The World Needs More Entrepreneurs
Why aren’t kids taught in school to become entrepreneurs? Our society encourages them to find careers as doctors, lawyers and professionals who trade hours for wages. According to Wikipedia an entrepreneur is someone who starts a business and assumes the risk. Maybe that is the issue. They don’t want the students to assume the risk involved with becoming an entrepreneur. And yet there is risk in every career. This is especially apparent in the current economy. I know everyone is not cut out to be an entrepreneur but everyone is not cut out to be a doctor or lawyer either but at least they offer the class.
In an effort to describe myself for certain bios I have said “I have been the entrepreneur type all my life”. And this is in no way an exaggeration. The first thing I can remember coming up with was “Errand Girl” I got the idea from the ‘Tiparillo Girl on the old cigar commercials. She had this tray with ribbons or something wearing it around her neck. I took the same tray idea and would do errands for 10 cents.
When I was in the first grade I got pencils from my dad’s business, with his company name and logo, that he gave away for marketing. I decided I could sell these at school and make some money. All the kids had their pencils in the pencil tray on their desks. When the class lined up and left for the bathroom brake, I hung back and collected all the pencils and hid them under the teachers desk. Supply and demand you know. Well my marketing plan failed when all the little guys returned and found their pencils missing and started to cry. 
It seemed like a good idea at the time. But no it was mass hysteria!!! Sort of a domino effect. “my pencil is missing….so is mine….so is mine… First graders are such wimps. A real lesson in disaster recovery.
Any of you that have read my bio know about the Easy Bake oven business we started. Interestingly I wrote about my friend Denise Ryan Hill on Thankful Thursday and she mentioned this little start up business in her comments on facebook. And her sister Sharon commented about how we all used to play Monopoly all day long.
SharronRyan
I was there also! Remember playing Monopoly, and the skating on the sidewalk between your house and your aunts…the best times were at the Rayhill’s…Candi May
Sharron, How could I ever forget. All the ballgames in your backyard. Plus do you rememer when you had those trick skies. That was a crazy weekend. We experienced the good ole days!!!April 24 at 3:00pmSharron RyanThe swing in our back yard, and softball after we had dinner. What a schedule in those days. We were busy all day long, playing Bonanza. I wish we could have a reunion and do it all over again. Love you!April 24 at 6:11pmDenise Ryan Hillhow many people played Cowboys and Indians with real
Covered Wagons! Let alone the real guns! LOLI liked the kitchen in the loft of the barn where Unk made us the hot table and we sold foods from our easy bake ovens! That is until Candi stabed me with a knife!
April 25 at 5:53pmCandi MayYeah it crazy how a little knife stabbing can ruin a small start up business. LOLApril 25 at 9:10pm
The interesting thing is that Denise and Sharon’s parents and my parents where business owners. And when we played we often pretended to be business owners. And when we grew up we all became business owners and still are.
We were either pointed in the right direction or we were somehow born with this desire. To be honest I think it is a little bit of both. Nurture or Nature, whatever the case may be I think that this entrepreneur gene should be developed in kids.
Jake (age6) and I have started playing Monopoly and he loves it. One day I said “Jake today we are going to learn to negotiate” I explained how if he needs the third red property but I own it and I needed the third yellow property but he owned it, we could begin discussions about trading. That night at dinner we were eating some strange new vegetable and I said “Jake if you just try it I’ll give you a quarter”. He said “how about one dollar?” I said “eat it without gagging and smile when you’re done and I’ll give you fifty cents.” A deal was struck. I think he has mastered negotiating.
For information about upcoming meeting in the Louisville area please check my blog http://www.CandiMay.com/blog and don’t forget to come back and check out Wealthy Wednesday and Thankful Thursday.
P.S. Okay maybe someday I’ll explain the knife stabbing thing….maybe.
Hi Candy! I have often thought that schools missed the mark in this regard. I know that they do some of this but “culture” isn’t there to support it. Maybe the current economy is going to change that?
I know Mark. I don’t think they even really teach kids how to balance a check book. Hopefully that will change.
I think that this type of knowledge is slowly growing in academic institutions, however I agree that more needs to take place. That being said I am aware of several programs that which are specifically tailored to developing business skills amongst students in a real world environment.
Great post, so well written. I’m amazed at you, Candi. Thanks for all your help in getting me motivated to start blogging. It’s quite a little journey.