Author: Enterprise For KidsTeam

Assets and Liabilities for Kids: The Money Lesson That Changed Their Thinking

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Financial education for kids using three money jars for giving, spending and growing

Assets and liabilities for kids can sound like complicated financial ideas, but children can understand them surprisingly well when they are connected to real money and real choices.

One of the most useful money lessons we taught our children was simple: before spending money, ask whether what you are buying will help build value or keep costing you money.

That lesson became very real when our son Flynn began earning his own money through his honey business and decided he wanted to buy a motorbike.


Money lessons for kids using give spend and grow jars
A simple jar system can help children understand money choices.

Editor’s note: This article was originally written during our early Enterprise for Kids journey and has been refreshed with updated formatting, links and reflections while retaining the original story of Flynn learning about assets, liabilities and money choices.

Assets and Liabilities for Kids: Simple Definitions

If your child asks what an asset or liability means, you do not need to begin with accounting terminology.

A simple explanation is:

Asset meaning for kids: An asset is something that helps you build, keep or grow value. Some assets may also help you earn money.

Liability meaning for kids: A liability is something you owe or something that costs you money to own, use or maintain.

An easy question children can remember is:

“Will this help my money grow, or will it keep taking money away?”

That one question can open up some surprisingly useful conversations about spending, saving, investing and making choices.

Why Financial Education for Kids Matters

Robert Kiyosaki, famously known for his book Rich Dad Poor Dad, has often pointed out that children need a financial education and that they are unlikely to receive a complete financial education from school alone. You can learn more about his approach to money education at Rich Dad.

One of the most helpful starting points in financial education for kids is teaching children how to think about money in terms of assets and liabilities.

It gives them a simple framework for making better money choices as they grow.

A traditional balance sheet has two main sides: assets and liabilities. Children do not need to understand accounting in detail, but they can understand the basic idea that some choices help build financial value while others create ongoing costs.

This is also why practical money lessons for kids are such an important part of raising capable, confident and enterprising children.

Assets and Liabilities Explained for Kids

For adults, assets might include shares, investment property, businesses, precious metals or other things that can hold value or create income.

Liabilities may include debts and things that continually require money to own or maintain.

For children, we can make the idea much more practical.

A toy, bike, motorbike, game console or phone might be something they really want. There is nothing wrong with enjoying those things, but they usually do not put money back into a child’s pocket. Some also create extra costs through repairs, fuel, upgrades, subscriptions or accessories.

An asset, on the other hand, might help a child earn, save or build value over time.

For example:

  • supplies for a small enterprise
  • tools they can use to make or create something
  • equipment that helps them develop an earning skill
  • money saved for a future opportunity
  • simple investments made with parental guidance

The goal is not to teach children that spending is bad.

It is to help them understand that money gives them choices.

How Assets and Liabilities Change the Way Kids Think About Money

Assets and liabilities for kids explained through a simple money lesson
Helping children ask: will this help my money grow or simply take money away?

When children only think about money as something to spend, it can disappear very quickly.

They earn it, receive it or save it, then immediately begin thinking about what they can buy.

But once children begin thinking about assets, another possibility appears.

Money can also be used to create opportunities.

They might put some aside for a small business idea.

They might buy materials to make something they can sell.

They might save towards equipment that helps them develop a useful skill.

They might begin learning about savings accounts, shares or other forms of investing with their parents.

This is where financial literacy for students becomes practical.

It is no longer just about worksheets, definitions or classroom activities. It becomes a real decision involving real money.

These kinds of lessons connect closely with our family enterprise stories, because many of the most useful lessons our children learned happened while they were actually earning, selling, creating, saving or deciding what to do with their own money.

A Real-Life Assets and Liabilities Lesson with Flynn

This is where the idea became very real in our own family.

I had a good conversation with Flynn a while back.

He had made a large sum of money from his honey enterprise and had already spent some of it achieving one of his goals: buying an iPod.

Flynn also had some mates who were mad keen on riding motorbikes.

Before long, he had his sights set on buying one too.

It would have been easy simply to say yes or no.

Instead, we used the decision as a practical money lesson.

I explained that he could choose to buy a motorbike, but first he needed to understand what the purchase would mean financially.

The motorbike itself would cost money, but that was only the beginning.

There would also be:

  • devaluation
  • fuel
  • repairs and maintenance
  • safety equipment
  • other ongoing costs

In other words, buying the motorbike would not finish when he handed over the purchase price.

It would continue taking money from his pocket.

We then talked about Robert Kiyosaki’s ideas around balance sheets, assets and liabilities.

The Three Money Jars Flynn Started Using

Flynn took the conversation on board.

Rather than abandoning the idea of having things he wanted, he began thinking about how different uses of money could exist alongside each other.

He started keeping three jars:

  • one for gifting
  • one for the liability — his future motorbike
  • one for buying assets

I particularly liked this because the lesson was not:

“Do not buy the motorbike.”

It was:

“Understand what you are choosing, and don’t use all of your money for things that keep taking money away.”

That is a very different lesson.

The simple jar system turned an ordinary childhood purchase into a meaningful financial education experience.

You can read more about Flynn’s early enterprise journey in Honey Pot of Gold.

Simple Assets Kids Can Understand

So what assets can a kid actually have?

Children do not need to begin with complicated investments.

At first, perhaps the most valuable asset they can build is simply the habit of setting some money aside before spending everything.

Depending on their age and with parental guidance, children might learn about:

  • savings accounts
  • supplies for a small business
  • tools or equipment that help them create value
  • shares or managed investments explained in simple terms
  • collectables or precious metals as examples of storing value
  • reinvesting money back into their own enterprise

In Flynn’s case, one possible asset could have been more wholesale honey for his business, or even a beehive of his own.

That is what makes enterprise such a useful financial classroom.

Children can begin seeing that money used to create more products, serve more customers or develop a useful skill is very different from money that disappears through consumption.

At the time, Flynn also became interested in buying silver.

That conversation was useful because it helped him understand that money could be used for more than spending.

It could also be directed towards things that might hold or grow value over time.

This is not about telling children exactly what they should invest in.

It is about helping them develop the habit of thinking before they spend.

Financial Education for Kids: Precious Metals and Investment Lessons

Silver coins used as a financial education lesson for kids
Silver coins became part of a real-life conversation about assets, liabilities and money choices.

The original version of this post included a discussion about silver prices at the time.

That was part of the real conversation Flynn and I were having back then, so it is worth retaining as part of his financial education journey.

Precious metals such as gold and silver can be useful examples when teaching children about storing value, but prices change, markets change and every family’s financial situation is different.

The Perth Mint is one place families may come across information about gold and silver, but conversations about precious metals, shares or other investments should be treated as learning opportunities rather than financial advice.

For children, the deeper lesson is:

Money can be spent, saved, given, invested or used to build something valuable.

That one idea can shape the way children think about money for the rest of their lives.

How Parents Can Teach Assets and Liabilities at Home

Parents do not need to be financial experts to teach simple money lessons.

Some of the best opportunities happen when a child says:

“I want to buy this.”

Instead of immediately answering yes or no, that moment can become a conversation.

Try asking:

  • Will this keep costing money after you buy it?
  • Will this help you learn, earn or create something?
  • Is this something you really value, or is it just a quick want?
  • Could some of your money be kept aside for a future opportunity?
  • Could some of the money be used to create more money or value?
  • How could you use part of your money to help someone else?

These questions help children become more aware of their choices.

They also show children that financial education is not only about numbers.

Money choices involve values, priorities, responsibility and future possibilities.

That is the heart of financial education for kids.

It is not about making children fearful of spending.

It is about helping them become thoughtful, capable and confident with money.

For another family example, you may also like Kids Biz Program by Amber.

Flynn’s Enterprise Became His Financial Classroom

Flynn holding money earned through his honey enterprise
Flynn’s honey enterprise became a real-world lesson in earning, saving, giving and thinking about assets.

Flynn’s honey enterprise gave him much more than pocket money.

It gave him a real-world classroom.

Through earning, saving, spending, giving and thinking about assets and liabilities, he began learning lessons that many adults are still trying to master.

That is one reason we became so enthusiastic about enterprise as a learning tool for children.

When the money is real, the customer is real and the decision is theirs, the lesson suddenly matters.

Children running small enterprises, selling products, saving towards goals or deciding what to do with money are not simply learning business skills.

They are learning responsibility, judgement, patience, communication and decision-making.

They are learning life skills.

Discussion Questions: Assets and Liabilities for Kids

Parents and teachers can use these questions to help children think more carefully about money, spending, saving and value.

They work well as a family conversation, classroom discussion or simple financial literacy activity.

  • Is this an asset or a liability? Does it help your money grow, or does it cost money to keep?
  • Will this purchase create value? Could it help you learn, earn, build, create or solve a problem?
  • Will it keep costing money? Will it need repairs, upgrades, fuel, subscriptions, accessories or maintenance?
  • Could part of this money be used differently? Could some be saved, given, invested or used for a future opportunity?
  • What is one simple asset a child could build or buy? This might be supplies for a small business, tools for a useful skill, or money set aside for a future idea.

These questions are not designed to make children fearful of spending.

They are designed to help children pause, think and make more thoughtful money choices.

Key takeaway: Teaching assets and liabilities for kids does not require complicated financial lessons. For Flynn, it began with money he had earned himself, a motorbike he wanted to buy and one simple question: will this help my money grow, or will it keep taking money away?

That real-life decision became a lesson in earning, spending, giving, saving and building assets that stayed with him far longer than a worksheet ever could.

Teenage Entrepreneur Ideas from Cameron Herold

Enterprise For KidsTeam Mindset, Confidence & Leadership, Raising Entrepreneurial Kids , , , , , , , , , , , 0 Comment
Child using a laptop with entrepreneur ideas on the wall for raising enterprising kids

Teenage entrepreneur ideas can come from the most unexpected places. Sometimes the very children who do not fit neatly into the traditional school mould are the ones with the energy, creativity and problem-solving ability to become enterprising adults.

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That is the powerful message I took from Cameron Herold, a successful entrepreneur and speaker who challenges parents and teachers to recognise entrepreneurial strengths in children.

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Cameron Herold sharing teenage entrepreneur ideas and advice for raising enterprising kids
Cameron Herold’s message challenges parents and teachers to recognise entrepreneurial strengths in children.

Teenage Entrepreneur Ideas from Cameron Herold

I was looking for conversations about raising enterprising kids when I came across a very inspirational entrepreneur called Cameron Herold.

Cameron Herold is a successful entrepreneur with an excellent message for parents who want to raise children with entrepreneurial skills. He shares his own life story and also refers to the book Young Bucks: How to Raise a Future Millionaire by Troy Dunn.

What really caught my attention was Cameron’s view that many children with entrepreneurial potential are sitting in classrooms right now, but their strengths are not always being recognised.

Some children do not naturally fit into the regular schooling mould. They may be energetic, intense, talkative, distracted, creative, restless, curious or constantly looking for a different way to do things.

In a traditional classroom, those traits can sometimes be seen only as problems. Cameron’s message is that some of those same traits may also be signs of entrepreneurial thinking.

This does not mean genuine learning, behavioural or health needs should ever be ignored. Parents, teachers and health professionals all have important roles to play. But it does mean we should be careful not to miss the strengths that can sit beside those challenges.

Are Some School Challenges Entrepreneurial Strengths?

Steve Jobs as an example of creative entrepreneurial thinking and innovation
Creative thinkers do not always follow the expected path.

In his talk, Cameron Herold speaks openly and provocatively about children who are labelled as difficult, distracted or different. He argues that some of these children may have the raw traits of future entrepreneurs.

He even uses the line, “Bipolar is the CEO disease,” to make his point that intensity, drive and unusual thinking can sometimes show up in successful entrepreneurs and leaders.

That statement is deliberately provocative, and it should not be taken as medical advice. But the deeper message is worth considering.

What if some children who struggle with the school system are not simply “naughty” or “lazy”?

What if some of them are actually wired to create, sell, lead, negotiate, build, question and solve problems?

As a teacher and parent, this made me think deeply. There are certainly children who love the school system, enjoy academic pathways and are happy to work towards a traditional career. That is wonderful.

But there are also children who do not fit so neatly. For those children, entrepreneurship may offer another pathway to confidence, purpose and success.

Schools Often Prepare Children for Jobs, Not Enterprise

Cameron Herold makes the point that schools rarely teach children how to think like entrepreneurs.

Schools often condition children to fit into jobs, follow instructions, complete tasks, wait for permission and work towards a salary. Those are useful skills in many parts of life, but they are not the only skills children need.

Enterprising kids also need to learn how to:

  • spot opportunities,
  • solve problems,
  • negotiate,
  • sell an idea,
  • communicate clearly,
  • take initiative,
  • manage money,
  • learn from failure,
  • and keep going when things become difficult.

Cameron’s view is that entrepreneurship is not simply an inherited trait. It can be taught, modelled, practised and encouraged.

That is very encouraging for parents. It means we do not need to wait and see whether our children are “born entrepreneurs.” We can help them develop the skills of enterprise through real-world learning.

Robert Kiyosaki quote about entrepreneurship and learning outside the traditional school system

Teenage Entrepreneur Ideas Need Mentors

Entrepreneurs often learn through necessity, observation, family example or mentorship. Some children grow up around business owners and naturally absorb the language of enterprise. Others need someone outside the family to spark that thinking.

That is why mentors, books, videos, real-life stories and practical experiences matter so much.

If we want our children to learn about entrepreneurship, someone needs to teach it. That someone might be a parent, grandparent, teacher, coach, family friend, local business owner or online mentor.

This is one of the reasons we created Enterprise for Kids. We wanted our children to see that business, money, creativity and problem-solving were not only adult topics. They were life skills children could begin learning early.

Cameron Herold’s TED Talk on Raising Enterprising Kids

Cameron Herold TED talk about raising kids to be entrepreneurs
Cameron Herold’s TED talk is well worth watching if you are interested in raising enterprising kids.

Cameron Herold offers many excellent suggestions in his talk, “Let’s raise kids to be entrepreneurs”.

If you are following our blog, you are probably a parent who wants to give your children more opportunities and choices in life. That includes helping them develop enterprise skills, money skills and the confidence to think differently.

Cameron’s talk is a must-see. It goes for about 15 minutes, but it contains many ideas that can change the way you see children, schooling and entrepreneurship.

The “Gift of Want”

Young Bucks How to Raise a Future Millionaire book for parents raising entrepreneurial kids
Young Bucks: How to Raise a Future Millionaire.

In his talk, Cameron refers to the book Young Bucks: How to Raise a Future Millionaire by Troy Dunn.

Troy Dunn is also a self-made millionaire and successful entrepreneur. He also happens to be a father of seven children, just like us, so I found his perspective especially interesting.

In the book, Dunn explains that the first prerequisite for a young entrepreneur is the “Gift of Want.”

In other words, children need a real reason to pursue an enterprise idea. They need to want something badly enough to get started and to keep going when things become difficult.

This is such a practical insight for parents.

Many adults want children to be motivated by responsibility, discipline or long-term success. But children are often first motivated by something much more immediate: a toy, a bike, a game, a trip, a pet, an experience, a gift or a personal goal.

That desire can become the starting point for real learning.

From there, parents can guide children into lessons about planning, researching, marketing, pricing, negotiating, saving, giving and following through.

Practical Teenage Entrepreneur Ideas from Cameron Herold

Cameron Herold’s message is not only philosophical. It is also practical. He gives parents ideas for helping children develop entrepreneurial habits at home.

One of his strongest suggestions is to rethink pocket money.

Instead of simply giving children a regular allowance, he suggests teaching them to look for jobs that need doing around the house and then negotiate a fee for completing them.

That small shift teaches children several important enterprise skills:

  • looking for opportunities,
  • noticing problems that need solving,
  • putting forward an offer,
  • negotiating value,
  • completing work properly,
  • and understanding that money is connected to value creation.

That is a far more enterprising lesson than simply receiving a regular payment without needing to think, negotiate or act.

Teach Children to Save, Give and Buy Assets

Cameron also talks about teaching children strong money habits.

One simple idea is to use money boxes or jars with different purposes. For example, children can divide their money into:

  • Giving: money for charity, tithing, community support or helping others.
  • Spending: money for toys, treats or things they want now.
  • Assets: money for savings, investments, tools, equipment or future enterprise ideas.

This teaches children that money has choices attached to it. It is not only for spending. It can also be used to give, grow and create more opportunities.

This connects closely with our own family lessons around teaching children the difference between assets and liabilities.

Use Real Life as the Classroom

One of the most powerful ways to raise enterprising kids is to use real life as the classroom.

When you are in a restaurant, point out good customer service. When you see a strong salesperson, discuss what made them effective. When a business solves a problem well, talk about it. When a product is poorly designed, ask your children how they would improve it.

Encourage your children to:

  • sell unwanted toys,
  • make and sell something small,
  • build inventions,
  • tell stories,
  • practise speaking to people,
  • notice problems around them,
  • and think of ways to create value.

These activities may seem simple, but they build confidence. They help children see themselves as people who can create, solve, serve and earn.

Raising Enterprising Kids Means Seeing Children Differently

Cameron Herold has allowed me, as a school teacher, to see some children in schools differently.

I can see that there are children who love the system and are more than happy to work towards a traditional career. That pathway suits many children well.

But I can also see that there are other children who do not fit so easily into the system. Some of those children may be budding entrepreneurs without knowing it yet.

They need someone to recognise the entrepreneur within them and provide opportunities for those strengths to develop.

This does not mean every child needs to become a business owner. It simply means children deserve the chance to develop enterprise skills: initiative, communication, creativity, leadership, resilience, sales, money management and problem-solving.

Those skills will help them whether they become entrepreneurs, employees, artists, tradespeople, professionals, community leaders or something else entirely.

Key Takeaway: Teenage Entrepreneur Ideas Start With Strengths

Key takeaway: teenage entrepreneur ideas do not always start with a business plan. They often start with noticing a child’s strengths, interests, frustrations and natural ways of thinking. Cameron Herold’s message reminds us to look for the entrepreneur within the child and give that child real opportunities to practise enterprise.

Where to Next?

What entrepreneurial strengths do you see in your child, and how could you give them a real-world opportunity to practise those strengths?

Business Ideas for Students: Chayse the Candy Man

Enterprise For KidsTeam Chayse's Stories, Family Enterprise Stories, Kids Business Ideas , , , , , , , , ,
Business ideas for students shown through Chayse selling lolly bags with Kit and Amber

Business ideas for students do not have to be complicated. Sometimes they begin with a four-year-old, a box full of lolly bags, a soccer ground full of hungry kids and a very determined little Candy Man.

This is Part 3 of Chayse’s Candy Man story, where his lolly bag idea moved from planning and preparation into real selling, real customers and real profit.

Business ideas for students shown through Chayse selling lolly bags at the soccer grounds
Chayse selling lolly bags at the soccer grounds as part of his Candy Man enterprise.

Business Ideas for Students: Chayse the Candy Man

We thought it was time that we revisited our little Candy Man Chayse. When we last followed his enterprising adventure, he had bought his lollies and bagged them up ready to sell.

If you missed the earlier parts of Chayse’s journey, you can follow the story from the beginning:

Now he has to find a market for his product and learn to be a salesman. Before we share Chayse’s exciting adventure, we thought it would be interesting to consider the benefits of children earning pocket money through enterprise, as opposed to children receiving a weekly allowance.

Why Business Ideas for Students Build a Different Mindset

Robert Kiyosaki quote about wealth and entrepreneurial thinking for children

Children earning pocket money through enterprise will develop the mindset and skills of an entrepreneur. Giving children a weekly allowance can condition them to think like “workers”.

Robert Kiyosaki describes a worker as someone prepared to give their time for money, whilst an entrepreneur builds systems and businesses that produce cash flow. Workers are more often than not time poor and cash poor, whilst entrepreneurs are generally time rich and cash rich.

Why is it then that the vast majority of us leave school and become workers?

A child receiving a weekly pocket money allowance is equivalent to a worker receiving a weekly salary. Relying upon a weekly allowance will not necessarily encourage children to look for opportunities for enterprise.

Their pocket money may or may not be aligned with doing household chores, just as a worker receives payment for doing work. Many kids leave school and slot into jobs for the rest of their lives because they have not been able to explore the entrepreneur within themselves.

Children Earning Pocket Money Through Enterprise

Children earning pocket money through enterprise develop a whole different mindset. Parents of these children will encourage their children to look around to find opportunities.

These kids learn to identify problems that they can solve and they learn the art of negotiation. Enterprising children understand assets, liabilities, cash flow and profit. They will understand markets and customer service and they will develop the confidence to promote themselves.

Business ideas for students can also help children value their profits and spend their money wisely. Weekly allowances are easily received and easily spent, especially when children know that more money will follow. This can condition kids to be reliant on a salary.

Enterprising children become self-motivated to make money, and as they celebrate their successes, they quickly come to understand that they can in fact make a lot more money than their friends receiving weekly allowances.

Entrepreneur Cameron Herold makes a similar point in his TED talk, Let’s raise kids to be entrepreneurs. He encourages parents to help children look for opportunities, negotiate and learn how to create value rather than simply expect a regular allowance.

A Real Student Business Idea at the Soccer Grounds

Chayse selling lolly bags to customers at the soccer grounds
Selling to customers.

Kids may not be motivated to do this at first, especially if they have been used to receiving a weekly allowance. The trick here is to make sure they have a big “Why!” They need to want something badly enough. This then becomes their goal and reason.

So let’s get back to Chayse’s enterprising story. Was he able to earn his pocket money through his lolly bag business?

He had his first opportunity to sell his lolly bags at his big brothers’ soccer games. During the game, the spectators, who were his potential customers, milled around on the sidelines.

So we primed him on what to say to customers. We also enlisted the help of his brothers, Amber and friends. It was all great fun and soon enough the customers came rolling in.

Now who could knock back buying lollies from a cute smiling four-year-old?

Business Ideas for Students Need Real Customers

His lolly bags sold like hot cakes for two dollars each. Chayse could not hold up the box because it was too heavy, so he managed the money jar whilst his helpers held the box.

He had to take his customers’ money and give change.

As word spread that there were lollies for sale, kids came racing in from all directions to buy Chayse’s product. The box became lighter and the money jar heavier, but despite the weight, he was not going to relinquish it.

Chayse looked after his helpers by giving them each a lolly bag. Hopefully they will be willing helpers the next time he sells something.

Chayse also paid back the money his Dad lent him as capital to buy the lollies and plastic bags from the supermarket.

Profit, Confidence and a Very Heavy Money Jar

Chayse holding money earned from his lolly bag business
Chayse was delighted with his profit.

All up, he was delighted with his fifty dollars net profit. He is now well on his way to reaching his goal to buy toy Nerf Guns.

In fact, his business was so successful that Kit has recently decided to partner with him for his next endeavour. Under their mother’s guidance, they will research and decide on a charity that could benefit from some of their profits.

So, stay tuned for that one!

Chayse is one of those children earning pocket money through enterprise. It would have taken him five weeks, with a weekly allowance of $5 a week, to save the equivalent of what he profited at the soccer grounds during one soccer game.

That is why simple business ideas for students can be so powerful. They give children a real reason to be brave, talk to people, handle money, serve customers and learn that effort can create opportunity.

The Candy Man Business Series

This post is Part 3 of Chayse’s Candy Man journey. You can follow the full series here:

  • Part 1: The Candy Man Planning an Enterprise — Chayse plans his lolly bag business and receives $50 start-up capital.
  • Part 2: The Candy Man Entrepreneur — Chayse buys the lollies, prepares the bags and gets ready to sell.
  • Part 3: Chayse the Candy Man — Chayse sells his lolly bags at the soccer grounds and makes a profit.

Key Takeaway: Business Ideas for Students Can Start Small

Key takeaway: Business ideas for students do not need to be complicated. Chayse’s lolly bag business helped him learn about customers, selling, profit, confidence, helpers, start-up money and responsibility — all through one simple project at the soccer grounds.

Where to Next?

If you enjoyed Chayse’s Candy Man story, you may also like:


Kids Business Ideas
Explore practical business ideas children can try through real-world learning.

Money Lessons for Kids
Read more stories that teach children about earning, saving, profit and responsibility.

Young Entrepreneurs: Flynn’s Honey Turns to Gold
See how Flynn’s honey business became another real family enterprise story.

In our next Enterprise For Kids blog, we’ll introduce you to a self-made millionaire who has some excellent tips for parents wanting to raise entrepreneurial kids. Don’t miss this article!

We would love to hear from you, so please leave a comment.

Young Australian Entrepreneurs: Lessons from Dale Beaumont

Enterprise For KidsTeam Mindset, Confidence & Leadership , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments
Dale Beaumont presenting at Business Blueprint as an example of young Australian entrepreneurs

Young Australian entrepreneurs can be powerful role models for children. When kids see real people building businesses, creating freedom and using their success with purpose, enterprise becomes much more than an idea in a book.

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Dale Beaumont is one of those examples. His story reminded us that who we spend time with, who we learn from and who we allow to influence our thinking can shape what we believe is possible.

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Dale Beaumont as a young entrepreneur inspiring enterprising kids
Dale Beaumont began his entrepreneurial journey young, making his story a powerful example for enterprising kids.

Young Australian Entrepreneurs: Lessons from Dale Beaumont

Part of what we love about this blog is that we get to share the success of young entrepreneurs with not only our readers, but also our kids.

As we have been learning through Paul Counsel’s course, and as Dale Beaumont also reinforced for us, who you “hang with” is often who you become like.

That can be a scary thought, or it can be an inspiring thought, depending on your peers and the people you spend the most time with.

Luckily, we have wonderful family and friends. But for us, it is also important to include people who have achieved success in areas where we are still learning and growing.

Some of our family and friends fulfil those needs, but a sure way of increasing self-efficacy for us and our kids is to mix with other successful entrepreneurs, business owners and people who think differently.

Dale Beaumont as a Young Australian Entrepreneur

Dale Beaumont Secrets Exposed Series as an example of young Australian entrepreneurs creating books and business education
Dale Beaumont wrote the Secrets Exposed series.

Dale Beaumont is one such inspiring young Australian entrepreneur. He may not see himself as “young” anymore, but his success started at the tender age of 19.

Before developing his entrepreneurial skills, Dale was an accomplished gymnast and probably what many people would call an overachiever.

When Dale was 19, he co-authored a book called The World at Your Feet, which became the basis of his successful program, Tomorrow’s Youth. Through that program, he taught young people essential life skills.

From there, Dale went on to publish books, build relationships with other successful entrepreneurs, business owners and thought leaders, and eventually develop Business Blueprint.

His journey is a wonderful example for children because it shows that enterprise can begin young. It also shows that success is rarely about one single moment. It is built through learning, relationships, systems, action and persistence.

What Young Australian Entrepreneurs Teach Our Kids

One of the biggest lessons Dale Beaumont’s story teaches our children is that entrepreneurship is not just about making money.

It is about learning how to think. It is about developing skills, building useful systems, creating value, managing time, solving problems and making choices that can lead to more freedom.

Dale Beaumont with his family showing family freedom through entrepreneurship
Dale with one of his children.
Dale Beaumont and his wife travelling as a result of business systems and financial freedom
Inside the Sistine Chapel.

Dale is married and has two boys, and one of the things that really appealed to Trevor and me was that his focus was not only on business growth. It was also on creating time and freedom to travel with his young family.

He was able to do this because he had built systems within his business so that everything could keep ticking along with or without him.

You can imagine how appealing that was to us.

We did not want business success that simply created another job. We wanted to learn how business could create choice, flexibility and meaningful family experiences.

Lessons from Business Blueprint

I will not go through the whole workshop that my good friend Sally and I attended in Perth, but I do want to share a few highlights that really stuck with me as Dale spoke.

Dale Beaumont presenting at Business Blueprint as an example of young Australian entrepreneurs
Presenting at Business Blueprint.

Two sayings that stood out were:

“Empty bank accounts don’t feed the people.”

“The poor can’t help the poor.”

Those two sayings alone say a lot.

Some people want money purely for money’s sake — to have nice things and show others how well they are doing. Others want money so they can enjoy wonderful experiences, support their family, do good things in the world and make a difference in the lives of others.

We fall into that second category.

Dale’s example helped reinforce something important for our family: money with purpose can become a tool for freedom, contribution and service.

Money, Purpose and Making a Difference

One thing we found inspiring was Dale’s support for Hands Across the Water in Thailand. It was powerful to see an entrepreneur using his success and influence to make a difference in the lives of children.

This is an important message for enterprising kids.

We do not want our children to think that business is only about making money. We want them to understand that business can also create choices, opportunities and the ability to contribute.

That idea connects beautifully with our own reflections on whether having a money mindset can also be charitable.

The Internet Changed Business Forever

New Rules of Business seminar showing how the internet changed business for young Australian entrepreneurs
New Rules of Business seminar.

The internet has changed business forever.

If we do not embrace that change, our businesses can get left behind. A classic example was the way physical bookstores were challenged as online bookselling grew rapidly.

The point for our children is clear: the business world they are growing into is very different from the business world we grew up in.

Today’s young people need to understand technology, online marketing, digital systems, automation, websites, customer service, communication and content.

They do not need to master all of these skills as children, but they do need to grow up with the mindset that learning never stops.

The Coffin or the Hourglass

Dale shared something he learnt when he was just starting out in business.

He called it the coffin or the hourglass.

The coffin or the hourglass business planning model taught by Dale Beaumont
The Coffin or the Hourglass.

Many people starting in business spend more time taking action than they do strategising or planning where they want their business to end up.

Taking action is important, of course. But you do not want your business to be like a coffin, where little time is spent thinking, planning and designing the right direction, while heaps of time is spent taking action that may not be very fruitful.

The hourglass, on the other hand, is about putting time into planning, strategising and thinking first.

With well thought-out plans in place, the action you take becomes more focused and the results are more fruitful.

So what would you prefer? A business with the coffin model, or one with the hourglass model?

Young Australian Entrepreneurs Need Systems

I think one of the reasons Dale became successful in a relatively short period of time was his ability to let go of things that could be done by someone else and focus on the things he needed to do to be effective within his business.

That is a major lesson for young Australian entrepreneurs.

Hard work matters, but systems matter too.

Business owners who try to do absolutely everything themselves can quickly become exhausted. Systems help free up time, improve consistency and allow business owners to focus on the areas where they can create the most value.

In the original version of this article, we talked in detail about a particular automation and CRM system we had started using at the time. Years later, the exact tools have changed, but the lesson remains the same.

Business systems can help with:

  • email follow-up,
  • customer records,
  • online payments,
  • memberships or subscriptions,
  • event management,
  • task management,
  • marketing follow-up,
  • and website processes.

The specific software will keep changing, but the mindset is timeless: build systems that help your business run more smoothly.

You can learn more about Dale Beaumont and his business education work through Business Blueprint.

What This Means for Enterprising Kids

So, how does all of this relate to enterprising kids?

For any business our kids choose to start, using the internet will be a given, especially as they grow into young adults.

If we want our kids to be competitive in today’s markets, we need to show them the way by continuing to learn ourselves.

They will follow our lead. They will absorb whether we are curious, whether we keep improving, whether we look for better systems and whether we are willing to adapt.

We want our children to have a mindset that says:

Get savvy. Learn. Improve. Keep going.

Bedtime Reading for Enterprising Kids

Chayse holding business books as bedtime reading for enterprising kids
Bedtime reading for enterprising kids.

Generation Y and the generations after them are already building and creating things that improve efficiency in their lives.

Why spend six hours on something if you can learn how to streamline it and do it in one?

That is the world our children are growing into.

We agree completely that life is not meant to be all about work. We want to work to live, not live to work, and we want our kids to understand that concept too.

At the same time, we want them to know that learning from successful entrepreneurs can expand their thinking.

Books, mentors, workshops, conversations and real-world examples can all help children see what is possible.

We no longer need a long list of affiliate-linked books here. The bigger message is simply this: expose children to inspiring people and ideas, then help them apply those ideas in age-appropriate ways.

Key Takeaway: Young Australian Entrepreneurs Can Inspire Kids

Key takeaway: young Australian entrepreneurs like Dale Beaumont can help children see what is possible. When kids are exposed to mentors, business systems, purpose-driven money lessons and real-world learning, they begin to understand that enterprise can create freedom, contribution and choice.

Where to Next?

Who are your children learning from, and what kind of thinking are those influences helping them develop?

Vision Board Ideas for Students: What The Secret Left Out

Enterprise For KidsTeam Family Adventure & Real-World Learning, Mindset, Confidence & Leadership , , , , , , , , , , , , 8 Comments
Family motorhome trip through the USA manifested from a 2005 vision board

Vision board ideas for students are not just about cutting out pictures and hoping dreams come true. A vision board can help children see what they want, but the real power comes when that dream is connected to focus, intention and action.

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This story begins with one of Trevor’s childhood dreams — a farm on a grassy hill — and leads into what we learnt about vision boards, subconscious limits, family goals and what The Secret may have left out.

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Vision board ideas for students shown through a family farm dream that became real through focus and intention
Our farm became a real-life reminder that the pictures children hold in their minds can shape their dreams.

Vision Board Ideas for Students: What The Secret Left Out

As a kid, I always wanted to be a farmer.

When I was growing up, I had a framed picture of a farm on my bedroom wall. I would look at it and think about it every day for years.

The picture showed a big wooden barn sitting on a grassy hill with duck ponds, sheep, a dog, a tractor and children running around.

The funny thing was that twenty years later, Cathy and I found and bought a little farm that was just about identical to the picture from my bedroom wall.

The little farmhouse sat on a green grassy hill, which is rare in Western Australia with its semi-arid countryside. It had a big wooden barn, sheep, ducks, a dog and a tractor. To top it off, we raised most of our children there during their early years.

I had no idea until later that the very farm we owned was so close to what I used to dream about as a child.

Why Vision Board Ideas for Students Work Best With Focus

When the movie The Secret came out, I was fascinated by the stories of people visualising in their minds what they wanted and then, over time, seeing those same things arrive in their physical world.

I guess that is exactly what happened to me, although it did take about twenty years.

Over the years, this idea seemed to show up many times in our lives. That is one reason we believe vision board ideas for students can be so powerful when they are used properly.

Vision board ideas for students connected to Kit camping on the Cocos Islands as a family dream come true
Kit camping on the Cocos Islands — a dream come true.
Howitt family on the Cocos Islands after using visualisation focus and vision board ideas for students
Our Cocos experience.

Our experience living on the Cocos Islands was a visual thought many years before it became a reality.

Travelling through Canada and the USA in a motorhome with our family was another example of a visualisation becoming real. You can see more of that adventure on our family travel blog, Driving Us Crazy.

These experiences made us think deeply about vision, focus and how the pictures we hold in our minds can shape the direction of our lives.

Family Vision Board Ideas for Students and Kids

Making a vision board is one way to build a visual picture of what you want.

Cath and I have created dream boards and stowed them away, only to pull them out years later and see that several of the dream pictures could be ticked off as having been achieved.

Kite surfing, a large aquarium, more children, a fishing boat and family adventure were just a few examples.

Kite surfing goal achieved after appearing on a family vision board
Kite surfing.
Trevor's 2005 vision board showing vision board ideas for students and dream images that later became real
Trevor’s 2005 vision board. Almost all of these images became reality over time.

We believe vision boards help with visualising what you want. Because of that, we encourage our kids to make and display dream boards too.

They think it is all great fun, but there is also a powerful lesson underneath it.

When used well, vision board ideas for students can help children begin asking important questions:

  • What do I really want?
  • What kind of life do I imagine?
  • What experiences matter to me?
  • What goals feel exciting enough to work towards?
  • What small step could I take first?

The Problem with The Secret

The Secret shared a message that many people found inspiring: see it, believe it and allow it to come into your life.

There is certainly something powerful about visualising what you want and building emotional connection to your dreams.

However, when we read discussions about the law of attraction and visualisation, we also see many people feeling frustrated. They meditate, focus, make vision boards and think about what they want, yet they do not always see those things appear in their lives.

That raises an important question for parents, teachers and students.

If vision boards are powerful, why do some dreams still stay stuck on the board?

Vision Board Ideas for Students Need Focus and Intention

Vision board ideas for students need focus intention and action to move goals forward
Visualisation is powerful, but focus and intention help move the dream forward.

Our Money Mastery mentor explained that there was an important ingredient that The Secret did not emphasise enough.

He explained that while you need to visualise what you want and feel it emotionally, you also need persistent focus, clear intention and aligned action.

Without that focus, it is much harder for a dream to become reality.

He said, “The problem is that people have their focus elsewhere.”

That made sense to us.

In our situation, we were often busy all week at work. When we were home, our attention was taken up with sorting the kids, doing household chores and keeping up with our social life.

Our focus was being drawn away from the things we wanted to achieve, even though we were visualising them.

Often, when people hit a rock-bottom point in life, their focus becomes very sharp. This may happen through a near-death experience, serious illness, a breakup, financial stress or another major life change.

In those moments, the conscious and subconscious mind can suddenly align around a deep inner drive for change.

But we do not need to wait for rock bottom to teach children about focus.

That is where vision board ideas for students can become practical. A vision board should not simply be a collage of wishes. It should become a reminder of what deserves attention, planning and action.

Subconscious Limits, Comfort Zones and Student Goals

The other concept Paul, our Money Mastery mentor, explained was the idea of a “belt” or comfort zone.

Our subconscious mind seems to have an upper and lower limit for many areas of life, including wealth, happiness, relationships, health and success.

Using money as an example, let us say someone’s subconscious is only comfortable earning a certain amount each year. If they suddenly exceed that amount, they may unconsciously self-sabotage and bring themselves back to what feels familiar.

That self-sabotage could show up as overspending, poor decisions, risky behaviour, giving money away too quickly or simply failing to follow through.

Consciously, a person may say they want a much bigger goal. But if their subconscious is not comfortable with that goal, they may keep pulling themselves back into the old familiar zone.

The same principle can apply to relationships, health, weight loss, confidence, happiness, money and many other areas of life.

This is why small steps matter.

One way to work with these limits is to gradually build towards bigger dreams by visualising and intending smaller dreams that lead towards the larger one.

In other words, take smaller steps and celebrate them once they become real. Over time, your subconscious mind can begin to raise its upper limit to meet what your conscious mind is asking for.

Practical Vision Board Ideas for Students

So how can we make this useful for children and students?

A vision board should help students dream, but it should also help them focus. It can become a bridge between imagination and action.

Here are some practical vision board ideas for students:

  • Adventure goals: places they would love to visit or experiences they want to have.
  • Learning goals: skills they want to build, such as art, coding, sport, writing, music or public speaking.
  • Enterprise goals: business ideas, products, markets or money goals they would like to explore.
  • Character goals: qualities they want to develop, such as courage, kindness, persistence, confidence or generosity.
  • Family goals: shared experiences, trips, projects or adventures the family can work towards together.
  • Contribution goals: ways they would like to help others, give, serve or make a difference.

These vision board ideas for students work best when children also identify one action they can take. The image gives the goal a shape, but the action gives the goal movement.

Vision Board Ideas for Students at Home

Amber's vision board showing vision board ideas for students and goal setting for kids
Amber’s vision board.

It took up to twenty years for some of my dreams to come about, so do not allow another moment to pass you or your children by.

Encourage your kids to make vision boards. Teach them how to visualise and feel what they want. Help them establish a simple plan and then, most importantly, help them make it their focus.

A student vision board works best when it includes:

  • a clear picture of the goal,
  • a reason why the goal matters,
  • one small action they can take now,
  • a reminder to keep going,
  • and a way to celebrate progress.

The dream matters. The picture matters. The feeling matters.

But the focus and action matter too.

Key Takeaway: Vision Board Ideas for Students Need Action

Key takeaway: vision board ideas for students are most powerful when they move beyond dreaming. A vision board can help children see what they want, but students also need focus, intention, small steps and action to bring their goals closer to reality.

Where to Next?

What would your child put on a vision board today, and what is one small action they could take towards it this week?

Leadership Activities for Teens: Jai’s Green SuperCamp Bali Experience

Enterprise For KidsTeam Family Adventure & Real-World Learning, Jai's Stories, Mindset, Confidence & Leadership , , , , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments
Leadership activities for teens during team games at Green SuperCamp Bali

Leadership activities for teens do not always look like formal lessons. Sometimes they look like dance, drama, team games, high ropes, trust-building, public speaking, friendships and learning how to step outside your comfort zone.

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That is exactly what Jai experienced at Green SuperCamp Bali. He returned to Australia with stories to share, new confidence and a stronger sense of what it means to be motivated, balanced and willing to have a go.

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Leadership activities for teens through dance and drama at Green SuperCamp Bali
Dance, drama and group challenges helped Jai step outside his comfort zone at Green SuperCamp Bali.

Leadership Activities for Teens: Jai’s Green SuperCamp Bali Experience

Jai and Kaitlin also attended Green SuperCamp Bali, although their experiences were a little different to Flynn’s Green SuperCamp experience.

Jai and Kaitlin were with teenagers from around 14 to 17 years old, so their learning and activities were different from the younger group. They still had life-changing experiences and returned to Australia with plenty of stories to share and noticeable positive changes.

You can also read Amber’s Green SuperCamp reflection and the earlier post about why our kids wanted to attend Green SuperCamp.

For readers interested in current Bali-based camp experiences, you can also explore the official Green Camp Bali kids and youth camps, which continue the spirit of outdoor, hands-on learning and personal growth.

Here is Jai’s account in his own words.

Jai’s First Impressions of Green SuperCamp Bali

Jai being prepared by his team to present a talk during leadership activities for teens at Green SuperCamp Bali
Jai being prepared by his team to present a talk to the group.

The Green Super Camp was a once in a lifetime opportunity! I reckon I learnt more in the one week I was there than I have all of high school!

It’s hard to explain what we learnt, but it involved quantum strategies, learning how to trust, have integrity, be balanced, and be self motivated. We also learnt some easy ways to increase our grades!

The way we were taught these things was also very unique. There were so many skits and stories and we were involved in any way possible. Learning became fun and we found it easier to remember things.

Everybody there was so friendly and strong friendships were formed quickly.

What stands out in Jai’s reflection is that the camp did not separate learning from experience. The teenagers were not simply sitting and listening. They were involved, moving, speaking, presenting, laughing, trying, trusting and remembering through action.

That is why leadership activities for teens can be so powerful. They help young people learn by doing.

Leadership Activities for Teens Through Trust and Challenge

Green SuperCamp Bali gave Jai the chance to learn alongside teenagers from around the world. The activities were designed to build confidence, trust, teamwork and self-motivation.

Jai at Green SuperCamp Bali learning confidence trust and self motivation
Green SuperCamp Bali.
High ropes course as a leadership activity for teens at Green SuperCamp Bali
High ropes course.
Bamboo construction project at Green SuperCamp Bali teaching teamwork and problem solving
Building project.

Although the kids on the camp were from all around the world, we all got on really well and learnt a lot about each other!

The Green Super Camp Bali was very different to any other camp I have been on.

The high ropes course, building projects, drama, games and group challenges were not just activities to keep the teenagers busy. They were leadership activities for teens designed to develop trust, courage, communication and perseverance.

These are the same qualities we want our children to develop through real-world learning and enterprise.

Teamwork Activities for Teens at Green SuperCamp

Every morning, before breakfast, Jai and his team had to stand up together and chant:

Leadership activities for teens during team games at Green SuperCamp Bali
Team games at Green SuperCamp Bali.
Jai making friends at Green SuperCamp Bali during teamwork activities for teens
Making friends, with the camp in the background.

“HUNGRY HUNGRY
*clap clap*
VERY VERY
*clap clap*
HUNGRY VERY
*clap clap*
VERY HUNGRY
*clap clap*
TI CALACKA PI A PI A
TI CALACKA PI A PI A
TI CALACKA PI A PI A
MAKAN!”

At first we all thought this was really weird and immature and none of us were really comfortable chanting it, but after a few days, nobody cared about how they looked, which was another thing we learnt, and we all got right into it!

This is one of the great lessons of camp experiences like this. Teenagers often worry about how they look, what others think and whether they will be judged.

But in the right environment, with strong facilitators and a group willing to participate, those barriers can begin to fall away.

Leadership for teens often begins when young people stop worrying so much about looking silly and start participating fully.

Confidence Building and International Friendships

Green SuperCamp Bali 2012 group photo showing international leadership activities for teens
Green SuperCamp Bali 2012.

My favourite part of the camp was interacting with the people there and mucking around with new-found mates!

If I had to say my least favourite part of the camp, it would be the fact that we sat a lot and our bums were sore by the end of the camp, but that was minor compared to how much fun we had.

Overall this camp was an amazing experience and I would happily go back any day!

I would recommend this camp to anyone who is experiencing problems in their life, or would just like to try something new!

By Jai

Jai’s words say so much.

For us as parents, Green SuperCamp Bali was not just about a week away. It was about confidence building, self-motivation, friendship, courage, integrity, trust and learning how to participate in life more fully.

Those are not small lessons.

Why Leadership Activities for Teens Matter

Leadership activities for teens matter because young people often need experiences that help them discover who they are outside their normal routines.

At home and school, teenagers can become locked into familiar roles. They might be seen as the sporty one, the shy one, the loud one, the academic one, the distracted one, the confident one or the one who never volunteers.

A camp experience can shake that up.

Suddenly they are in a new environment, with new people, new expectations and new challenges. They have to speak, listen, trust, try, fail, laugh, lead, follow and contribute.

That is real-world learning.

These kinds of experiences also connect closely with the broader ideas we explored in our article on Green School Bali and real-world learning.

They also connect with the current Green Camp Bali kids and youth camps, where young people continue to learn through immersive, nature-based experiences.

What Jai’s Green SuperCamp Experience Taught Us

Jai’s Green SuperCamp Bali experience reminded us that teenagers can grow quickly when they are placed in the right environment.

He learnt about quantum strategies, trust, integrity, balance, self-motivation, study habits, friendship and confidence. Just as importantly, he learnt that learning can be fun, active and memorable.

For enterprising kids, these lessons matter.

Entrepreneurship is not only about business. It is about leadership, communication, resilience, initiative and the ability to work with others.

That is why leadership activities for teens can support the same qualities we want in young entrepreneurs.

Key Takeaway: Leadership Activities for Teens Build Confidence

Key takeaway: leadership activities for teens can build confidence, trust, self-motivation and real-world learning. Jai’s Green SuperCamp Bali experience showed us that teenagers can grow powerfully through team games, high ropes, drama, friendships and stepping outside their comfort zone.

Our children’s Green SuperCamp experience also connected with the wider philosophy of Green School Bali, where learning is designed to be practical, creative, sustainable and connected to real life.

Where to Next?

What kind of leadership experience could help your teenager build confidence, trust and self-motivation?