The #1 Piece of Business Knowledge Entrepreneurs Wish They Knew - Part 2

This is the second part of a series  fueled by a single question asked to successful entrepreneurs:

“What is the #1 piece of business information you wish you had known when you were younger?”

Today’s answer: That entrepreneurship was an option for me.

Understanding entrepreneurship as a potential career track is important, as described by Julie Silard Kantor, Author of I Said Yes and Vice President of Public Policy for the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE):

“Here is the message I received growing up: ‘Go to school and get a job.’ There weren’t a lot of outlets for me  in my education to look at following the path of an entrepreneur.   I am a social entrepreneur. I learned that when I stumbled into NFTE.  It took some falling down and getting back up in arriving at that conclusion.  I wish I knew what it was to be an entrepreneur and that it was okay to have that identity. There is more out there than, ‘Go work for someone.’  I wish I understood those options at a younger age.”

Suggested readings and discussion questions for the classroom to the boardroom:“Wish you knew” Module #2.

1. Do you think entrepreneurship is an option for you? Why or why not?

2. Read the quote below from Julie Kantor and answer the following question:  Do you believe everyone who is an entrepreneur goes against the grain/conventional thinking? Do you know anyone like Julie is describing? How do you think of an entrepreneur?

“I see a lot of young people that are naturally inclined to be entrepreneurs and they struggle and think there is something wrong with them.  I want to tell them, ‘There is not something wrong about you, there is something RIGHT about you!’ Sometimes they don’t fit in, they have a lot of ideas and are told to keep it to themselves…they are natural entrepreneurs.”

3. Look up examples of entrepreneurial thinking by doing a Google search. Discuss in class.

4. See Module 1 of this free EITC curriculum (registration required). Complete Exercises 1-3 (Characteristics of an Entrepreneur) and 1-3a (Your Future Entrepreneurial Passion).

Source: NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation Entrepreneur in the Classroom curriculum

5. Taking Exercises 1-3a a step further, here is a more detailed exercise on tapping into your entrepreneurial passion: Your Passion Inventory

Source:  Susan G. Duffy, Simmons College; Kathy Korman Frey, the GW Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership class at The George Washington University.

Tip: Also see the EITC “Entrepreneur in a Day” curriculum and alternative exercises for another on-ramp to entrepreneurship.

Part 1 in this series

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

More information

Know a Young Entrepreneur? Nominate them here.

The NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization promoting the importance of small business and free enterprise to the nation’s youth. More information is available at www.NFIB.com/YEF. The Foundation is associated with the National Federation of Independent Business; NFIB is the nation’s leading small business association, with offices in Washington, D.C. and all 50 state capitals.

Entrepreneur In The Classroom. The NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation Entrepreneur-in-the-Classroom (EITC) supplemental curriculum exposes students to entrepreneurship and the necessary steps to take an idea and turn it into a business. The free curriculum can be integrated into classes teaching a variety of subjects including music, art, fashion, business and many more. You must be registered to view the full Entrepreneur-in-the-Classroom curriculum.

Related links:

Follow NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation on Twitter

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Follow blog author Kathy Korman Frey on Twitter