So the school holidays are nearly upon us. Those of us who are parents will know the challenges that we all go through in terms of inspiring our children to do their very best and to provide them with the opportunity to fulfil their potential. In terms of educating the benefits of financial independence we are helping our eldest daughter who will soon be 16 get a summer job and to provide her with the opportunity to gain some valuable business skills as part of her education as well as learning that if you want to have things in life then you have to work hard to achieve them.
Richard Branson knows all too well about the challenges entrepreneurs face. He says one of the best things they can do to stay motivated and embrace challenges is to surround themselves with encouraging people who support their pursuits.
Now at the helm of the Virgin family of companies, Branson grew up in a nurturing environment. In his autobiography Losing My Virginity, he writes how his parents-Eve, a former flight attendant, and Ted, a lawyer-and his father's sister, Joyce, encouraged him to test his ideas and assert his independence.
Branson's family helped and him as he launched one of his first endeavors. At 17, he published Student, a youth-focused magazine. Family pitched in: His mum gave him £100 to help him pay the bills, and she, his dad and his sister, Lindi, helped sell the papers.
Through his Virgin companies, Branson creates a supportive environment aimed at encouraging the best from entrepreneurs seeking to pitch their ideas. In his personal life, he and Joan, his wife of 20 years, have encouraged their children, Holly and Sam, to pursue their own passions and to dream big.
"All young people... need someone who can show them a future. They need to be able to work out what they can do with their lives, how they can enjoy their lives, how they can pay for it and how they can take responsibility for their actions," he writes in his book Business Stripped Bare. "
I think it's a shame that we teach children everything about the world, but we don't teach them how to take part in the world, how to realise an idea, how to measure the consequences of their actions, how to take a knock, or how to share their success."
In summarising the key lessons that he has learned in his life it is by thriving on opportunity and adventure. The motive that has driven him has always been to set himself challenges and then set out to achieve them:
- Just Do It
- Think Yes, not no
- Challenge yourself
- Have goals
- Have Fun
- Make a difference
- Stand on your own feet
- Be loyal
- Live life to the full
- Nothing ventured nothing gained
"Everyone needs to keep learning. Everyone needs goals. Whatever we want to be, whatever we want to do, we can do it, beacuse we can. Go ahead, take the first step- Just do it."
What are we doing to nurture the passion and fuel the entrepreneurial spirit in our children? What role do Schools, colleges and universities need to play in providing the life skills that will equip them and empower them to pursue their dreams and ultimately fulfil their potential?
