Raising Entrepreneurs

Welcome back!

Young people who aspire to one day start their own business, or see an existing enterprise grow, are being encouraged to take part in the Young Entrepreneurs Program being offered this summer at the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) hosted by College of the Canyons.

The Young Entrepreneur Program (YEP) is a free, four-week-long course designed for young people from age 14 to 27.

“There are many young people in our community with dreams of pursuing their passions through business endeavors,” said Paul De La Cerda, Director of the COC Small Business Development Center. “But all too often these budding entrepreneurs have no guidance or knowledge about how to get started. So we launched a special program specifically for them.”

Through a variety of creative partnerships with local business owners the YEP will offer students free business counseling, while implementing business training programs in the areas of management, finance, marketing, sales and eCommerce by using a variety of outreach and delivery methods — including websites, blogs, social networking sites, virtual reality games, youth-oriented trainers and business simulation products.

In addition YEP participants will be partnered with a local business to brainstorm and create a new commercial product and accompanying business model — which will then be entered into a region wide business plan competition.

“This new program will aid participants in the development and operation of part time businesses – which could eventually lead to full time operational status – all while they complete their junior high, high school or college education,” said Bruce Getzan, COC Dean of Economic Development.

Source: KHTS Radio News

I read a great blog post yesterday from Dave Ramsay, which started:

Some people say, “Timmy’s so young. I want him to enjoy being happy and innocent.  Money is a worry for grown-ups, not kids.”

I say, “We’re raising a whole generation with ‘sucker’ stamped on their foreheads because we’re not teaching them.”

Your job as a parent is not just to keep your child happy. You’re raising a future grown-up who needs to be able to deal with grown-up matters. If you teach little Timmy how to handle money responsibly, then grown-up Timmy will be better equipped for a richer life.

Read the rest of Dave’s post at daveramsay.com.

I think Dave makes a very good point here – we are all questing for happiness, and we all operate on the assumption that is life is easy, we will be happy. Therefore, we try to make life easier for our kids, in the expectation that they will then be happier.

The truth about happiness, however, is that the ease or difficulty of life is not the issue. The issue is how we deal with life. Competence breeds happiness. The ability to handle one’s responsibilities breeds happiness. A sense of self-reliance and self-direction breeds happiness.

“Cotton wool kids”, who are sheltered from “harsh reality”, never have the opportunity to learn how to deal with life and manage responsibilities in a gradual manner, with parental support. They remain infantilised until the day that parental safety blanket is ripped away – by death, divorce, or the need to move away from home – and then they are suddenly, shockingly, exposed to situations for which they are woefully unprepared.

Needless to say, there are not happy at that point.

However, even during the “cocoon” phase, studies show that kids who have everything done for them suffer from anxiety and depression at a greater rate – and as the post-war generations have progressively shielded their kids from more and more of life’s harsh realities, the rates of depression in the population have soared.

Human beings instinctively know that life takes effort. We enjoy the moments of rest and freedom, but we enjoy them because of the contrast with “real life”. In the absence of major challenges from the outside, we hunt for “problems” amongst the minor ups and downs of daily life.

Kids as young as eight are worrying that they will have to support their parents financially when they grow up. These are comfortably middle-class American kids I am talking about. Suze Orman wrote an article for the Readers Digest in which she recounted the story of visiting a third grade class and asking them what their financial worries were. One child piped up with “I am worried that Mum and Dad will run out of money when they are too old to work and I will have to take care of them.”

Expecting this to be a rare thought, perhaps due to a particular family situation, Suze said “Does anyone else have that worry?” – and about half the class raised their hands.

Data shows that the greatest risk factor for bankruptcy is being middle-class and having children. These are some of the most pampered and protected children on the planet. These are the kids whose parents want them to “just be kids”.

These are the kids carrying huge financial worries – and unable ever to talk to anyone about it.

“Run along and play, don’t you worry about that” won’t cut it.

We need to prepare kids to deal with money from the day they first want to spend it. We need to talk openly with kids about financial issues – at an age-appropriate level. Most importantly, we need to recognise that they can and do think very responsible thoughts about money issues – but without the perspective or knowledge required to feel confident about that responsibility.

We don’t shield kids from problems when we tell ourselves “money is a worry for grown-ups, not kids” – we just isolate them from the solutions.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… C: wait… SD: wait…

I had an email last week from Steve Gillman, from unusualwaystomakemoney.com – he has had a link from his site to the Cash-Smart Kids site for a few months now. He’s going to be letting his subscribers know about the competition, so I am looking forward to hearing about some unusual businesses!

If you’re stuck for an idea to get your business going, have a look at Steve’s list of ways for kids to make money.

Still waiting on a large number of promised entries … you know who you are! As I say every week – get them in!

I can’t promote your videos and Hubs if I don’t have them …

very now and again, we get some feedback from our subscribers, and having been raised on the old adage “Don’t Get A Big Head”, I am usually reluctant to share it.

However, this man has such passion for his mission, I just had to publish his comments. If you’re in the UK, you might have his program at a school near you one day.

Hi Chris and Jenny,

Love what you’re doing and how on the ball you are… got to be, there is a mission, A GOAL to be achieved, to make this a better world for our kids !!!

As you know this is a global problem, kids and many adults are not financially educated and scared to do anything, it is the regular challenge that I’m sure you and I, all come up against.

That is why I have set up GET BUZZY Education, I have been involved in using and teaching personal development for the last 16 years and it has changed my life in so many ways, especially being introduced to goal setting, this is why in a moment of challenge and inspiration I wrote “Millionaire mind at 9″, because at 36 years of age I was introduced to goals, which I should have been taught in school, at least at 9 y.o.

From 35 years in the workforce, 25 yrs of that running and building businesses and 16 years of that motivating and teaching adults and kids in many environments. I came to realise and investigated that there is a lack of materials for kids in 2 areas. That is goals and financial education.

I did workshops for 15 to 20 year olds at a college where there were 4000+ students and the Head principal told me they run no classes on financial education, my workshops were about the amazing opportunities that are around in the way of multiple income streams and yet we are still teaching “go out and get a job” ????

My experience is that all kids have goals and if they are unleashed, they will do amazing things now and in the future and many will make the world better. I did another class on monday with 80 kids from 6 to 11 years with my ” Magical Achievement Tree” an introduction to goals and this also involves feedback, interaction and involvement from parents, one of aims.

They all got it and even the principal was surprised and she commented how the kids all got involved and knew what they wanted, it was a real joy !

Goals to me are where it all starts and many goals require funding and that is why I also promote getting financially educated to all ages.

Regards, Thanks and Best wishes,

Live, Love & Laugh

Joe C Estrada (Mr GOALS)

EDUCATE (kids) to SUCCEED – GET BUZZY Education – www.getbuzzy.org – Kids make the future

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… C: wait… SD: wait…

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… C: wait… SD: wait…

Today we welcome back Amanda Van Der Gulik, writing from the scenic Prince Edward Island, home of Anne of Green Gables.

Dear Parents,

I am presently in Prince Edward Island on a wonderful two week vacation with my 6 and 4 year old and my ever supportive husband. We are having an amazing time!

My husband and I went last night to see the newest island musical, “The Nine Lives of L.M. Montgomery”. It was a musical biography of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s life. Maud (as she
preferred to be called) was our famous Canadian author of the beloved, “Anne of Green Gables“ book.

The musical was absolutely incredible. As we were watching this incredibly accurate account of her life I was

inspired to focus on the life lessons that we can learn from Lucy Maud Montgomery’s life story that we can share with our children to help them to grow up to become strong, independent,  entrepreneurial souls.

Here are some of the lessons that I learned last night:

1. Although Maud grew up in a world that was quite negative and dreary she was determined to write stories, novels, and poems that would inspire readers. She chose optimism over pessimism in her writing. It was a place where she could live the life that she really wanted to live, with no limits.

Here are the lessons of perseverance, determination, and the desire to leave behind her a better legacy than was her actual life experience.