Deborah Meaden, entrepreneur and Dragon's Den dragon, tells her story and the beliefs it led to. “I grew up in a single-parent family and we didn’t have a lot of money. I don’t say that looking for any sympathy, because a child doesn’t notice, except that...
Coach and author Andrew Pain shares his experience in raising his children with an entrepreneurial mindset. “...
Karen Mehta, Headteacher of Ashbridge Independent School, discusses how her own childhood has influenced the way she teaches others. “From an early age I was taught the value of hard work and coming up with good ideas. I would run stalls in my street and put...
Noel Farrelly from Tilney Group describes the principles he follows in raising his children. “I have raised my children repeating four specific principles, which they know by heart. I have lived by them and have encouraged them to also. They are: Turn up on time Say...
Heidi Zak, founder of ThirdLove, shares her experience working on a farm stand as a teenager. “I think my dad is my biggest influence. He grew up on a small farm outside of Pittsburgh. Through a lot of hard work and by focusing on education, he has...
Ritu Nayaran, CEO and co-founder of Zūm, explains how her mother was her biggest champion. "[My mother is] my dreamcatcher. As a child and growing up, I was fascinated by math and physics. I wanted to be an engineer or an astronaut. At that time in...
In an interview for the DGA, Steven Spielberg explains the unconventional mischief he got up to in his high school years, that set him up well for his career. “I was in high school in Arizona and visiting some cousins and I took a tour one...
Parent and business leader Kathryn Campbell plans to incorporate diversity into how she raises her daughter, to promote empathy and being open to the views of others. "Empathy and being open to the views of others are important values for us as parents. We appreciate that...
Anne Boden MBE is the founder of Starling Bank. In an interview with Money Observer, she talks about the childhood influences that combined an interest in money with a focus on making good choices. “I learned from a very young age just how important [money] is...
Mike Bandar, co-founder of Turn Partners, explains how pursuing sports during his childhood taught him the meaning of commitment and discipline. “Throughout my whole childhood, my parents always ensured my brother and I had at least two active hobbies or sports. "We generally had one staple that...
Naomi Pryde, partner at DWF LLP, shares the childhood memories that had the most impact on her academic and professional career. “I was taught that I could be anything and do anything. I was taught to politely question everything and not to necessarily take ‘no’ for...
Amy Cheadle, founder of The Northern Dough Co (a company that offers a range of frozen pizza dough products!), reflects on her experience encouraging her kids to overcome challenges by thinking creatively. “As a parent, I often challenge my kids with problem solving to encourage their...
This is a passage from the book Originals: How Non-conformists Change the World, by Adam Grant with foreword by Sheryl Sandberg. The book debunks the myth that entrepreneurs are bigger risk takers than non entrepreneurs: "...
Michael Greenberg, from Call For Content, describes how his competitive family had an unintentional impact in his entrepreneurial upbringing. “My parents raised us with entrepreneurship deeply embedded, unintentionally. […] We had to earn our money growing up and were encouraged to run side hustles like shovelling...
James Daily, founding partner of Daily Law Group, learned from his parents that there was no problem he could not solve. "My parents taught me to be grateful and find the silver lining, even if you have nothing or are facing pain, loss, or failure. After...
Hayley Luckadoo, owner of Luckadoo Media, shares the words of wisdom she received from her mother. “I was always an ambitious child, but I would be terrified of anything not working out. I'd talk about the hundreds of ways something could go wrong and I'd plan...
You may have heard the Jim Rohn quote, "we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with", but you may not realise how early that becomes true. In the book Atomic Habits, author James Clear discusses the norms of cultures,...
Welcome to the Clever Tykes blog We blog about raising entrepreneurial kids. Topics include entrepreneurial and enterprise education, research and resources, news and inspiring stories. We share insights from parents and educators and fascinating anecdotes from the childhoods of successful entrepreneurs. To receive our blogs straight to...
When did you first become self-aware? It's so easy to just go with the flow and do what's expected of us. Starting primary then secondary school, choosing our GCSEs and going to college. Then passing exams and trying to get into university because that's what everyone...
Today's the day! We're super excited that How To Raise Entrepreneurial Kids is now live on Amazon and in bookstores around the world. Clever Tykes co-founder Jodie Cook teamed up with best-selling business author Daniel Priestley to create this hugely valuable resource for parents and educators. It's...
I am a huge advocate of the entrepreneurial messages and characteristics that you are driving. I think it is a fantastic idea to instil the idea of entrepreneurship into children from a young age. This is a great way to open children up to the idea of not always following conventional paths and giving them the belief and confidence to pursue their own creative business ideas.
The Clever Tykes series are such a wonderful way to introduce ‘enterprise’ to children from a young age – I can’t recommend them highly enough, and strongly urge parents to read along with their child as there is no doubt the stories will stimulate lots of questions and interest!
I found Walk-it Willow easy to read and full of lovely messages that children can take from it. It touched on taking responsibility, problem solving, admitting mistakes and also the work it takes to run a small business. Willow is entertaining but very human. A lovely story.