In my older son’s fourth grade class, there is a big-time CEO in the making.

The evidence?

She’s already running a successful micro business, Custard Slime. As importantly, she has the customer-centric service skills, marketing acumen, and relationship-building touch you see in the world’s top performing sales professionals and network-building executives.

Before going further, I should mention that Custard Slime is one of the coolest things going among the local fourth graders. As I understand it, the slime is a combination of glue manipulated with stuff like food dye, contact lens solution, and Borax. It forms a substance ‘90s kids would liken to Gak.

Anyway, after my little buddy purchased some from his classmate, the proprietor and creator of Custard Slime – both the commonly used name for the product and what she calls her business – gave him this hand-written thank you letter. Check it out:​

Not only does she thank my son (the customer) and tell him his happiness with the product matters to her, she also shows genuine concern with her instructions for safe use. Perhaps most brilliantly of all, she builds a bridge to the next sale with the coupon offer. Who needs an MBA? This young lady already has it figured out.

I asked my wife and son for more details, and they told me this entrepreneurial elementary schooler makes all different versions of Custard Slime in various colors with varying textures. She tells her friends about the products in person (working the personal network, so to speak), but also shares details about new creations and offers through group texts to classmates. So, she’s an astute digital marketer, too.

Also, impressively, the idea for Custard Slime, I’m told, came from the fact that A. She has a blast making the stuff. B. Knew classmates love it too and would want to buy. Talk about identifying a hot opportunity in the market that matches your passion and then going for it – that’s something the best entrepreneurs do!

While I’m clearly having a bit of fun, this school days case study, in its way, highlights a number of best practices that executives, sales professionals and others in the promo products industry and beyond should be engaging in as a matter of course.

That, and of course, it’s a bit of a tip that if you’re eager for a side venture in toy slime, now might be the time to act.