We didn’t set out to raise seven entrepreneurs. We simply wanted our kids to grow up believing they could create opportunities rather than wait for them.
Over the years, they tried businesses, handled real money, met entrepreneurs, travelled, took risks, made mistakes and learned lessons we could never have taught from a textbook.
Some ideas worked brilliantly. Others didn’t. This page brings together the practical lessons, family experiments and real stories that helped shape our seven children, along with ideas you can try with your own kids.
Where Would You Like to Start?
Explore the part that interests you most, or keep reading for seven simple ways to start raising entrepreneurial kids at home.
7 Simple Ways to Raise Entrepreneurial Kids
You do not need to start with a business plan or a big project. Some of the most useful lessons begin with ordinary family life.
- Let them earn through a real task. Give children opportunities to connect effort, value and income through age-appropriate jobs or small projects.
- Invite them into everyday money conversations. Talk openly about saving, spending, pricing, budgeting and why families make different financial choices.
- Encourage them to notice problems. Ask what they would improve, fix or create rather than always giving them the answer.
- Give them responsibility for a small project. A market stall, garden, fundraiser, creative product or family challenge can build planning and follow-through.
- Allow room for mistakes. Children learn resilience when they can reflect on what did not work and decide what they would do differently next time.
- Introduce them to mentors and real stories. Examples such as Justin Herald’s entrepreneur story can show that businesses often begin with simple ideas, courage and action.
- Reflect together. After an experience, ask what they learned about themselves, other people, money, risk and opportunity.
Why Raising Entrepreneurial Kids Matters
Entrepreneurial thinking gives children practical tools for life. It helps them solve problems, take initiative, think creatively and back themselves. In a world that is changing rapidly, these qualities matter more than ever.
When children are exposed to entrepreneurship from a young age, and it is modelled well through real experiences, it opens doors later in life. It gives them choices beyond simply following the path of being an employee. We believe entrepreneurship can offer young people a way to create value, earn income, make a difference and pursue a life that feels rewarding, meaningful and exciting.
Raising Entrepreneurial Kids Starts with Mindset
Before children build anything in the world, they first build beliefs about what is possible. Many of the beliefs people hold about money, work, risk and success are formed early in life. Helping children develop a healthy mindset around confidence, courage, responsibility, creativity and possibility can shape the way they approach life for years to come.
This is one of the reasons we became so passionate about finding practical ways to raise entrepreneurial kids who could think differently, question the usual path and believe in their ability to create value. Our article on limiting beliefs in children explores simple ways parents can help children build stronger self-belief.
How Mentors Help Raise Entrepreneurial Kids
One of the most powerful things we discovered as a family was the importance of learning from mentors. Along the way, we sought guidance from people who helped us develop a healthier money mindset, stronger leadership, greater self-belief and the practical skills needed for entrepreneurship.
They challenged our thinking, held us accountable and helped guide us step by step. Stories such as Justin Herald’s unusual path to business success and Dale Beaumont’s journey as a young Australian entrepreneur gave our family practical examples of initiative, persistence and learning from people who had already walked the path.
Teaching Kids About Money
Children benefit from practical money conversations. They can learn that money is a tool, that value matters, that assets can grow and that wise choices can create freedom.
Money lessons do not need to be dry or complicated. They can be woven into family life through conversations, games, saving, simple investing ideas and real experiences. Teaching kids about money is one of the most powerful foundations for helping them understand enterprise, choice, responsibility and opportunity.
The OECD’s financial education resources also highlight the importance of developing the knowledge, skills and behaviours young people need to make informed financial decisions. Our own financial education for kids lesson on assets and liabilities is one practical place to begin.
Raise Entrepreneurial Kids Through Learning by Doing
Some of the most powerful lessons come through action. Small businesses, market stalls, money projects, family challenges, investing experiments and real-life problem solving can teach children confidence and responsibility in a way that theory alone never will. Flynn’s honey business is one example of how a real product and real customers created lessons in pricing, presentation, responsibility and profit.
Children need to experience success, but also setbacks. That is often where grit, resilience and maturity are built. When you raise entrepreneurial kids, you are not trying to protect them from every challenge. You are helping them learn how to think, adapt, recover and keep going.
Raising Entrepreneurial Kids at Home and in the Classroom
Entrepreneurial thinking can be encouraged both at home and in school. Parents can create opportunities through conversation, encouragement, practical challenges and freedom to try.
Teachers can build experiences that help young people understand value, money, initiative, enterprise and leadership in real and memorable ways. Whether at home or in the classroom, children benefit from experiences that let them create, problem-solve, take responsibility and see themselves as capable.
We also saw powerful examples of this kind of real-world learning through Green School Bali and our children’s experience at Green SuperCamp Bali. Both challenged the way we thought about education, creativity, leadership and student engagement.
Start with These Stories
These articles are a good place to begin if you want practical examples of raising entrepreneurial kids through mindset, money conversations, real-world responsibility and learning by doing.
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