How to raise entrepreneurs requires being able to teach them to think and to let them be creative. Most entrepreneurs have a few things in common, these include their ability to create and a resilient attitude that lets them keep going and pivoting.
The Importance of Early Work
Eva Ho, is a General Partner at Fika Ventures a “$40 million seed fund dedicated to serving entrepreneurs who are building enduring solutions to solve deep systemic problems. In an interview with Forbes, she shared that being involved in her family’s business early taught her a lot of great lessons of what hard work meant. She learnt what it meant to start your own business, what it meant to provide customer service and how to manage inventory. According to her, all these were great lessons that, back then, she didn’t know, but now, in hindsight, they were really positive for her.
She advises that children should work from a young age; as young as 10 years old. These early skills will teach them the value of money. Secondly, when children start working early, they understand that respect and success are earned. Success is not something that should be handed to you.
[Tweet “She advises that children should work from a young age; as young as 10 years old. These early skills will teach them the value of money”]
On dreaming, she thinks this is important. This is for all children, especially among women and young girls, she encourages everyone to think bigger and to dream bigger. There’s a whole world out there and there are so many possibilities. From a young age, get that into yourself, that you have all the abilities to achieve whatever you really want.
Creative Side Hustle
Side hustles are all the rage now, allowing several people to express their true passions. Increasingly, we are seeing children and young adults who are exploring their passions and interests early. Some of these children are turning their interests into lucrative wealth creation side hustles even before they leave school. In addition, some have been able to build successful startups leveraging on technology and the internet.
In the article 25 kids that made $1 million before graduating high school, we see that there is a range of opportunities for children to get started as entrepreneurs early.
At just 9, Cameron Johnson launched Cheers and Tear, a greeting card company his first business from his home. By the time he reached high school, Johnson moved onto online advertising and software development, which earned him a monthly income of around $400,000.
Robert Nay became an overnight sensation when he was just 14 through his app Bubble Ball. In fact, the game raked in $2 million in a mere 2 weeks. Rober still develops games under his company Nay Games.
Be Creative with the Internet
Nyeeam a.k.a. King Nahh who is homeschooled by his dad—has carved out a side hustle as a motivational speaker primarily via his Instagram page; King Nahh. He is known for delivering advice that goes viral. His messages are positive and full of wisdom not common for someone his age.
When asked on how to build “greatness”—a term he uses regularly; his answer was “Make sure you’re working on yourself every day”.
He illustrates his point with a Lego example. When you’re building with them, he says, “You don’t see a masterpiece take shape until you add all the pieces. Greatness works the same way. Confidence is a piece, dedication is a piece, commitment is a piece. You’re going to need a little bit of everything on your journey to greatness.” People might not believe in you, he points out. Even so, “Never get discouraged. Just keep building yourself every day.”
[Tweet “Confidence is a piece, dedication is a piece, commitment is a piece. You’re going to need a little bit of everything on your journey to greatness”]
Further, he says “When I encounter people with negative energy, I think my work is not done. So I make another video or give another speech so I can motivate that person.” this is a special young man and will definitely go places.
The role of a Parent cannot be underestimated. King Nahh’s dad is a perfect example of an intentional parent; who decided to be different from his past. After being raised from foster home to foster home and growing up as a fatherless child; he vowed to one day be a different kind of father to his own son. He is doing this wonderfully as can be seen in his young son.
Start small and think big
Taofeek Abijako, was initially interested in painting and soccer in school before switching to design. Following this, he created an entire fashion line in his room while he was in high school. He tweeted about his work, and a Japanese retailer called him not too long after. His fashion line is called HEAD OF STATE.
At just 19, he became the youngest designer to present a collection at New York Fashion Week: Men’s. Taofeek spring/summer 2019 collection, paid homage to 70s afro-futurism styles and West African youth culture.
[Read more about amazing young entrepreneurs here]
There is no limit to what our children can achieve if we allow them to think and to be creative. Being an entrepreneur means creating something new, or doing the same thing in a new way. What is common in most of the stories of the young entrepreneurs is that they were open to trying new things and thinking big. Nothing is easy in life and our children need a healthy dose of grit to stay focused and be their best.
Read: Parenting Guide on How to Raise Children Who Have Grit
Things Parents Can Do
1. Discover the passion of your children
Every child has one thing he or she is passionate about. Discover that passion and guide the child accordingly.
2. Teach them that hard work pays
Give them tasks to handle and reward them when the finish. Help them set targets and reward them when they meet those targets.
3.Teach them the value of money
After teaching them that hard work pays; teach them the value of money. Make them see how important it is to work hard and get money to solve problems, but do it wisely so that they don’t get it wrong. It is good practice not to buy them everything they want or ask for; let them learn how to earn some things they want.
4.Teach them to embrace adversity
Life is filled with challenges and the kids should be aware of this. Let them know that in life you don’t always get what you want. So, you should always appreciate what you have. It is natural for parents to try to shield their children from adversity. However when they have to face challenges; they often grow stronger. Do not be fearful when challenges come up. it’s not going to kill them.
Teach them that it is okay to fail. Some cultures emphasize perfect scores, being the best, winning, being first place, etc. But to be a successful entrepreneur; a child needs to be raised in an environment where he/she is taught to stand up after a failure and learn from it, instead of feeling defeated.
5. Teach them the concept of sacrifice.
To reach any goal in life, they might need to make sacrifices, sometimes small or large.
6. Let them make decisions
Entrepreneurs need the confidence to make decisions. You can start early by encouraging your child to make choices; when your child makes good choices; it makes him or her feel confident. Of course, their decisions should be guided by their parents, so they don’t go astray. In the same vein, when they make decisions that are not great; help them to see the lesson behind it.
SEE ALSO: How To Raise Children For Their Path In Life
The Future of Jobs and Top Secrets Parents Need to Know
How to be a Digital Savvy Parent
