Tip: 7 Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Kids

Over the past couple of years I have been fortunate enough to meet and work with hundreds of entrepreneurs from all ages and walks of life. Whilst the experiences shared and lessons learned have helped shape my thinking in and around business, none have been more impactful than the time I have spent with entrepreneurs through my involvement as a mentor for the Club Kidpreneur Foundation.

Club Kidpreneur is a social enterprise founded by one of Australia’s most successful entrepreneurs, Creel Price. Creel started his own strawberry-growing business at the age of 11, and at 25 co-founded Blueprint Management Group with a $5,000 investment, which he sold 10 years later for more than $100 million.

Through after school care programs, holiday camps, online engagement and the annual $50 Challenge, the Foundation helps kids between the ages of 8-12 start and grow their own micro-enterprises.

Whether you are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur or you already are one, here are 8 lessons, which if applied I am confident will have a profound impact on your business:

Get creative: Creativity comes naturally to Kidpreneurs. Realism and cynicism haven’t taken hold. Every day they are innovating and inventing things. As an entrepreneur you need to consistently innovate if you are to remain at the forefront of your industry.

Be bold: Kids constantly take risks. They are not afraid of anything and with their can-do attitude will eagerly dive into challenging situations. Do something you've never done before in business and do it today. Pick up the phone and make a sales call, learn a new skill, expand your service. Embrace your inner kidpreneur.

Decision making: Kids are great at making decisions. They may not necessarily end up making the right ones but nevertheless decisions are made in a timely manner. They haven’t heard of procrastination. Something we can all learn from.

Resilience: Kids are big dreamers. They understand they are not limited, aren’t afraid to fail and readily learn from their mistakes. As entrepreneurs I believe we need to be braver, make harder choices and understand that failure is a valuable part of the business journey, not something to be avoided.

Passion: Kidpreneurs put passion and love into everything they do. Just take a look at the delighted faces of kids selling their homemade keyrings, candles or cupcakes at a market day. Their passion is contagious, customers sense it and can’t resist perpetuating the smiles with a purchase. Be passionate about your project, your work and your team.

Have fun: The person you become in the process of achieving your goal is more important then the goal itself. Enjoy your time in business, learn to take the good with the bad and remember -if it’s not fun, it’s not worth it.

Be open-minded: Children face life with open eyes, interpreting things in their own unique ways, unafraid to change or to rechart their course. Every entrepreneur must be bold to create and innovate. Remember that the failures in life are not you getting the wrong answer, but an opportunity to ask a whole new question.

Interested to know, what's the best business lesson you've learned from a kidpreneur?