Why You Should Teach Your Kids About Entrepreneurship
It’s never too early to learn lifelong principles.
Children should absolutely be raised as entrepreneurs.
I do not necessarily mean they should be raised to be the youngest CEO of a Forbes 500 company. To be more exact, I believe children should at least be taught the underlying principles of entrepreneurship, like work ethic, initiative and leadership. These can push them to be better, more productive leaders of the future.
Entrepreneurship is more than just business
Many parents may balk at this notion because entrepreneurship sometimes has a negative connotation. It’s common for people to think of it as the pursuit of a quick buck and fame.
In some cases it can be.
A few of today’s most popular CEOs and chairmen prefer glitzy press releases over results. This often means preferring profits over people too. These preferences might bring them financial success and cultural influence, but they are not the kinds of ideals we should teach children about entrepreneurship. And it’s not true entrepreneurship.
There is so much more to entrepreneurship than the bottom line. Press releases and profits are important, but entrepreneurship is not a “thing,” like a business, but rather a personification of principles that matter. It’s a lifestyle, an outlook on the world.
These principles are necessary at any stage of life
To be an entrepreneur is to be a doer. Entrepreneurs thrive off the idea that the world is full of problems, and many are worth solving. Coupling your child’s boundless imagination with the ability to problem-solve will get them in the habit of bettering their environment where they see fit.
By creating value through initiative, your child will become an indispensable asset in every walk of life.
Entrepreneurs also know the importance of focused and concentrated work sessions. They recognize their limitations, and have bulletproof methods of getting jobs done in a timely manner.
They know ten minutes of uninterrupted work is equally productive as three hours on a laptop in front of the TV. Their work ethic isn’t centered around working hard, but working efficiently. They recognize time is money, which is why their time is never wasted.
At their core, entrepreneurs are innovators. They build a strategy and formulate a game plan for success. An idea without proper implementation is a candle in the wind. Entrepreneurs know success is 10% idea and 90% execution. They’re not too fixated on ideas because they recognize the lion’s share of work comes after the “eureka” moment.
But in the end, these traits are only strengthened by an entrepreneur’s ability to connect with others.
Putting it all together
The most important, transferable aspect of entrepreneurship is becoming a magnet: attracting, organizing and leading people towards a common goal.
Social skills are invaluable in a world where we communicate with each other constantly. Whether it’s rallying other 5th graders for a dodgeball game or managing your team on a final project, the fundamentals of leadership persist.
Entrepreneurs have a knack for guiding their team to the promised land. They strike the perfect balance between drill sergeant and cheerleader. They motivate without condescension, push without being pushy and maximize without exploitation.
Taught well, the focus, drive and creativity required of entrepreneurship can foster thoughtful, proactive young individuals. It is feasible that the president of a high school club could someday become the president of something greater if they are given the right tools.
Raising my own children, I have tried to cultivate within them these principles so that they may thrive no matter the path they choose. Teaching everyone to think with an entrepreneur’s brain does not mean that everyone has to be an entrepreneur; but the capacity to handle responsibility and be a forward thinker are skills from which anyone can benefit, especially at a young age.
Aaron Webber is a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Webber Investments LLC, as well as a Managing Partner at Madison Wall Agencies.
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