How to Instill an Entrepreneurial Spirit in Young People

An entrepreneurial spirit not only opens doors for you at work level, but also transforms the way in which you view life. We tell you why it can be beneficial for your children and how to promote it in them.

In recent years, especially after the start of the digital age, entrepreneurs have become protagonists of the global scene. They lead social movements, contribute to the development of the economy, and open up new avenues of thought. For this reason, every day it becomes more necessary to instill in young people an entrepreneurial spirit to allow them to adapt to current times. Furthermore, it’s not only work-related but involves a personal transformation as well.

The entrepreneurial spirit is one that encourages you to take the initiative, implement actions on your own, and not succumb to seemingly limited opportunities.

The entrepreneurial person is self-confident, possesses flexible thinking, and is capable of carrying out the solutions they propose. Ultimately, they become active agents in their own lives. If you’re wondering why these qualities are necessary for young people, let’s explain.

How does having an entrepreneurial spirit benefit us?

We generally associate this term with people who are self-employed or have their own business. However, it’s a  concept that goes much further than this. As a matter of fact, from the time children start school, an entrepreneurial spirit will allow them to obtain a far more meaningful kind of learning. That’s because they’ll get involved and try to give meaning to all the information they receive.

As a matter of fact, this disposition will be what motivates them to persevere in order to improve their skills. For example, a determined young man who loves painting won’t give up just because he initially fails. Nor will he settle for the basic kind of art education he receives at school. On the contrary, he’ll seek to train by other means. Furthermore, he won’t be afraid to explore and develop his own style.

It goes without saying that the entrepreneurial spirit nourishes self-confidence. Indeed, those who risk, stumble, fall, get up and learn, have a powerful advantage over those who don’t even dare to take the first step. Therefore, whether it involves establishing relationships or entering into the world of work, people with an entrepreneurial spirit won’t ever hesitate in going for what they want. In fact, conformity and resignation have no place in their world.

How to instill an entrepreneurial spirit in young people

As a father or mother, you want your children to be happy and successful and to achieve their goals. You want them to allow passion, not fear, to determine their decisions. However, the entrepreneurial spirit doesn’t appear out of the blue. It has to be built and fostered.

Research suggests that in a climate of job instability, young people tend to be conservative and often reluctant to set out into the world. However, there are some educational guidelines that you can implement to enhance the entrepreneurial spirit in your children.

Be an example

We can’t ask young people to be brave and determined if we, ourselves, tend to conform and never take the initiative. Therefore, you should start by applying entrepreneurial principles in the various areas of your own life.

Encourage critical thinking

The entrepreneurial spirit is based on the ability to have your own criteria and not to limit yourself to repeating the messages of others. To do this, you can pose your children moral dilemmas, discuss current news with them, or encourage them to explore various topics that are of interest to them to discuss later.

Encourage creativity and divergent thinking

There’s no single way of doing things and generally, each situation can be viewed from different perspectives. Therefore, encourage your children to find different solutions to everyday problems. Also, inspire them to be original and creative in their school work instead of sticking to the norm.

Help them make friends with error

Entrepreneurship almost invariably implies failure on many occasions. However, this should never be viewed as a drama but as an opportunity to learn and change course. For example, a young man who’s excessively ashamed of his failures won’t ever be able to get out of his comfort zone.

Use positive reinforcement

Positive reinforcement not only increases the self-esteem and confidence of your children (something essential in any field) but also helps them to value the process over the result. In other words, they’ll understand that taking risks, trying, and persevering are all extremely valuable processes.

In short, an entrepreneurial spirit is forged during the early stages of life. However,   the benefits it offers will last a lifetime. Naturally, not all people have the same vocation and your children won’t necessarily choose to go into business for themselves. Nevertheless, these qualities will help them live purposefully, whatever path they choose to follow.