Now is the best time to teach kids entrepreneurship
MY husband and I have become a repeat customer of a 10-year-old girl named Aleeza. We love buying her regular and purple yam pastillas for ourselves, as well as give them out as a nice surprise to friends, like my kids’ coaches. I was inspired by how Aleeza decided to start her business this pandemic; and thought it would be a great “kidspiration” idea for other children during this prolonged period at home.
Aleeza is naturally curious and inquisitive. She often asks her parents about things she has read, seen and heard. According to her dad, “Liz [Aleeza’s Mom] and I often discuss our businesses and work. Aleeza hears our conversations, so I guess she has an idea of what being in business is. Also, I think a big factor in her being entrepreneurial is that Liz teaches her to be responsible and to be a hard worker. She explains where our money comes from, how to spend it properly, and how to save it.”
Aleeza has had an early exposure to business because even as a baby, Liz brought her to their retail store. Liz continues to be in the textile business, where she herself had an early start. As Aleeza grew older, she was taught how to help in the store. She bags the sold fabric and greets the clients coming in. And when she was around six years old, she was already involved in picking the design of the fabric from the supplier.
Aleeza’s pastillas business is called Pastillas & Co., which started because of her love for sweets. As her dad shared, “We ordered some pastillas for the house, but she ate most of it. We ordered again and she ate most of it again. So, Liz said out loud, ‘Gumawa ka na lang kaya ng sarili mo?’ And so, she did. Liz offers her guidance and advice on how to operate her business .... We fully support her endeavor that she started last May in the middle of a pandemic as it gives her an outlet for her energy and not only stare at her ipad all day. She also can’t go out to do sports or outdoor activities.”
Aleeza is happy when she hears positive feedback from her customers. She is also happy during the process of making it, as she gets to taste her goodies herself. She is most happy when she counts the money she has made from all her hard work. When asked about the challenges that Aleeza faces in this endeavor, her parents said, “Challenging moments are only encountered at the start. She [Aleeza] of course doesn’t know how to operate and conduct a business. She learns what needs to be done and then does it on her own. Learning never stops as she and Liz continue to find ways to streamline processes and increase yield while exerting the same or less effort. this business is one way for her to learn patience, perseverance and discipline.”
Personally, I believe teaching entrepreneurship early to our kids is good because it opens our kids to be passionate about something. It leads them to work toward their interests with the effort they want to put in. I say this because being an entrepreneur is not easy. When my parents were starting a business, I saw multiple challenges and saw how they tread on.
My kids also had an early exposure to my work. Maybe this is why one of Meagan’s dreams since she was nine is to become an entrepreneur. Many would say it is my being I am an entrepreneur that’s spurred my daughter to want to become one as well, but I don’t think this is the case.
there are many business owners whose kids choose not to be one. In the same manner, there are many kids of employees who choose a more entrepreneurial route after university.
At the end of the day, kids grow their dreams based on who they are and what they see. Any skill learned is a skill that helps their future. My son at this point sees himself pursuing a career in sports, but I still expose him to the same entrepreneurial opportunities I do for my daughter. I do this through play and our travels. I like to tell them stories on how certain businesses operate, how successful businesses were built, and how their interests can be future businesses as well.
Why? because entrepreneurship involves building. the passion, hard work, trial-and-error and creative solutions one can develop while being exposed to entrepreneurial work are great advantages. These skills are beneficial and foundational regardless of their chosen profession in the future.
I was exposed to entrepreneurial skills early, and I took them on not because I always wanted to be in business. I went through also wanting different dreams at different points in my life (from wanting to be a painter, a human-rights lawyer, a politician, a business consultant, or the owner of an advertising agency), but what I am truly grateful for is that all the entrepreneurial skills I learned early on equipped me well enough to actually pursue any dream I wanted to and more.
Let’s expose our kids to entrepreneurship today.