Ninja  Balls by Colin and Braden

Ninja Balls by Colin and Braden. Their graphic designer uncle drew the poster for them.

I couldn’t resist buying the Ninja Balls this weekend. Actually, I bought 8 of them…our Elf will deliver 3 to my boys, and the other 5 will go to my older nieces and nephew.

Their snazzy hand drawn poster caught my attention first.

The two boys had just finished setting up their little table of Ninja Balls when I walked by, and I was immediately taken in by their brightly colored Ninja Balls as they tweaked their little display “just so.”

As I chatted with them, Colin and Braden Laughrey were happy to share their magical process of creating each of the Ninja Balls by hand.

They had worked hard in their kitchen the night before to have 60 Ninja Balls ready for the show…by noon, they only had a handful still available, and their “emergency plan” had been activated:

Colin and Braden with their Ninja Balls and tiny half booth at the art and craft show.

Colin and Braden with their Ninja Balls and tiny half booth at the art and craft show.

Colin went home with mom to build more Ninja Balls while Braden manned their stand with his charming smile.

But these two boys were doing more than selling a product…they were giving something away: a bit of joy.

Every person who stopped by their little table couldn’t resist a smile, whether they bought a Ninja Ball or not.

  • It wasn’t because of the fun, colorful poster.
  • It wasn’t because Colin and Braden freely shared how they made their product.
  • And it wasn’t because the Ninja Balls are just plain cool.

There was an abundance of smiles because even though they were a tiny half spot amongst over 300 other art and craft booths at the Belleville, Illinois fairgrounds, these two boys enthusiastically engaged with every possible customer that came their way.

Each person was given a genuine and brilliant smile that radiated from the boys’ eyes. And each person was made to feel like a very important person while they looked at the Ninja Balls.

Colin and Braden had stumbled upon the secret to happy customers without even knowing it:

People remember how you make them feel…so treat people with genuine kindness and give them your very best smile. 

Comment below on what you do to make your customers or guests happy. Then share this secret with someone who needs a little nudge…that would make me happy. :)


You can get your own Ninja Balls by simply calling or texting Colin and Braden’s parents:

Ian @ 580-278-1971
Melissa @ 580-278-1280

Over the weekend, Colin and Braden created and sold over 100 Ninja Balls. According to the boys, all funds from the Ninja Balls go toward purchasing Christmas gifts.

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