Teaching a kid to think like an entrepreneur

A teacher had been using a free app or organize his communication with students and parents. It worked perfectly.

Then the app decided to start charging its users, which sent the teacher looking for another solution just like the first app, but free.

From an economics perspective, this doesn’t make a lot of sense. If an app solves a problem for you, shouldn’t the maker of the app be paid, thus making your solution sustainable and something you can count on?

As an entrepreneur, I have learned to be strategic in my problem-solving. I’ve learned, with the help of patient mentors, to systematically question my assumptions and look beyond mere binary options in my decision-making. I believe we should be offering kids these same tools, perhaps even in the context of teaching them entrepreneurship itself.

When you have to figure out something of value to offer to someone else, something that they value more than the cash they are using to pay for it (which is the reason we buy goods and services), you’re cultivating a particular kind of creativity. You’re seeing a gap — seeing something that is not there — and bringing something new into the world to fill that gap. It’s a profound learning experience and an intensely challenging one both intellectually and emotionally.

Having gone through this process, a student would then have a greater context for the triumphs and trials of humans of the past, a better understanding of systems across subject areas, and a sense of respect for the challenges of clear communication. She’ll be a more effective thinker and learner.

Any experiences you have will increase your understanding of the world. Creating your own business potentially brings together many disciplines: The arts, engineering, economics, communication, math, and more, deepening your skills and knowledge in these fields of study and strengthening the connections between them, creating a learning experience with a lot of bang for the buck.

Is entrepreneurship something that should be taught in school? Only if we can do it without flattening it and sucking the life out of it. It should remain practical, not theoretical — in other words, the students should actually be able to create something, not just learn about doing it.

That said, real life provides countless opportunities to learn from the successful endeavors (and errors) of others, to practice making decisions that are grounded in economic principles, and to try out your own entrepreneurial ideas regardless of your age. Whether you’re hiring someone to clean your house, offering to clean other people’s houses, or creating something that will streamline the process, there are lessons to be gained from discussing, as a family, these alternatives and their implications.

Entrepreneurial thinking can seem a bit contrary to those who are following a different set of rules for decision-making. Teaching it to a child broadens her perspective and helps her to understand others, which, in itself, is an important outcome of education. Even more powerfully, it gives kids the tools to actually create things in the world that can improve life for others, now and in the future.