Angela Duckworth, the author of one of our favourite books, GRIT, discusses raising gritty kids. "In our family, we live by the Hard Thing Rule. It has three parts. The first is that everyone—including mom and dad—has to do a hard thing. A hard thing is...
I attribute every success I've ever had to the fact that when I was a small child, whenever our family went on holiday, my mum made me pack my own suitcase. To me, it was normal. Who else would do it?! I realise it might not sound...
Tim Spiegelglass, owner of Spiegelglass Construction Company, describes how he had to pitch for what he wanted during childhood. “For as long as I can remember, my father asked me to negotiate or make a pitch for what I wanted, and now I’m having my daughters...
Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, began life as a shy child. He would often cling to the back of his mother's skirt and refuse to talk to adults. As we know, Branson would overcome his challenges and become one of the world's...
Benjamin Banks is the founder of SBD Apparel, a sports performance brand worn by some of the best strength athletes in the world. We interviewed Ben for our podcast and learned the inception of the extraordinary attention to detail that underpins his success to this day. “My...
Jodi Chaffee, founder of Our Modern Heritage Academy LLC, explains how a conversation with her father helped her overcome challenges at school. “When I struggled in school one year, my dad asked me whether I believed I could be a possible A student. He asked me...
Elon Musk is one of the richest people on the planet. He continues to grow his empire in multiple industries and push the limits of technology. He's an outspoken and controversial entrepreneur so let's discover how was Elon Musk was raised. As a starter, many of...
Change and disruption are usually seen a challenge, especially for young children. They perhaps don't always understand why change is happening and they often don't have a say in the decision. Changing schools can be distressing for a child, leaving their friends behind and being...
Founder and CEO of Bean Ninjas, Meryl Johnston, describes how small acts of independence made her a more confident individual. “As small children we were encouraged to answer the phone and make phone calls. I can remember back when I was 9 years old my mum...
The 2021 Michelin Chef of the Year and Great British Menu finalist, Kray Treadwell, talks to Birmingham Living Magazine about slogging away at his passion as a teenager, much to the bemusement of his family. "I started washing pots at the Asquith in Edgbaston under [Michelin-starred...
In a fascinating piece for CBS News, Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, writes a letter to his former self. Here are some paragraphs from it: "When you walk out of the LSAT without finishing it in order to go to the Waffle House, you're making the...
Shan-Lyn Ma, co-founder and CEO of Zola, was born in Singapore and moved to Sydney, Australia, when she was four. There, her dad fought for Southeast Asians’ labour rights at a nonprofit and her mother was an entrepreneur at heart. In Australia, Ma's mother taught her...
Steve Case, the former AOL chairman and CEO, talks about how island life led to an understanding of community. “I was born and raised in Hawaii, so that’s interesting. Both my parents were born and raised in Hawaii, which is probably more interesting, because Hawaii has...
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...
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...
It's common for teenagers to seek out a part-time job to supplement their income and increase their independence. Many of the world's most successful entrepreneurs and business leaders held part-time roles through their education including billionaires Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffett. But what are the...
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...
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.