Raising Entrepreneurial Children

Last night we all sat around reflecting about our day and we were all able to share how we had seen God work this past week.  We had specifically been praying about a job interview for our 14 year old at the library.  It looks like he got the job, we're waiting for the phone call to confirm, but they started telling him his schedule, so we assume he's in!  He's very excited!  Perhaps not the most action-filled, fun environment, but he's making money!  My kids are all about making money right now as they long to have their own vehicles and they know how much insurance costs, but there is no way we will be able to pay for all of those vehicles!  We're happy to see each child moving forward knowing they are getting good job experience, experiencing first interviews, writing resumes, learning to save money.  But we are definitely noticing how much time this takes out of our lives, getting their lives off and running!

Ultimately, we would love it if our children would be entrepreneurial in their vocations in the future, for so many reasons.  My husband shared on the entrepreneurial panel this past weekend how there are just so many benefits.  Despite the challenges we are experiencing right now, we still prefer the lifestyle we have compared to what it was when he worked for someone else.  Even if one of our sons goes into vet work, we would love it if he ran his own clinic one day.

My oldest daughter was really wanting quick money this summer.  She wanted to work anywhere that would give her regular work doing whatever, selling donuts, coffee, or anything!  But we sat her down and encouraged her to persevere in developing her piano business.  Not just teaching, but perhaps playing for dance schools or at weddings or for anyone who needs accompaniment.  She started to catch a vision, but it doesn't come quite as easily as working at a coffee shop.

Another very young guy on the entrepreneurial panel was asked, "Do you have to sell yourself?" What he meant by the question was, "Do you have to be a salesperson for yourself?"  Every person on the panel said, "Yes."  You have to get out there, tell people what you have to offer, as no one knows or cares about you unless you tell them why you are so great and all the amazing skills you have!  Right now, I am my children's biggest saleswoman.  I tell just about everyone I meet about what my kids have to offer in order to get them work or more business.  I really deserve a cut from all of their paychecks I might add.  But if I didn't tell people about their little businesses or their skill sets, no one would come and knock on our door wondering if they had anything to offer.  Eventually, I'm assuming I will no longer be their sales guy and they'll do it well enough on their own, but for now, I love doing it!  Just need to figure out how I can get them to pay me for what I do...

So, the money will come in a little slower for my daughter, but once it comes in, it will be more fulfilling for her and I actually think she'll make more.  I also think it is such a great use of her skills, although eating donuts is another skill of hers, I don't think it is the best skill!  We want our kids to have a sense of purpose in life and I think this will give that to her.

One member of the audience at the entrepreneurial panel said, "I'm 47 and just started my own business.  I had been driving a truck for years and just felt I had no purpose for living, so I quit and decided to go out on my own."  You can drive a truck and have purpose for living, but this man didn't. He was frustrated.  We want our children to look back on their lives and see that they were doing what God created them to do, right from the beginning.  That's the ideal of course.  They probably won't always do that, they'll make mistakes, they'll learn, they'll try different things, some will work, some won't, but we are speaking about the bigger picture.

Again, I can hardly believe I am writing about these things.  It seems impossible to me to think that my little babies are now running businesses of their own.  I am just so grateful for my younger boys as they help make me feel I still have those little babies in my house.  While we are talking with our older children about serious life issues, work, their futures, etc., my little guys are running around with belts sticking out of the back of their pants because they are pretending to be cats with long tails!  I just love the two extremes.  We had a young single guy over for an hour last night to discuss business with my husband.  He came out and saw all the kids running around, digging holes in the dirt, looking for worms, hitting each other, noise, noise, noise!!!!  I said, "I bet it's a little quieter at your house when you go home."  "Too quiet," he said.  We definitely do not have that problem over here!!!

We continue to lift up our children's futures to the Lord, whether they do end up running a business or being an employee, their future's ultimately belong to Him and that helps me relax.