How do children develop entrepreneurial skills? Believe it or not, kids are already learning skills in school that will help them run their own business. How? It’s a matter of thinking creatively and putting real life skills into action. Continue reading for 3 more skills kids are already learning in school that they can apply to their entrepreneurial dreams. You can read the first two skills in my blog post Hope for Kids Who Want to Follow Their Dreams.
Entrepreneur Skill # 3: Readiness
Ready or not…being prepared is another entrepreneurial skill learned as early as preschool. Preparation includes the concept of time and organization.
Time is my arch nemesis. I never have enough of it, and I always try to cram too much in at the last minute, resulting in tardiness and often, disorganization. I don’t think I am the only one who struggles with this. (More on that in a later article when we discuss the creative process). However, I cannot blame time (hello – responsibility!); rather I need to practice better organization.
My six year old is probably the least organized person I know. He is forever losing his school assignments. Shoes are never in the same place. The contents of his backpack are usually strewn across his bedroom floor (or wherever he landed when he walked in the door). I put a desk in his room for his drawing materials but the paper trail still makes a path onto his floor, through the laundry room, and into the living room. Yes, disorganization is fairly normal for a child his age; however, this is when they are learning how to organize and why it is so important.
Organization
Organization is important because you need to know where things are in order to accomplish them. My son needs to know where all the pieces to his Lego set are in order to complete it. Homework folders need to be in his backpack so that I know what he has been assigned as well as any notes sent home by his teacher. In order to be successful, you must follow some kind of organization system.
In the entrepreneurial world, this falls under business processes. If the paperwork is disorganized, then projects will be interrupted, incomplete, and money lost. That is just the beginning; business processes directly guide the flow of work and affect your employees, your customers, safety, security, and more.
Time Management
Sister to organization is time management. This is very important in the work world, as we all know. Sometimes I wish I could go back to my childhood’s version of time management, but I realize though it may seem simple now, it is not so simple to children. Everything is relative. (See what I did there? Time and relativity…).
Time management requires our focus and attention, something kids are learning every day in school. Most importantly, they are learning how to decipher what to pay attention to and why. That is difficult even for adults. The world does not lack distractions. However, in order to succeed in business (and life for that matter), we need to learn how to weed out the clutter and focus on the issue at hand. In this way, we are able to problem solve with success. We can also then see what steps to take next and make a plan. Every project assigned to kids in school is designed to help develop this skill of dividing time into the steps necessary to complete the project.
Entrepreneur Skill # 4: Safety
Safety may not be one of the first topics on your list of entrepreneurial skills. You may want to reconsider that. Especially in today’s global world with technology that allows for instant results and connection, safety is a primary skill that our children need to learn.
Every day I witness the need for companies to tighten their security or risk their data and therefore their business. Our national security is even at stake if security precautions are not taken. There are regulations required in order to protect and inhibit these security risks; but gaps are always possible. Thus, policies and procedures are created to maintain and consistently check for risks. Training and practice help mitigate these risks.
As parents, safety of our children is our primary concern. From the time our children are mobile, we are watching and helping so that they don’t get hurt. As our children grow older, we become a little less hands on, allowing them to try new things on their own. In this way, they learn how to gauge their actions and consequences. They learn pain and success. Without even knowing it, they begin to make a list in their consciousness of things that are safe and those that are not. Some children are more risk takers than others; but through each experience they learn more about themselves and what they are willing to risk.
Again, the choices we make regarding safety affect more people than just us. In the process of learning and enacting safety practices, children are also learning how to value each other as well as information. A successful business depends on safety in the workplace and safe information sharing.
In the process of learning and enacting safety practices, children are also learning how to value each other as well as information.
Entrepreneur Skill # 5: Willing to Work, Grow, and Learn
I began this article with my children’s school motto (read motto here) because it is a good introduction to how children develop entrepreneurial skills. The rest of the motto willing to work, grow, and learn for a better tomorrow emphasizes the continual learning mindset that an entrepreneur must have to succeed.
You must never stop learning. Education and creativity are two of the most important things a child can grow. The foundation of education for a child is the root of what they become; and that keeps growing. Even as adults, we will never run out of things to learn. The saying goes “The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.” That just means that knowledge spurs on the desire for more knowledge. And this knowledge inspires new ideas and creativity. From creativity comes innovation.
Teaching children to love learning instills a thinking mindset. My mother always told me that I don’t need to know all the answers; I just need to know how to find them. So teach your children how to ask questions, to search and find answers. To realize that things continually change and grow, including themselves.
Never stop learning…Realize that things continually change and grow, including them.
In summary, children develop entrepreneurial skills every day. Entrepreneurial skills are life skills applied creatively in order to build a business that you love. As parents, it is our job to help guide our children to connect those skills with purpose. Children want to make a difference in the world just as we adults want to do the same. I encourage you to walk hand in hand with your child, helping them to see how they can do just that. Help your children develop entrepreneurial skills by putting these 5 skills into action on a daily basis.
Gather more ideas to inspire your kidpreneur by reading The (Happy) Surprise that makes Starting a Business Easier.
