Raising Kids to Be Entrepreneurs
Yesterday I went to an all day event, hosted by a company in Salt Lake City known as Vistage. I was invited to this event with my husband as co-CEO’s of our companies. We are ready to take our businesses to the next level, and it was a great event to “catch the fever” of a more profitable business. It is designed to put you face to face with other successful CEO’s and have them mentor you through your problems. (You’ve heard me say many times “Face to Face with Greatness.” Yet we often don’t think about financial greatness when we teach our kids.) These aren’t your average small businesses. These are businesses producing from over $250 Million per year in revenue, up to and beyond the Billion mark.
My mind was going many directions. Business, family, education. It was wonderful.
Cameron Herold
For four (4) hours I was wowed by Cameron Herold. Never heard of him, I bet. He’s a Canadian business rock star, and I bet you have heard of one of his companies. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? An American company as well. There is a video below where you can hear some of his thoughts.
Did you know that most of the traits found in CEO’s are the same traits found in those with Bi-Polar Disorder? Yep, CEO’s are crazy. And we love it.
Do you have a vivid vision of your future? Do you have a clear image in your mind of where your life will be in the next few years? Maybe it is time to create that vision.
As a mother, CEO, homeschooler, educator, political activist, and entrepreneur, I was loving the day. But what struck me the most was how often he talked of schools taking the “drive” out of young people. Our society ends up drugging those with ADD or ADHD into submission, rather than help them find their purpose and genius. I’m not suggesting there isn’t a place for that, but it should be only in extreme cases.
WHAT IS YOUR CULTURE?
Yep, that’s a slide at Google.
We often here of “culture” in the workplace. What is the “culture” of your home? I don’t mean how do you celebrate Christmas, or do you have a family favorite activity that everyone seems to love. I mean what does your workplace or home create, right when you walk into the door.
He told a story, and I’m going to relate it here. Please forgive me if I missed some of the details, but it explains this “culture” idea well. I wondered how I could implement this into my home life as well.
A shuttle driver is picking up 3 candidates from a hotel after being flown in for an interview with the company. They arrive at the offices. There is no clutter, or dirt, but a warm and welcoming environment. As the three potential new employees wait for a few minutes in the lobby, the shuttle driver goes into the HR department. He debriefs them on the drive over. You see, he isn’t a shuttle driver, but actually an employee in HR. He tells them, “We have Bob, Mary and Tim. Bob was a jerk. He was anxious and treated other people on the shuttle with disrespect. Mary was nice, and Tim, really deserves some credit because he was trying to calm Bob down.”
The next person that sees these three people explains to Bob, in front of the others, his interview is over. He explains that it began at the airport, and they will be driving him back to his hotel, and will pay for his return flight home. Mary and Tim, get to proceed to the next portion of the interview.
Bob is never even allowed to pass the lobby. What does that tell you of the culture of the company? Did Bob’s amazing skills matter? Nope. His attitude toward people mattered.
What is the culture in our homes? Do we nurture goodness? Do we encourage learning? Do we allow mistakes as stepping-stones to greatness? Do we applaud the grand ideas even if they fall short? Do our children know what it looks like to dream and think big, because they see it in us? Are we encouraging entrepreneurship?
You have all heard of the book “Good to Great.” Excellent read. But most of us in business and life need to get from “zero to good.”
Did you know that keeping the wrong person in your business can cost you FIFTEEN TIMES (15 x) their annual salary? Sadly, I know this is true from experience. And keeping the wrong person too long can cost you even more. Have you ever thought about that? By NOT letting someone go, you can literally crush the will of another human being.
Translate that into home life…..What can keeping (or allowing) the wrong behavior in your home cost you and your family? This is so much more valuable than dollars.
We can’t think top down in business. We must stop thinking top down in government. And, maybe it’s time to get right on the floor with our kids, too.
I could go on and on about my day yesterday, because it was very impactful, and it will take me quite some time to sort through all the AHA’s I came away with. But I wanted to leave you with a story about my neighbor.
My neighbors, Chad & Christie, homeschool like me. They are busy, and productive, and sometimes (I imagine) overwhelmed. But their son is an amazing, budding little entrepreneur. He has come up with something to sell, or a service to provide to his neighborhood for years. This year, it was pumpkins, and that kid has made quite a bit of money this fall. Great job in creating a GREAT CULTURE in your family.
Here is a video from Cameron Herold every family should watch, and then show it to your kids. (Warning: I think there is one swear word so watch it first, before you show your kids)
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