Last updated on June 3rd, 2018 at 07:08 pm.
Entrepreneurship can be learnt yes, however there are those who exhibit early signs of entrepreneurship. If they can be nurtured early enough, then you will be one lucky parent/guardian. There are different signals that can be caught early enough.Well, based on some bios here are my thoughts on how to know you are raising an entrepreneur. These are not all you need to look out for but should get you thinking in the direction of helping a youngster achieve their full potential within their lifetime:
They are troublemakers
I am not referring to the troublemaker that goes around killing the neighbors’ pet and goes about bullying the meek youngsters. They usually have a disregard for rules and prefer to do things their own way. They are young but have the ‘screw it’ mentality. They may be in the principal’s office having been found hawking (which may clearly not be legal in school). They will skip certain classes to go do whatever they love doing. There is a high chance they will be expelled or get suspended from school for repetitive action they have been warned about. In brief they are not like their normal peers, they see things differently, reason differently and have a smart way of explaining most mistakes they are found in. High chances are, you are raising an entrepreneur right there. Chanel this energy towards a good cause and you will contribute to increasing the billionaires in the world in a generation to come.
Are passionate
Most teenagers are completely oblivious of what they want in life, whether it is today or the future. The youngster entrepreneur has a passion. You will find that they are more inclined to certain areas of their academic and non-academic lives. Some will get involved in a cause by choice, you will see them raising funds, selling sweets, collecting clothes for charities and such activities. And I am not referring to those kids being used by unscrupulous parents and adults to collect money from people. That is just plain wrong!
Some are passionate about certain fields and spend more time in those areas. You may find a kid who loves art, computers, technology, programming and would rather spend their time doing these stuff than attend classes that contribute to their grades. If this passion is not cultivated and they do not get encouraged that they can be anything they want to be in life, they will end up being sucked up into the common thinking of “I need a job, I need to settle, take a mortgage and work my way through the corporate ladder”.
This passion by the youngster entrepreneur may be lost and may never be recovered. At times it may be recovered however it may be a bit late. When they are passionate, your job is to help them build focus and encourage them to pursue their passion to the end. Needless to say some passions are stupid and such should not be encouraged, however give them the opportunity to learn by their own experiences.
They Question most things
Youngster entrepreneurs are insolent when they are young. Mostly because they are still young and haven’t learnt to filter things. Kids are not good negotiators hence the insolence when they do not see the point of doing something. They may seem to be weird in their own capacity but thinking different is how they get to see new opportunities and scope a solution for the problems they see.
By questioning most things they may appear intelligent or are rightfully intelligent, but then again intelligence is a question of the audience’s intelligence. They are curious, which most kids tend to be.
Do not discourage them from questioning. Do not force your opinion on them hence you become the enemy and you will assist in reducing their self-esteem. And you know how self-esteem is crucial in this world we live in. Don’t be a rigid adult and you will not be a dream-killer.
They exhibit a positive attitude / Leads the crew
If the youngster happens not to be a loner they are usually the head of their pack. Everyone in the group looks up to them for solutions to their teenage problems. He/she comes up with the plans and if is a good leader, encourages, motivates and stands up for his crew members. He/she often is seen as the bad influence by the other parents, which may be true or not.
When pursuing whatever they undertake, they often hope for the best. They do stuff out to win. They are not discouraged by what they cannot achieve, they will do the silly and smart things they have to regardless of the odds against them.
To contribute to their positivity you need to encourage them more. Become the positive energy and you may end up being their first board member for their fruit juice stand or video game business or whatever. Just be a positive energy to them even when you think the project they are undertaking is relatively stupid.
Bold risk takers
This is the most evident. They are not like the majority of the others, they take bold steps. The try new things. They are not always afraid of trying new things. Yeah well the risk may be on the good or bad behavior side, nonetheless a sense of direction should be given by the adult to prevent total misdirection of behavior. After all they are kids and they still need to be guided. When they are bold and risk takers, get them doing new but positive stuff while encouraging them. You want to be a board member don’t you?
Good Communicators (Some)
When the crew gets in trouble, they all look up to him/her to explain the situation. When there is a group project, the group expects him/her to do the presentation without a doubt.
Sometimes you will catch them in trouble but they will talk there way out of it. They may be seen as good manipulators and at times will take advantage of them who cannot talk for themselves (bad).
Do not silence them when they talk, unless they are completely out of line. Let them talk, teach them to talk better, encourage them to solve issues by talking things over with other people. By doing so, you teach them diplomacy and negotiation. The entrepreneur who can communicate better and articulately will often land the deal. The deal may be an investor or a buyer. Communication can only be groomed by encouraging them to talk and giving them an almost free platform to talk. Be open and approachable and he/she will believe every issue can be aired out diplomatically without having to go to war.
Competitive
They have to win. The little brat does not like being beaten at anything. Comes hand in hand with their habit of arguing. They have to win the argument. Well don’t confuse them with the kids that love silly arguments. Those are just trouble makers. They simply do not like to loose. Teach them the right way to win.
Conclusion
All that these kids need is a sense of direction. Most are ill mannered and can be helped to channel their energy towards something that is beneficial to them and the society. Do not reinforce your ideas on them. Do not use them as the redemption for the achievements you never made. Do not force them to be what you aspired to be but was directed in a different path by your parents who forced you to be what they themselves aspired to be. The youngster should not be your redemption, let them choose their path but guide them in the right direction since they know no better yet.
*just my thought*
