LOS ANGELES – The things that parents say to their children can either encourage and give them confidence, or lower their self-esteem and hold them back in life, according to a story reported by CNBC.
Author Margot Machol Bisnow, who wrote the article said that while she was researching her new book “Raising an Entrepreneur,” she spoke to 70 parents who raised highly successful adults about how they helped their kids achieve their dreams.
To her surprise, although it was an extremely diverse group — of races, religions, socioeconomic brackets and education — all the parents interviewed by Bisnow said they gave their kids the same messages every day – some were tough love, while others offered positive wisdom.
1. “I can’t do everything for you.”
These parents were the opposite of overprotective parents Instead, they set clear expectations and trusted their kids to take responsibility.
More importantly, they allowed natural consequences to take place. If their child didn’t study and failed a quiz, for instance, they used that as an opportunity for reflection and learning.
When Robert Stephens, a former executive at Best Buy, was three years old, he decided to take off all the doorknobs in the house. “My parents weren’t angry, they just told me I had to put them all back,” he said.
Stephens became the “fix-it” guy in his family. Then, at 24, he went on to start Geek Squad, a repair company that he later sold for $3 million.
2. “Do your best and be kind.”
All the entrepreneurs learned the importance of kindness since they were young.
Blake Mycoskie founded TOMS in 2006, which has since given away more than 95 million pairs of shoes. His company introduced the “one-for-one” business model, in which one needed item is given away for each item purchased.
His mother said that instilling compassion was an important part of bringing up her children: “We always adopted three or four families at Christmas through our church and bought clothes and toys that we delivered together to the kids.”
This was always their “family policy — to help those less fortunate,” she said. “The kids have seen this practiced their entire lives.”
3. “If something doesn’t work out, don’t be sad. It may turn out to be a good thing later on.”
The future entrepreneurs learned to win and lose gracefully, and to not obsess over mistakes. Pivoting and trying a new approach was also key.
Jonathan Neman tried to start a number of businesses in college, but none of them took off. He learned about what did work, and what didn’t. After college, he and his friends co-founded Sweetgreen, which now has over 900 locations around the country.
“Even if my dad didn’t think something was a good idea, he supported me,” Neman said. “My entrepreneurship journey is all about resilience. We keep going. We fail, we try and try again, we fail, we try and try and try.”
To read the full story, click here.
