Little Boy Lives in a Shed, Spends His Poor Single Mom's Last $12 to Start His Own Business

When an East LA mom of three lost her job during the pandemic, she moved into a shed with her kids. One day, she gave the last $12 to her 8-year-old son, who started his own business to support his mother.

What's your biggest fear? For many people, it's getting fired from their job or facing a massive loss in their business. Financial instability scares most people because it is difficult to give up one's lifestyle and live on a tight budget.

Moreover, things worsen when people have children or other dependants who rely on them for their finances. A single mother of three was devastated after losing her job because she didn't want to see her children suffer. Everything seemed to go downhill until the day her son decided to invest her money.

DIFFICULT TIMES

Berenice Pacheco was single-handedly raising her three children when she lost her job in March 2020 after COVID-19 affected millions of lives worldwide. The worried mother moved into a shed with her kids to make ends meet.

After moving into a smaller place, things started to get tough for Pacheco and her children. Since they didn't have a bathroom, they showered outside the shed and went to a nearby restaurant whenever they wanted to use the toilet. Pacheco felt terrible watching her children struggle for their basic needs. She recalled:

"As a mother, it broke my heart. I felt like I was failing my kids."

STRUGGLING TO LIVE

Pacheco felt heartbroken to see her 8-year-old son, Aaron Moreno, struggle with doing his homework because their shed had no table or internet. Moreover, the only entertainment left for her kids was the local playground, which shut down during the pandemic, restricting Pacheco and her children to their shed.

After a lot of thinking and planning, Aaron told his mother that he was ready to set up his own business.

The helpless mother also felt terrible explaining to Aaron why he couldn't buy his favorite snack from the food truck. He loved having hot Cheetos drizzled with gooey cheese that the man on the food truck sold daily driving through the neighborhood. Pacheco couldn't afford Aaron's favorite snack because she had bills to pay.

A LIFE-CHANGING JOKE

Pacheco always felt awful when Aaron asked her to buy his favorite snack, so one day she said something to him without knowing how it would affect him.

She jokingly told him to start a business so he could buy the cheesy snack. Little did she know that her 8-year-old would take her advice seriously and start working on it.

After a lot of thinking and planning, Aaron told his mother that he was ready to set up his own business. All he needed was someone who could provide funds.

THE FUNDING

When Aaron told Pacheco he wanted to sell plants, she immediately agreed to give him the last $12 she had in her pocket because she knew that succulents had always fascinated him. She trusted her 8-year-old son despite her tight financial situation and allowed him to start his business, "Aaron's Garden." She recounted:

"I told him to invest the money."

After getting the initial investment, Aaron got to work and purchased eight plants for $12. He displayed them on a table in front of his shed and started attracting buyers in his neighborhood.

MAKING MONEY

Soon, Aaron sold all the plants and had $16 in his hands. Pacheco felt proud that her little boy had made a profit of $4 at a young age. She said:

"His favorite, it's the aloe vera. And he gets a lot of mosquito bites. So we learned that the aloe vera has some type of medicine that heals. So that was awesome to learn."

Aaron repurchased plants with the money he had made and sold them again. After repeating the same thing for some time, he collected a few hundred dollars, including tips from buyers.

CHANGING LIVES

Little Aaron's sincere efforts to help his mom had finally paid off. His business had also gained popularity on social media, making him nothing less than a celebrity. His well-wishers had set up a GoFundMe page that helped him raise money to improve his family's living conditions. Aaron said:

"Thank you to all the people that bought a plant from me. It means a lot."

Eventually, Aaron collected enough money through his business and people's donation to move into a better living space. He left Pacheco in tears after they finally moved to a one-bedroom apartment.

THE PROUD MOTHER

Pacheco was super proud of her little one for helping her during the most challenging time of her life. Aaron also wished to bring his sister back from Mexico, who had to live away from them for two years because of their unfavorable living situation. After looking at Aaron's accomplishment, Pacheco said:

“We finally have our own kitchen. Aaron and his sister have a place to do homework.”

After moving from shelters to people's houses, a small shed, and finally a studio apartment, Pacheco felt emotional looking back at her family's journey. Even though their apartment wasn't big, the family thought it was "huge."

Aaron's story teaches us never to give up, no matter what life throws our way. Despite the unfavorable circumstances, the little boy did the unthinkable and changed his family's living conditions forever.

Click here to read another story about a window washer who drained his savings to buy a ring for his fiancée and got shamed by her family and friends.