Nurturing a Young Entrepreneur Mindset

"Did I understand it right? You paid real money to Connor?"

"Yes, I bought my fingerboards from him with real money. It's so good. It's much better than Tech Deck! This fingerboard is the best and I'm buying another one from him!"

I found out by accident that my son had been selling handmade wooden fingerboards, a miniature skateboard that is constructed in exactly the same way as a real skateboard, during his birthday celebration last year.

I stood there in shock. The first thing that came to my mind is that he's going to be in trouble in school if they find out as it's not allowed, followed by the image of other mums thinking my son is extorting money from their children.

I took a breather. I stepped back and let the celebration continue without uttering a word to my son. I wasn't pleased by the way he did it but I was proud of his ingenuity.

That night, I had a conversation with him. I told him how proud I was of his entrepreneurial spirit but that we have to do it the right way. He showed me his stash of money from his sales. I asked him to stop selling in school explaining that it could put him in trouble. In return, I promised that I will find him the right market to be able to sell what he makes.

The timing couldn't be any perfect as the school is organizing a Spring Fair where the children could apply for the Kid-preneur table. At the Spring Fair, he sold out his art fingerboards in 15 minutes! He was so happy that he asked if he could do another one (market).

My son, a then 10year old boy, officially founded Flip Fingerboarding and is now regularly attending markets around the UAE.

So what made it click? How did he reach this milestone?

1. We fully supported his interests. Connor had always been a 'hands on' child. He loves doing things with his hands be it constructing an airplane (a thousand of them to get it just right), building Legos, solving Rubik's cube or GAN cubes (all kinds, pyramid, 2x2, 4x4, apple cubes, banana cubes etc.), he loves making French toasts, pizzas and the perfect sunny side up egg. Connor had always been in the driver seat with his interest. We supported his interest and never said no (unless it is dangerous).
2. We acknowledge that each child is unique. Having 3 children, we understood early on that they are all different from each other. We tailored our parenting to support their differences.
3. We let him have a lot of free time (time with no electronics or scheduled activities). We always tell him that we'd rather he stares at a blank wall than busy himself with non-sensical tasks. Ultimately, we had seen how boredom ignites creative thinking. It will take him less than 5 minutes of doing nothing then he will dissolve and find a paper or a marker, dig in his Lego boxes or go to the kitchen to prepare something.
4. We offered controlled technology time. Connor learned from You Tube. There's no denying that technology supports their development. However on the same note, it could also hinder their development. We structure a balance and hold his hand to understand the benefits and risks of technology until he is mature enough to do it on his own.
5. We supported his entrepreneurial interests. Connor might fail, or he might succeed in his business. However, in his own words, "What's the worst that could happen?"

I didn't understand the depth of my son's mindset until I watched his podcast interview (he didn't allow me inside during the filming).

I am indeed very proud of him.

I hope that he continue to be an inspiration to so many young children out there.

If you wish to watch his full podcast interview, you may follow this link.