How to Raise Entrepreneurial Children

The world is constantly changing and growing, parallel to this is the need to equip the youth with enough knowledge and experience so they may conquer the world when the time comes. It is evident that the need to raise entrepreneurial children is there and everything depends on how their guardians mold their young minds.

It is of the essence to teach children the mindset that they should have in order to one day become capable of standing on the top. This is actually their first way to raise entrepreneurial children and Unshakable author, Tony Robbins thinks so too.

• Establish a Growing Mindset

The most common mistake that a parent can make is to praise their child a little too much. According to Tony Robbins, author of Unshakable, it is not wise to lead children to believe that they are perfect, smart, special, or that they are simply the best.

Mr Robbins cited the research of Carol Dweck, author of the book The Growth Mindset, which revealed that consistent praising of children can lead to trouble as they grow older. Despite the initial happiness, the child may feel when they are told that they are perfect, the parent is actually applying an internal pressure that may affect them the future.

If the child believes that they are special, great, or the best when they go out into the real world, they are in for a rather bitter reality. The real world may not agree with what the child was led to believe growing up.

Not everyone will see the child as “the best” and he or she will undoubtedly experience being bested by someone else. Reality will hit them like a celestial fist to the stomach and all the praise they received as a child might backfire.

Following this logic, it is better to teach the child persistence and determination as he or she grows up. This will help them to establish a growing minded which will allow them a sense of success only when they have achieved something through constant effort and perseverance. In return, the child will learn early on that there is value in effort, persistence, and determination which are all essential to become a successful entrepreneur.

• Nurture Problem Solving Skills

In the world of business, problems will surely rear their ugly head and children need to be prepared for this. As parents, it is best to teach them how to handle the situation appropriately when things don’t go their way.

A good way to prepare kids to solve problems is to take advantage of the small problems that may come in the child’s everyday life. Once a problem reveals itself, brainstorm a solution together instead of being a super parent and saving your child from much-needed problem-solving experience. Think of a solution together, have the child try to identify the problem and come up with various solutions. After that, proceed with testing their ability to weight pros and cons by letting them choose the best option among the proposed solutions.

• Teach Them to Befriend Failure

It is vital for children not to fear failure and the first step to achieving this is not to severely punish children for their mistakes. If a child is too afraid of failing, the end result may lead to the child not even trying at all, which is not what a parent would want.

The best way to deal with mistakes or areas in which your child can improve is to be constructive and make them see it as a learning opportunity. Help them see what it was they did wrong and let them come up with ways to fix the wrong they had done or what they could do in the future to avoid a repeat.

• Early Decision-Making Training

Letting children make decisions is definitely an important part of raising entrepreneurial children. Even the little things count, such as picking out clothes to wear or which food should they eat first; ice cream or broccoli?

Admittedly, there are parents who have a tendency to micromanage their children by having the only say on what they wear, eat, or which friends they can hang out with. In the long run, such techniques will dull the child’s confidence and accuracy in making right decisions.

Let the child make their own decisions, at first with the little, less important things then as they grow, proceed with bigger decisions. This will establish a sense of trust between parent and child, as well as the child’s confidence in themselves.

• It is Okay to Challenge Norms

The status quo definitely exists and it is not always right, ergo children have to learn how to constructively go against the norms. Instead of letting the child blindly follow the rules, have them analyze the reason behind these rules, their importance, and if they are actually effective.

In the event that they find themselves disagreeing with a certain rule or norm, have them propose a better option. As many Japanese businessmen say, only complain about a problem, if you have a solution in mind. This will help the child learn when it is right to constructively go against the rules, or when to simply follow them.

Check my other tips on how to raise successful girls.