3 Things I Told My Kids That Made Them Think Like Entrepreneurs
I’m 26 and just sold my first software company. The company did over $5m in sales and raised $2.5m with 25 employees at its peak. I wanted to ask my mom if she could point to things from my childhood that she thought helped me think like an entrepreneur. That’s me on the right.
This article originally appeared on my website and was supplemented with my mom coming on my podcast.
My mom’s name is Lori Wayne and just like other moms with kids like Savvy Sassy Moms, Domesticated MOMSTER, Inspiration for Moms, Digital Mom Blog, who want the best for the kids (even if they are busy like Busy Mom) she knew the world was changing and she needed to prep us kids to be ready. Here’s my mom:
Here are the three things I told my kids to make them think like entrepreneurs.
1. All Things Are Possible
All Things Are Possible and You Can Do Whatever You Want With Your Life — Don’t set limitations for yourself.
Think big, think expansively, consider the possibilities and if there is something that you want to do, see, buy, or accomplish you can do it. (Nathan here: I wanted to launch a #1 podcast on itunes, told everyone loudly it would happen, and 6 months later, it was #1 with over 76,000 downloads the first 45 days. Here’s how I did it.)
It may require a plan and hard work, but if you really want it, it is worth pursuing. Don’t let people tell you that you can’t, be confident, be persistent do the work and complete the activities that are needed to get you where you want to go.
Be a glass half full, positive person and think abundantly.
2. No Job is Worth Doing No Matter How Much It Pays, If You Don’t Love Doing It
Life is too short to work a job that you don’t enjoy just because of the money.
You spend too much time at work, to be doing something that you are not passionate about and committed to. You have choices about the type of work you do.
Avoid consumer credit card debt, having debt limits your choices and creates undo stress about money.
If you use a credit card, plan to pay it off every month. If you feel stuck or unfulfilled in a job or in a business, figure out how to make a change. Do work that you love.
(Nathan here: Super mom Carrie Wilkerson came on my show and talked about how she became the Barefoot Executive, commands $12k per keynote, and teaches this stuff to her 4 young children all while working from home)
3. Look People In The Eye And Be Prepared To Carry On A Conversation
When they were young this was all about being polite and being brave enough to talk with grown-ups, when they were teenagers, it was about being polite and speaking full sentences, instead of doing the teenage mumble.
This is all about engaging in a dialog a social one or a business one — have a point of view, participate in the conversation, be curious, ask questions.
I did this with them from the time they were young — engaged them in conversation, explained things to them, solicited their opinions, and asked them to provide input.
I was transparent with them about how I evaluated options and made choices, and I engaged them in conversation about how they were making choices.
When possible and when age appropriate, I included them in the process of making family decisions. I encouraged them to learn how to learn and to learn to be problem solvers.
Three questions to ask your kids to make them think all things are possible:
1. Hunny, how would you do that?
I’d ask my kids this when they proposed something I knew wasn’t possible. Instead of shutting them down, I’d let them explore a solution. They’d surprise me most of the time!
2. Point to an achievement of someone else and ask your kids “how do you think they did that?”
3. Encourage curiosity by proposing big questions to your kids. “Nathan, how would you build that treehouse yourself using just scrap wood?”
Pointing to direct experiences that shaped my children’s thinking is always difficult and hard to prove. These are the basic starter points I encouraged my kids to think about to be independent thinking, hard working, and innovative problem solvers.
Are you asking your kids these questions?
Hey there! Quick favor: if you click that heart button below, it means more people will see this article. Would mean the world to me. Thanks! :) -Nathan
