggested we start a business, and we borrowed $1,500 from our parents to start it.
Scholastic: What’s the best part of running your business?Ayaan: The satisfaction of knowing we succeeded is amazing. That happened after we learned how to advertise and set up an online store. Our whole family pitched the idea on Shark Tank, a TV show where people compete for money for their businesses. After seeing us on that show, more people paid attention. Even though we didn’t win, that helped us expand to sell ornament anchors in more than 500 stores!
PROBLEM
Ornaments Fall Off Trees and ShatterTypical hooks and ribbons can slip off tree branches, causing ornaments to fall and break.
SOLUTION
Ornament AnchorsHere's how Ayaan and Mika'il's Ornament Anchors work.
1. Thread the loop of string through the hole of the ornament and wrap it around the toggle.
2. Hang the ornament on a branch.
3. Pull the toggle to tighten and secure the ornament.
Scholastic: What’s the most difficult part?Ayaan: I had to tinker with the design a lot to make the anchors just right. On the prototype, the string was too stretchy, so the ornaments didn’t stay in place. I changed it to a thinner and stiffer string. Then I attached weights to test whether the anchors could support heavy ornaments. I even hung a 10-pound weight from one and left it on the tree for a few days to see what would happen. It stayed in place!
Ayaan at age 9 with the poster from his school’s invention convention
Scholastic: What math do you use to run your business?Ayaan: I had to figure out how much we would sell the Ornament Anchors for in order to pay our parents back, cover the costs of the materials like the string and toggle, and hopefully make a profit. At first, we went to holiday craft fairs. My brother and I would show the crowd how the anchors worked by shaking a tree full of ornaments. We sold enough to pay my parents back after three weeks!
Scholastic: What advice do you have for other kids?Ayaan: Ask for help when you need it! My mom helped me figure out some parts of the design. And keep trying, even when you’re nervous. Mika’il and I were worried about showing off the ornament anchors at craft fairs at first. But once we got going, we became more confident.
MATH BEHIND THE BUSINESS
Key Math Idea:Calculating Costs
Pricing a product can be tricky. If the price is too high, people may not buy it. If it’s too low, it might not make a profit. Ayaan and Mika’il decided to sell Ornament Anchors in groups of 24. They sell a 24-pack for $19.99, a 48-pack for $39.98, and a 96-pack for $79.96. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.
A. What’s the price per Ornament Anchor of a 24-pack that costs $19.99, rounded to the nearest cent?
B. Are any of the other package sizes less expensive per anchor?
How many 48-packs would Ayaan and Mika’il have to sell to pay their parents back the $1,500 they borrowed, if the entire sale price went toward that?
A customer has 200 ornaments. What should they order to get at least that many Ornament Anchors in the fewest packages? What would their total payment be?