Childpreneurs : Investing in the future

While doing research on Mompreneurs for one of my recent articles, I came across the notion of «Childpreneur». It intrigued me greatly and, to my surprise, I found very little written about this subject. Childpreneurs have existed for a very long time, but no one has given them the importance I believe they should have. I guess the idea is in its infancy (pun intended)!

With this article I intend to start raising awareness about the true infinite potential our children possess. If they can learn several dozen languages before the age of six, imagine what they can learn about mastering their own financial future through owning their own business.

If children grew up according to early indications, we should have nothing but geniuses.
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

So what is a Childpreneur? Where are they most commonly found? How can you discover if your children have this inclination? And if they do, what can you, as a parent, do to nurture it to its full potential? Let’s make a trip to «Business Neverland» and find out.

The easiest way for your children to learn about money is for you not to have any.
– Katharine Whitehorn

Although I am certain this statement is absolutely true, I also think there is a much better way to teach them about the financial aspects of life, which is what I would like to explore in this article.

Since I have not found an official definition of «Childpreneur» anywhere, I will share my own with you.

«A Childpreneur is a human being under the age of majority, who demonstrates the personality traits generally recognized to make successful entrepreneurs, such as creativity, determination, enjoying what they do, fair, flexible, goal-driven, good negotiation skills, healthy competitiveness, leadership, patient, persistence, positive outlook, result-oriented, self-esteem, self-motivation and sociable.»
– Sophie A. Church

The area where there is the greatest number of Childpreneurs is the acting industry. As examples, did you know that the following actors started their careers as children? Drew Barrymore, Jessica Biel, Hilary Duff, Kristen Dunst, Dakota Fanning, Michael J. Fox, Sara Gilbert, Helen Hunt, Scarlett Johansson, Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart, Reese Witherspoon and Elijah Wood.

But in my mind, the pinnacle of child actors (and so Childpreneurs) have to be the Olsen Twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley. They began their careers at six-months-old! They played Michelle Tanner in the television series «Full House» for eight years. Following that, they played in many movies. And now, at twenty-seven, they have their own fashion designer business, which they run with a social conscience by giving full maternity leave to the workers in Bangladesh who produce their lines of clothing.

Now all of us with children are asking ourselves how to discover if our kids might be happier as entrepreneurs or as employees when they grow up. There is no formal test, although the career orientation tests should maybe be given much earlier in life and include a section about entrepreneurship, in my humble opinion.

If you want to see what children can do, you must stop giving them things.
– Norman Douglas

So once again, I will share with you my thoughts on this subject, from the point of view of a mother and an entrepreneur. I believe the first thing to do is to expose our children to many different types of activities, and do so from birth. I suggest enrolling them in such programs as arts and crafts, baby gym, cooking, dancing, infant stimulation, languages, library, music, nature exploration, science, swimming, yoga, and any other activity you can find.

Then observe what they like most, how they react to it, and how they interact with other children and adults in those different settings. Follow your kids, encourage them in their strengths and interests, and don’t push them in their weaknesses too much. You will see as they grow up that they will tell you what they want to do. And it is very important to listen to them carefully and never dismiss their ideas and opinions, however inconceivable they might sound to us.

Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve.
– Roger Lewin

And finally, give them opportunities to perform through ballet recitals, martial arts demonstrations, science exhibitions, spelling bees, sport competitions, and business fairs. Yes, you read that correctly! I found a website that sells booths to a «Kiddo Preneur Fair» in the Philippines. It was done in December 2012 and apparently the turnout was astounding.

The parents who’s children have participated in the Kiddo Preneur Fair have reported their kids gave it 100% by decorating the booths, talking to everyone and helping each other. Some children even donated their profits to a cause that was important to them. And at the end of the day, the kids told their parents they understood that generating money is hard work, why their parents were tired at night, and why it is important to be wise about spending and saving money.

From my personal experience, I have come to believe that entrepreneurship is a personality trait, and like all others, we are born with it. The babies who have the «entrepreneur gene» will exhibit signs very early on, and will only be truly happy if we nurture that seed in them, and support and encourage them all their life.

A child sees everything, looks straight at it, examines it, without any preconceived idea; most people, after they are about eleven or twelve, quite lose this power, they see everything through a few preconceived ideas which hang like a veil between them and the outer world.
– Olive Schreiner

So please be supportive of the lemonade stands and all other initiatives that will follow. I think the future generations will surprise us with their «out-of-the-sandbox» thinking.

I invite you to visit this page of our website to find out about one example, among so many, of an entrepreneur that evolved over four decades, initially created from a well supported and encouraged Childpreneur.

For more in depth and detailed information, Phoenix Alliance offers a FREE specialized «Nurture your Childpreneur» seminar to its registered members.

Interesting outside link: « Childpreneur: Nurturing the entrepreneur in your child »