How Homeschooling Better Prepares Children as Successful Entrepreneurs

The very nature of homeschooling can instill an entrepreneurial spirit from a very young age. Learning from example that things do not always have to be done traditionally, or as the way the crowd is going. Because of teaching methods and one-on-one attention, homeschooled children do not have the same inhibitions as traditionally educated children regarding business and business risk.

Failing is not a fear of most homeschooled children because they are taught from a very young age that if you do not understand or if you do not get it correct the first time, you take as much time as you need to understand it or to get it correct. Failure is part of the process.

Entrepreneurship is a natural transition for the homeschooled student. With the right fundamentals taught in the home along with the life-long learning instilled at an early age will enable your child to be successful at any endeavor they choose.

Christopher Paolini was homeschooled in Montana. He graduated high school when he was 15 years old and immediately authored the best-selling book, "Eragon". The book was originally self-published by his parents, then picked up by publisher Knopf for the second edition. The now four book series titled "Inheritance" is published by Random House. The third of the series scheduled to be published on September 23, 2008 and the fourth book currently being written.

During an interview with the Seattle Post/Intelligencer, Paolini said, "I certainly give credit to my parents because they taught us to never be afraid. My sister and I have never been in public schools. We never had the experience of being put down, of being told not to stand out." Now a spokesman for homeschooling, giving credit to his parents' decision to homeschool him during every interview he took while promoting his books.

"Everything I did was only possible because my parents were dedicated and loving enough to homeschool my sister and me Aside from textbook lessons, she had us perform many exercises designed to stimulate our creativity," Paolini said during an interview with Homeschool.com.

Aaron Fessler is another homeschooling success story. As a teenager, Fessler started his own mail order business then worked as a network administrator for Home School Legal Defense. He then founded Allegro Group, a technology company with solutions and alternatives to managing their e-mail. After four years he had grown Allegro to $7 million in sales, then sold the company in 2000. He then founded another technology company, MediaSentry, a company that fights against software piracy. After MediaSentry, Fessler became the CEO of MediaForce, Inc., a digital copyright enforcement agency.

Teaching the Future Entrepreneur

The nature of homeschooling can instill the skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur. The parent/teacher can provide the foundation that will not only make your child successful at business ownership, but successful at any endeavor they pursue in life. Entrepreneurs are hard working, innovative people. They understand business and often use that understanding to blaze their own path. As a homeschooling parent, there are several fundamentals that you can incorporate into their lives that will help enable their future success.

Your children should not fear failure or lack of understanding. They must learn to be confident and not fear repercussions of asking questions, asking for help, or failing to derive the correct answer to a question on their own. If they do fail to do it on their own, teach them where they steered wrong, to ask for help, or where to get the answers.

Teach patience and financial management. In a society of instant gratification and soaring consumer debt, it is critical to teach your children the importance of financial stewardship. Show them that it doesn't matter what your income is, if you spend it all, or more you don't have any money.

Encourage creativity. Entrepreneurs are creative, innovative leaders. Allow your children to experiment with their creativity without fear of being scorned. Show them it is okay to let those creative juices flow.

Incorporate goal setting and planning into your children's lives. Show them how to set a goal, prioritize and execute the systematic steps to achieve that goal. Don't make this a lesson you teach one day, make goal setting a part of their lives.

Make your children leaders. Teach them to be team players and followers, but most importantly leaders. Entrepreneurs and business leaders must learn to lead and not do. Teach them to delegate authority and work hard while treating others with respect.

Business plans, marketing plans, cost analysis, and the multitude of other skills successful business owners have can be learned at the appropriate time. Your goal is to develop the foundation for a successful adult. If your child decides to become a business owner, they will have the foundation they need for success.

Homeschooling offers the perfect environment to facilitate this foundation. Leadership, creativity, planning and problem solving are skills your child will use throughout their lives regardless of their career path.

References

Homeschool.com: LIVE Interview with Eragon Author, Christopher Paolini