I always believed that if you are NOT born as an entrepreneur, you are destined to work for someone else. All. Your. Life.
I proved myself wrong. Anyone can become an entrepreneur.
Even kids. Especially kids.
And it's surprisingly easy: give them the tools and knowledge. Empower them. Support their failures and successes. Inspire them to become their own boss one day. Be there with them and for them.
In a world where 90% of the businesses are small or medium companies – teaching our kids the essentials of entrepreneurship is probably the key.
Every study out there proved that early entrepreneurship education increases the confidence and self-esteem of children. It helps them to become more resilient and motivates them to take on new challenges. They learn 'play to win,' not be afraid of failing, 'trying again,' and take risks (unlike the grown-ups that often choose certainty over probability).
Not only that: through their creative entrepreneurial thinking, kids bring bright new ideas to the world that could change just about any aspect of our current and future life at any moment.
If you grew up in the 70s, 80s, or 90s – the chance that your local school provided any kind of entrepreneurial education is marginally low. Many of us back in the 70s-90s were groomed to become lawyers, economists, doctors, or engineers… The concept of entrepreneurship education was left for the very few individuals who learned its essentials mostly from their parents or family friends.
The world has changed. The work has changed.
What's left?
Society, family, friends. Ample business opportunities. New ways of doing a business. Ability to adapt and innovate. Ability to succeed.
Our kids will have to learn just that: constant change, agility, focus, self-discipline, persistence, finding the right opportunities, and the ability to innovate. Sounds like some of the core principles of entrepreneurship? Or something that they will learn for life and use no matter what career path they'll take?
Either way, you look at it – entrepreneurship education for kids is powerful and desirable. And 93% of successful global entrepreneurs validate that 'starting young' in business is a key.
"If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day.
If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime."- Lao Tzu
The world needs more innovation and more entrepreneurs.
So, let your kids dream, re-invent from the inside out, explore. Empower them to think like entrepreneurs. Offer them the tools to breeze through the ever-changing life.
Can your kid become an entrepreneur?