7 things you can do to ensure that you’re raising entrepreneurial children
Every parent wants their kids to be successful and confident. We want them to do well in an often challenging world. In order to do that, you’ve got to raise your kids to be entrepreneurial.
But first, it’s important to define exactly what is meant by “entrepreneurial”… It doesn’t JUST mean someone who runs a for-profit business. In the broader sense, entrepreneurs are people who work hard, are emotionally resilient, and are able to turn their ideas into reality.
Got it? Good!
7 things you can do to ensure that you’re raising entrepreneurial children:
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1. Plant the seeds of empathy, and watch them bloom!
Show your kids that they should help others. It can be something as simple as helping your kids take inventory of their toys, and set aside a bag of old toys to give to less fortunate kids.
Encouraging an awareness of issues like poverty will make kids ask entrepreneurial questions such as, “How can I make things better?”
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2. Praise them for figuring things out!
If your child loves checkers and decides to give chess a try – and she does well at it – don’t congratulate her for being good at playing games. Instead, congratulate her for figuring out how to do a new thing. For confronting something she was afraid of and leaving her comfort zone.
Entrepreneurship is all about figuring out what you want and making it happen.
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3. Teach them that this world is like a chameleon: ever-changing!
It’s important to teach your children that the world hasn’t always been the way it is today. Technology, fashion, cultural norms: these things are always changing. And that’s because there are PEOPLE who change them. The world is as malleable as Silly Putty, and the status quo is constantly changing.
That’s what an entrepreneur does: change the status quo.
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4. Show them that failing early and often is a GOOD thing!
Most parents try to prevent their kids from failing. However, you need to foster an environment where it’s okay to fail. If children learn the merits of failing when they’re young, they’ll become more resilient. And they’ll see that within the flower petals of their failures lie the growing buds of their future successes.
5. Holy preparation, Batman! Give them a utility belt full of skills!
There are skills that every successful entrepreneur knows: how to build, how to sell, how to invest. Teaching your children how to do these things will show them valuable lessons about how the world works.
If you show your kids that building things from scratch is fun, they’ll look forward to it and they’ll be self-sufficient adults.
If your children get experience selling Girl Scout cookies door to door or running a lemonade stand, they’ll understand how to build a rapport with customers.
And if you teach your kids how to invest and grow their money, they’ll look at the whole concept of money in a new way!
6. You and your shadow
So your kids have no homework and you’re going to a meeting? Great! Take the kids WITH you to the meeting. They’ll be there silently observing, like your shadow. Afterward, talk to them about what happened in the meeting. They’ll learn financial literacy. And they’ll learn what their parents do all day long!
7. Remember to stay out of the way!
Pay attention to what your children want. What are they good at? What are they passionate about? What makes them happy?
Some parents want to guide the arc of their children’s lives. But they don’t understand that it’s important to get out of your kids’ way and let them figure out their own path.
