October 10, 2014
Entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurial. Entrepreneurialism. Nearly every version of the word “entrepreneur” is thrown around daily in our office! So when the time came to explain one of our favorite words to kids at Pack2School…piece of cake, right? Ha!
Head to the dictionary and you’ll find:
en·tre·pre·neur (noun): one who organizes, manages and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise
Anyone who has ever had a conversation with a 7-year-old can imagine the look on their face if you were to use this definition to explain entrepreneurship. Not exactly the reaction we would be aiming for. And really, aren’t entrepreneurs so much more than that definition? Entrepreneurs have to exhibit a variety of attributes to be successful. So what exactly are those attributes?
Creative? Yes. Adventurous? Yes. Business owners? Yes. Passionate, dedicated and optimistic? Yes, yes and yes. How about insecure? Ye…wait. Insecure?
Insecurity is just one of the “less than favorable” characteristics a recent Business Insider article claims many of today’s most successful entrepreneurs possess.
What’s great about this list of characteristics is kids naturally possess all of them! So instead of smothering kids inner entrepreneurial fire with “you can’ts” and “you shouldn’ts”, we’re passionate about education that stokes and inspires this intrinsic fire with “YOU CAN!” As an adult, we challenge you to look at the following attributes as an opportunity to unleash kids’ natural entrepreneurial spirits!
1. Entrepreneurs are insecure.
Many entrepreneurs are viewed as ambitious but have many insecurities under their confident exteriors. But this can be a valuable asset when evaluating potential business opportunities. “Those who are nervous about failing can become hyperfocused and willing to do whatever it takes to succeed.”
2. Entrepreneurs can’t sit still.
“Entrepreneurs have unbridled energy that fuels them long past the time when their employees have gone home. They are eager, excited and energized about business in a way that makes them stand out.” Allowing kids to take an extra 5 minutes to finish a project (even if it’s past bedtime) let’s them burn off this energy while giving them a sense of accomplishment.
3. Entrepreneurs are motivated by challenges.
“When confronted by problems many [people] try to pass the buck. Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, rise to the occasion.” Climbing up the slide is just one example where kids instinctively understand there’s a time for following the rules, and there’s a time to take a risk and break them.
4. Entrepreneurs consider themselves outsiders.
Kids who feel pressured to join the crowd should be reminded that great innovators like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg were “often rejected for being different in some way, and that just [made] them work harder.”
5. Entrepreneurs fail.
Kids don’t learn to crawl or walk overnight! Just like kids, “entrepreneurs fall down and pick themselves up until they get it right.” Encourage this resiliency by cheering kids on whenever they pick themselves back up!
Based on Business Insider’s article, How To Tell If You’re An Entrepreneur.