{"id":46400,"date":"2023-10-20T15:49:53","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:49:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/six-things-kids-can-teach-us-about-business-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:49:53","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:49:53","slug":"six-things-kids-can-teach-us-about-business-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/six-things-kids-can-teach-us-about-business-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"Six things kids can teach us about business – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When I was first asked to mentor a group of high school kids who were budding entrepreneurs I thought, \u201csure, that\u2019ll be easy \u2013 I can add value\u201d. What I didn\u2019t realise was just how much I would learn from them.<\/p>\n

Here were a bunch of kids, seemingly unfazed by usual teenage problems, focused entirely on chasing their dreams. There was not an ounce of self-consciousness. They see a problem and a solution, wasting no time dwelling on the barriers between them and their dreams. Money and notoriety is not their motivation, but passion. These were 14-year-old kids doing better in business than I was \u2013 don\u2019t you just love them?<\/p>\n

While life-experience goes some way to helping your business thrive, there are big lessons you can learn from the younger generation. Here are a few of my takeaways:<\/p>\n

1. Take everyday as a new adventure<\/h3>\n

As we grow older, we begin to settle into the humdrum of adult-life. We silence our dreams because of the the uncertainty it brings, in favour of a regular income and the luxury of being able to afford the weekly grocery bill. However, it only takes meeting with an enthusiastic set of kidpreneurs to wake you up from auto pilot and start engaging with life.<\/p>\n

Kids are experts in searching for the adventure in everyday life. They\u2019re constantly exploring and experimenting. Their youth means they\u2019re not hindered by their experiences. They\u2019re open to the possibility of anything, making them more agile and accepting of suggestions and opportunities. If you\u2019re too busy focusing the end goal, you shut yourself off to the possibility of things that are presently available to you.<\/p>\n

2. Don\u2019t be afraid to ask \u2018why?\u2019<\/h3>\n

Kids are constantly asking questions. Their thirst for knowledge knows no boundaries.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re information seekers \u2013 constantly asking, \u201cwhy? Why? Why?\u201d. Kids instinctively ask \u201cwhy\u201d and work backwards.<\/p>\n

While this trait is present in most children, the question \u201cwhy?\u201d is the starting point for all great leaders and organisations that have inspired action. Think, Apple, Martin Luther King and the Wright brothers. Long before Apple was a world powerhouse, it was a startup founded by the big-dreamer, Steve Jobs. His brilliance was in his positioning and making the complicated simple by answering the question \u201cwhy?\u201d. All inspired leaders and organisations start with \u201cwhy?\u201d because it establishes purpose for what they\u2019re doing and why other people should care too.<\/p>\n

3. Ignorance is bliss<\/h3>\n

Kids are able to dive into things head-first because they often don\u2019t have the knowledge or life-experience to shock them out of starting a business. While knowledge is an incredible resource, it can be detrimental if harnessed incorrectly. If you overanalyse your business model, giving too much weight to the risks, you\u2019ll never start a business in the first place. No business is completely risk free.<\/p>\n

4. Live like there\u2019s no such thing as stress<\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t take your life so seriously \u2013 have fun in business! You don\u2019t need to be chained to a desk for 12 hours of the day to be productive. Kids are constantly learning throughout the day but, to them, it feels like they\u2019re playing because they\u2019re enjoying what they\u2019re doing. While your daily tasks may be a little more mundane than tasks assigned to a kid, how you feel about these tasks and how your body responds to them is within your control.<\/p>\n

Try mixing up your work environment \u2013 maybe start the day reading work-related materials in a coffee shop. Or if you need to solve a problem, go for a short walk to consolidate your thoughts. Even though you\u2019re working, you will trick your body into thinking you\u2019re in a more relaxed state.<\/p>\n

5. You don\u2019t need coffee for energy<\/h3>\n

Do you jump out of bed bursting with energy? Kids do. This is because they\u2019re enthused and energised by what is to come. Kids have no concept of what day of the week it is \u2013 everyday is a new day, with new adventures and things to learn. What drives them is curiosity of what will be different from the previous day.<\/p>\n

If you wake up feeling lethargic, try energising your brain by taking a new route to work or striking up conversation with someone who would usually pass you by. All these actions are unpredictable and will automatically alert your brain to the possibilities of the day.<\/p>\n

6. Chase the dream, not the money<\/h3>\n

Kids are intrinsically motivated; they read, play and paint because they\u2019re interested in these activities. When you do something for your own enjoyment, it is because you\u2019re intrinsically motivated. Kids are motivated by their dreams and not by extrinsic factors such as money or fame. If you look at those who are the exceeding professionally, like Warren Buffett or Bill Gates, they\u2019re motivated by passion for what they do. Money is a result of their success but not the driving factor.<\/p>\n

This article was first published on SmartCompany.<\/em><\/p>\n

Follow StartupSmart on<\/em> Facebook,<\/em> Twitter,LinkedIn and SoundCloud.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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