Kidpreneurs and Sparking Curiosity
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One of my favorite things about being a mom is stoking my son’s curiosity. Though he’s only 1 year old, he’s fascinated by how the world works. Everything is an awesome mystery to this little dude! I’m captivated as I watch him explore, follow his instinct and figure things out.
Could entrepreneurship also be instinctual and learned at a young age? Brothers Adam and Matthew Toren believe in empowering kids (all ages!) to get involved with business. They believe it’s never too early to begin teaching basic entrepreneurial principles and fueling kids’ curiosity in simple, engaging, creative, and safe ways.
I’m delighted to have discovered Kidpreneurs. Wildpreneurs and Kidpreneurs certainly share some common ground! The Toren brothers emphasize that:
“Kidpreneurs have the opportunity to gain incredible life skills through planning, launching, and growing their own business. Research proves that children introduced to concepts like entrepreneurship and financial literacy can be more confident and responsible.
Most people say, “It’s never too late.” The Torens say, “It’s never too early.” The benefits for an early introduction to the basic principles and infinite rewards of entrepreneurship are massive.
“The future of our children begins with us!” say the Toren brothers. Check out my interview with Adam Toren here:
Tell us about your wild business(s) and lifestyle! What was your inspiration to create Kidpreneurs?
The real motivation for Kidpreneurs came from two realizations:
1. That learning entrepreneurship at an early age helped us in every area of our lives and made us who we are today; and
2. That most kids don’t have the support systems needed that will encourage them to pursue entrepreneurship and teach them the basic principles of entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
Kidpreneurs is meant to get kids excited about entrepreneurship. It helps them start what we hope will be a lifetime adventure that will pay off for them as it has for us.
What do you wish you’d known prior to getting started as a Wildpreneur?
The biggest lesson we learned quickly, which we still keep in mind today, is that communication is vital to the success of any business. In the early days, we learned some hard lessons about being clear on expectations when partnering with someone, whether that’s a vendor, employee, or a business partner.
There were times when we made assumptions that everyone was on the same page, and they weren’t. That ended up costing us a lot in some cases, but the cost was worth the education. We’ve always believed that if you can learn something that will help you going forward, then mistakes can be assets. Sometimes you fail and sometimes you learn!
What advice would you give to someone who is considering turning their passion into a business?
Don’t quit. You can find a lot of statistics on the top reasons or business failure, but in the real world, the number one reason people fail in business is simply that they give up before they should.
Entrepreneurship is messy, frustrating, and can even be heartbreaking. But it’s also exciting, invigorating, and tremendously rewarding. If you don’t persevere through the hard times, you don’t get to enjoy the good times. Expect problems and challenges to arise, and be ready to face them head on, move past them, and keep going.
Do you have a favorite motivational quote?
“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill.
Anything else you’d like to share about your journey?
Keep learning. The world is changing at a rapid pace, but we haven’t seen anything yet. In the next 10 to 15 years, technology will create massive shifts in society. That sounds scary to some, but we think it presents an unlimited number of exciting opportunities. For those who aren’t afraid of change and are willing to learn, the sky is truly the limit.
What are you working on right now?
Kidpreneurs provides kids with the basic building blocks to start and manage their own business. There are some very practical lessons, such as how to market your business and how to manage your money, and those are important. But overall, we truly hope to inspire and empower kids to live their dreams. We want each child to realize the potential that is inside him or her and have the foundation necessary to build the life they want.
After much demand for a financial literacy guide to accompany the Kidpreneurs book, we are launching our Real World Money Lessons book for kids and teens. We also added an interactive digital academy to the mix, allowing kids to go deeper into entrepreneurial learning through fun, interactive videos and activities online at Kidpreneurs Academy.
We’re very excited about the future. We have launched an initiative to donate one book for every book sold to underprivileged and under-served communities. Our hope is to inspire, educate, and empower one million elementary school students in the next 12 months.
Check out our new fun and upbeat Kidpreneurs Song and video: https://kidpreneurs.org/world-premiere-of-the-kidpreneurs-song-and-video/
Where can we follow you?
