Now this article is going to date me so for all you young Internet whipper-snappers who are reading this, hang on to your hats – here comes a history lesson.
When I was about 11 I got my first job as a paperboy – I know that is a terribly politically incorrect term, but that’s what we were called back then. These days I’m sure the term is more gender neutral.
Paperboy, was a completely awesome job. As I was thinking back on which jobs to include in this series, I realized that it may have been the best all around learning opportunity I ever had.
This job had it all terms of business skills. These days the system is completely different, but back in the seventies when I was delivering newspapers it really was a franchise type system.
Sales
When I wanted new customers or to make more money, I had to go door to door and cold call, asking people if they would like to subscribe to the local daily paper. That was hard, but I guess at age 11 I wasn’t quite a self-conscious as I would be doing the same thing at 22.
Distribution
Six days a week, at about 3pm all the “carriers” as we were called, would meet at the Barnett Highway drop-box collect our bundles. This was a big newspaper and carrying 30 of them at a time, on a Saturday, could sometimes feel bone-crushing on my small frame. Port Moody was an extremely hilly town and a bike wasn’t
any help, most of the time would be spent pushing it up a hill or trying to not crash or go out of control [loaded with papers] on the way down.
Another aspect of distribution was to constantly be thinking about ways to improve the time it took me to do the route. The path followed had been taught to me by the person who had the route before me, but because I used to spend so much of my time exploring forests and green belts in my town, I was able to shave significant time off of the delivery schedule with a few strategic short-cuts through the forest. Remember, the population wasn’t as dense as it is today, these routes spread over several miles.
Helpers
One thing I remember about delivering the paper was that my friends often wanted me to play hockey or football but I had to go directly after school each day and do my route. What I learned was that if I presented it just right, I could get them all to help me with my papers and finish my job in about a quarter the regular time. It is an important skill learned to be able to motivate people to help you out – and no I didn’t pay them.
Obstacles
Besides the weather, there were only two obstacles: big kids and dogs. I don’t recall ever having anything really bad happen, but there was one particular “big kid” who liked to threaten and torment me.
One day, while I was complaining about it at home, my mom said, “just look him in the eye.” I took her advice the next time we crossed paths and sure enough the pleasure he seemed to glean from tormenting me deflated like a balloon with a slow leak. Standing up directly to confrontations has served me very well ever since.
Dogs turned out to be pretty much the same story. I can’t remember who told me, but someone said that a dog only barks if they know you’re afraid. So I would just act confident and realize that they were probably more bark than bite.
The other skill learned with dogs though, if I really did feel threatened, the paper went on outside of the fence – learning proper boundaries of what is acceptable and what isn’t. In case you’re wondering these papers were too meaty to be folded like the way the kids in the Hollywood movies do it. If you practiced though, you could hold the rough end of the paper and aiming the fold at the doorstep you could kind of project [slide it edge-wise] the paper to the doorstep from about 10 or 12 feet away.
This tip saved time and also avoided some dog confrontations.
Getting Paid
When I delivered papers, I had to do my own collections. So at the end of every month as I delivered the papers, I also stopped at every house, banged on the door and collected for that month’s deliveries.
Then I received an invoice from the newspaper [The Vancouver Sun] that I need to pay. Whatever was left over I got to keep. Sweet! As I recall, I delivered 30 heavy papers, over a couple miles of hills, 6 days a week for about $30 a month.
Looking Back
As I look back, being a paper boy really was an amazing job. All of the elements of a real business were present and they were lived and learned everyday.
The only problem was that I didn’t really know what I was learning. What would have made this the coolest job ever would have been for the paper, or some community organization, to help us realize what we were really learning.
A tiny bit of business theory and reinforcement for the kids doing these jobs and you would have had mini entrepreneurs at age 13 ready to transform their lives…never looking for traditional jobs. For me it wasn’t until I hit age 30 that I really put myself in a position with as much business potential as I had in that paper route.
- Jon Symons
P.S. this article is a part of my “Ways I’ve Made Money” series.
This post was written by Jon Symons, see my short bio. Or use the contact page to get in touch.
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I was a paper person too. When I was in 8th grade all the way to 10th. My sister and I had three routes between us and we had to deliver early in the morning, before 6 am. Weekdays were ok, Sundays were murder, and actually collecting the money was something I was bad at. I usually ended up leaving envelopes for people to leave on the door and pay me the next day.
I never had to ask people if they wanted to purchase the paper… I just had to collect the fees.
Also, it was in upstate NY, so my dad would drive my sis and I around when there was snow up to our shoulders on the sidewalks.
Cool Alli. An early morning route would have killed me. In my town they had both, but I insisted on afternoon. No such thing as afternoon papers anymore I guess. And yes, sometimes my mom or dad had to drive me too.
I was a paperboy just two years ago. I had all the collection responsibilities and stuff, too. I had trouble with some of the people not wanting to pay me though, so I quit.
Hello there.
Ive just started some big afternoon paper-rounds here in England for the free local papers.
I was wondering if you could share some advice in relation to your last paragraph about the buisness potential?
fijjibo
There was a time when our town once flourished with the paperboys, a time of starting jobs for the teens. No one could make better of them, except that is one of their own, a manager named Oron Jacobs, decided to convert all routes to postal mail, and cut down all the existing paperboys of their only jobs. And one day he’ll pay for his crime. The time of the paperboys, will come again.
I was the last carrier hired in Lewistown Montana before the conversion, lied to, wasn’t supposed to be converted unless I quit, did I quit? No some asshole lied to me! Once in awhile I look on my shelf and still see a dusty, dirty-paper-inked canvas newspaper sling that carried my papers, all 72 of them safely to their customers every Wednesday and Saturday. It’s been a long while but I will never forget being a paperboy as my first paying job.
I used to be a scene to my community when I was a paperboy. It would be a Saturday morning, me and my dog Maxine would set out at about 9:00 AM. People would drive by and see a boy with a canvas bag of papers, a bottle of Coca-Cola in the left hand, a blue leash with a black and tan dog in the right hand. When Maxine died they only saw the Coke bottle in the left hand they no longer saw the black and tan dog, when the conversion happened they never saw a young boy in that pose walking the street anymore, the community lost an icon.
hi got a paper route in the uk takes me an hour to deliver and i get 4 pounds i like it today was my first round ever doing it again tomorow its well good and easy
I was wondering could you help me find any place where you can start a newspaper job?
Hello all and greetings from Liverpool, England. The time is just after 9.00pm and I have not been home to long My day started at 4.30am today which is Saturday and I finished around 7.00 pm I had a 2 hour break but its still a long day. I employ over 28 (Yes 28!!!) paper boys and girls and I have to tell you they are all hard working, enthusiastic, motivated and dedicated. I have been doing this job for over 22 years and every single boy or girl who has stuck at a paper round for a year or two has gone on later in life to go to college or university and eventually get a job or better still go in to business for them selves. Not one has ever failed to do well in life, not one of them. A paper boy or girl learns discipline learns to be motivated learns to understand the value of money and more important learn social skills way beyond anything they experience in school. all I can say is some of the most successful business people had paper rounds and they would agree its a great way of entering the real world of work and an experience they never forget and are proud to have done. A paper round is much more than just delivering news papers its a life enhancing experience. Also most of our paper deliverers earn around $30 – $35 Dollars per week in GBP it works out around £1,400 per year at 13 years of age. When most kids that age are lucky to get £5 per week pocket money my girls and boys take home 5 times that figure each week!!!! One of my boys who is a real hard worker did some extra rounds during the holidays as some of the other boys where away on holiday. Last week he took home more than £75.00 he is just turned 15 and got his first girlfriend Her friends must be jealous as anything for hooking up with the next Richard Branson or is that Donald Trump!!!
Great topic,
Hope you all have a good day.
Yours,
Peter
That Sounds Pretty Good Actually To Me Since Im 12
But I Thought You Made Like 100 A Week But I Guess It Depends On The Route And If Your Doing Daily Or Weekly So Never Mind!!!
Dear Ethan, First of all you need to be 13 years old by law to do a paper round in the United Kingdom. If you work for anyone under that age you would be breaking the law. Secondly, the legal wage for an 18 year old in this country is currently £3.60/Hour. Consider the fact that at 13 with a paper round that would take you 40 minutes to complete you could earn more than the £3.60/hour its good pay (even if you don’t think so yourself (Welcome to the real world young man!!) If you worked for me you could earn on average about £1,200 per year. If I include your Christmas tips which could easily be around £150.00-£200.00 (Now that’s what I call a Christmas present!!!)its pretty good money. Just as a matter of thought how many 13 year old’s do you know who would not say no to £1,200 a year. Just think you could afford the best trainers the latest mobile phone or games console and still have money in the bank and the most important thing you will learn is the value of money. Everything you buy with it is is from all YOUR hard work and whatever you buy with your own money you will treat it with a hundred times more respect than if it was bought for you. My advice is get your name down for a paper round now so that when you turn 13 you will be first on the list. Also go in from time to time and ask the newsagent if he still has you on file. Show him you are keen and I will bet you will get a paper round no bother. Be enthusiastic, polite but above all make yourself available even to cover rounds whilst other boys are on holiday. Many boys and girls who have shown they don’t mind doing holiday cover have eventually got full time paper rounds wit me.
Hope this helps you,
Best of luck and “GO FOR IT”
Yours
Peter.
Hello, I want to be a papergirl, but I’m only 11 – 12 in Jan 2012 – Do you think they’d let me as in the UK you have to be 13? Also what exactly do you do? And how much do you get paid? Thanks.