Environmental

Environmental

Action for Mother Earth

Our children are the stewards of the Earth.

They are paying for the price of neglect and abuse of our and previous generations. A new breed old entrepreneurs have introduced products and services that help care for the environment. There are vast opportunities for our children in the field of environmental entrepreneurship, as citizen become aware of their habits and practices that harm the environment. We need to make our children aware that they have to actively reflect their care for the environment in the choices they make. Environmental stewardship will soon be a major component of businesses as part of their social responsibility. It will not be a choice but a way of life for the next generation.

ECO-Bags are fashionable

Fro the environment

I was pleasantly surprised by how parents and children worked together to create fashionable eco-friendly bags for the KIDS CAN! Bazaar. This was the first Christmas bazaar from which I brought home different versions of the eco-bag. I had 6^th grades who painted over canvass bags. I had younger kids spray paint recycled tarpaulin bags. I had another group of students who asked for recycled flour bags and made them into eco-bags. These were only some of the innovative ways our young entrepreneurs chose to be “fashionable for the environment”.

ECHO Store (environment and

Community Hope Organization)

Reena Francisco, co-owner of ECHO Store, shares her motivation: “Environmental apathy in this day and age is borne out of simple ignorance. With political will of a strong and intelligent leadership, we can still reverse the damage. If everyone does their share, I believe the Philippines can someday be a nature haven.

Espousing a sustainable lifestyle, ECHO store was set-up to connect those who are seeking eco-friendly alternatives with providers from different provinces. The store carries organic and locally sourced products, in the process helping provide income to marginalized and indigenous communities.

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Empower

Empower

To make a difference

Always tell to student:

            “No One is too young to make difference because you can act now!”

No one is exempted from making a difference because you are ALL smart! When young entrepreneurs are raised to believe in themselves and in their ability to contribute to solving social and environmental problems, they will choose to make a difference. Children see the world through a simple lens. They are not afraid to ask “Why Not”. If given a chance, they come up with creative ways to make this world a better place.

Conversation with kids goes this way:

“Teacher, why does he not have any clothes?”

“Because he has no money to buy clothes”

“I have clothes I don’t wear, can I give them?”

“Teacher, why are they begging in the streets?”

“Because they are hungry and don’t have food.”

“I can share my baon, it is to much anyway.”

“Teacher, why are they in the streets?”

“Don’t they go to school?”

“Some of them don’t go to school because they have to help their parents.”

“I have old books, do you think they can read them so that they’ll learn?”

I thank God every day for reminding me, through the children, that indeed this world can be a better world if we only choose to do our part. It doesn’t matter if a child is five years old or a teenager, they are all capable of making a difference in their own little way. This becomes a habit so that when they are faced with bigger decisions to make.

They will choose to make a difference!

The White Elephant Sale

from trash to treasure

Learn about Philippine heroes. As a response to one of their lessons, they challenged themselves to be heroes in their own way. They wanted to help preschool children who had no books to read in their day care center. Since they were just 7 and 8 year-olds, most of them did not have money, so they thought of a way to raise funds for the “mini-library” they wanted to share with the preschoolers. They brainstormed and come up with a White Elephant Sale of their old toys and clothes. They sorted through all the goods, put them in boxes, and put prices on them. They made posters to let the caregivers in the school know about the sale, and campaigned in classrooms. On the day of sale, some of them were cashiers, while other were sellers. At the end of the day, they were able to raise more than P10,000. They chose the titles of the books they wanted to donate and brought these to the day care center.

The Good Shepherd Leads other to greener pastures

The Good Shepherd sisters are famous for their strawberry and ube jams that have become signature Baguio products. Since 1952, they have been able to create 91 products under the Mountain Maid label. Their products taste better because they are made for a good cause. Sr. Terry Danganan Shares: “We put up the business not just to make money. It was primarily established to finance the education of the poor, not only in Baguio but all over the Philippines”. It has been a sustainable business for student workers who earn their way through college, and the lay staff and the sisters as they seek greener pastures for everyone.

Raising Entrepreneurs to be the HOPe of the NATION

As a parent, educator and entrepreneurs, I believe in what Jose Rizal, our national hero said, that “The youth are the hope of the nation.” This hope for a better future is in the hands of every parent and teacher.

I am aware of the grim statistics. Out of 100 Filipino children who enter elementary school, only 40 will go on to high school. From that number, only 27 will continue on to college. And only 10 of them will graduate.

This only make the argument for Raising  Entrepreneurs Stronger. If your child faces the possibility of dropping out of school, is it not better that you equip him with an entrepreneurial mindset and tools to start his own business? If, on the other hand, your child will be privileged with an education and opportunities for success, will it not be even more important that you teach him to use his entrepreneurial mind to generate businesses that will help other?

How we raise the children that we are entrusted with will determine what kind of future will be in store for them. It will also ultimately determine what kind of future our nation will have.

I believe in the empowerment of every child to “use their intelligences to make a difference!” if our future entrepreneurs embark on a journey towards success, they will also be able to take the country along with them. I can look to our future with optimism, knowing that our youth entrepreneurs are the hope of our nation! Let us raise them well. 

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Environmental

Environmental

Action for Mother Earth

Our children are the stewards of the Earth.

They are paying for the price of neglect and abuse of our and previous generations. A new breed old entrepreneurs have introduced products and services that help care for the environment. There are vast opportunities for our children in the field of environmental entrepreneurship, as citizen become aware of their habits and practices that harm the environment. We need to make our children aware that they have to actively reflect their care for the environment in the choices they make. Environmental stewardship will soon be a major component of businesses as part of their social responsibility. It will not be a choice but a way of life for the next generation.

ECO-Bags are fashionable

Fro the environment

I was pleasantly surprised by how parents and children worked together to create fashionable eco-friendly bags for the KIDS CAN! Bazaar. This was the first Christmas bazaar from which I brought home different versions of the eco-bag. I had 6^th grades who painted over canvass bags. I had younger kids spray paint recycled tarpaulin bags. I had another group of students who asked for recycled flour bags and made them into eco-bags. These were only some of the innovative ways our young entrepreneurs chose to be “fashionable for the environment”.

ECHO Store (environment and

Community Hope Organization)

Reena Francisco, co-owner of ECHO Store, shares her motivation: “Environmental apathy in this day and age is borne out of simple ignorance. With political will of a strong and intelligent leadership, we can still reverse the damage. If everyone does their share, I believe the Philippines can someday be a nature haven.

Espousing a sustainable lifestyle, ECHO store was set-up to connect those who are seeking eco-friendly alternatives with providers from different provinces. The store carries organic and locally sourced products, in the process helping provide income to marginalized and indigenous communities.

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Encourage

Encourage

Problem – solving

Innovation and creative solutions are bi-products of the ability of the entrepreneurial mind to solve problems. Children should be able to use their “success attitude” to innovate solutions to social problems that they observe or face. When kids complain or are bothered about a problem, listen to them and encourage them to explore alternatives and solutions. When they complain about traffic, ask them.

What is a better way to deal with this problem?

When they complain about litter in the streets, encourage them to come up with better waste management solutions. Give them the mindset of Thomas Edison who said: “I never perfected an invention that I did not think about in terms of the service it might give others. I find out what the world needs, then I proceed to invent it.”

M.A.D (make a Diff!)

Shirts make a statement

A group of witty “word smart” teenage girls and “picture smart” graphic artists came together to create a business venture they called M.A.D (Make A Diff!) shirts. They were bothered by many issues and wanted to express their options through “statement shirts”. They felt that teens should start “wearing their hearts on their sleeves” by wearing their M.A.D. Shirts. They advocated for fellow teens to make a statement and be part of the solutions instead of the problem!

Banker fro the poor

Muhammad Yunus

“I did something that challenged the banking world. Conventional banks look for the rich; we look for the absolutely poor. All people are entrepreneurs, but many don’t have the opportunity to find that out.”

Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus established Grameen Bank in Bangladesh in 1983. his goal was to help poor people to escape from poverty by providing them loadns and teaching them sound financial principles, so that they could help themselves. This innovation in banking principles came at a time when the poor had no access to credit. Grameen bank has become a model for the world movement toward eradicating poverty through microlending. 

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Expose

Expose

Children to social realities

Exposing children to social realities gives them

The opportunity to discover and understand how they can make a difference.

Unless children are exposed to other children who are less fortunate, they grow up assuming that the lives of everyone else are just like theirs. Find opportunities for outreach and exposure. You can also give social commentaries when you see children in the street or pass by areas where poverty is evident. Charity can also start at home by making them aware of the situation of the families of household help. How fortunate they are to be in school should also be a privilege that children should not take for granted.

GKnomiks Launched for action

Gawad Kalinga has been cited for its sustainable community development programs that are not only invaluable to nation-building but have also given dignity to many Filipinos in depressed areas. This year, GKnomiks was launched in recognition of “the importance of creating social and environmental benefits along with economic profit”. GKnomiks aims to make social enterprise development possible. Currently, GKnomiks develops products from recyclable foil packs and sells these to help depressed communities earn additional income. For GK, this is only one of the first steps to break the cycle of poverty.

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Empathy

Empathy

Is the cure for apathy: Teach children to care

As parents, let us educate our children to care.

Small acts of kindness towards other should be encouraged and modeled .

Empathy is the ability to understand another person’s feelings or situation. We need to teach our children to do “perspective-taking” so that they will be able to put themselves in another person’s shoes. If a child is able to do this, the decisions he will make as an entrepreneurs will take into consideration the realities that other people face empathy will drive him to improve the lives of others.

Rags 2 Riches

The Rags 2 Riches “started with an irritation, a social injustices, talented but marginalized woman, and very passionate young professionals”(www.rags2riches.ph). The designer bags woven from scrap cloth had its origins in Payatas, one of the Philippines largest dumpsites. Founders of R2R observed how the women of Payatas earned extra income by looking for scraps of cloth in the dumpsite to weave into rugs. R2R was established to help these victims of unfair trade practices and lack of access to the market.

New designs and methods were introduced to improve their products. From their P100,000 seed money, they were able to grow their capitalization by 400percent. Today, these trendy designer bags from scrap cloth have become a way out of poverty for these women from dumpsite.

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Making a difference

Making a difference

“Business is not about making money, it is about helping people”

-Enzo-

“I want to sell our products so I can make a difference”

-Jana-

These candid quotes from children remind me what entrepreneurship should be about – a means to improve other people’s lives. I have always believed that more than acquiring knowledge and developing one’s intelligence, the true goal of education should be to use one’s intelligences to make a difference.

In the same light, as an advocate of youth entrepreneurship, I believe that the goal of entrepreneurship should not be about accumulating wealth. It should be about using the business enterprise to make difference in the lives of others.

Raising entrepreneurs who make a difference

My passion for raising entrepreneurs is fuelled by my hope that one day our country will be great because we have raised children who will use their entrepreneurial mind to impact the lives of others. this will only happen if we encourage our youth entrepreneurs to do “good work”. Dr. Howard Gardner defines “good work” as excellent, engaging and ethical. It should be excellent in quality, socially responsible and meaningful to its practitioners(Gardner, Csikszentmihalyi and Damon, 2001)

We should aim to raise our children as entrepreneurs who matter. It is normal for young entrepreneurs to choose to enter into business with the hope of making it big. In this materialistic world. The acquisition of wealth has become the end-goal of most people. Many parents push their children into business early in life as a way to get them out of poverty, or to help them pay for their education. There is nothing wrong with making money, but let us guide our young entrepreneurs so that their entrepreneurial journey will be meaningful, rather than just an empty pursuit of wealth.

A new breed of entrepreneurs has entered the playing field – the “social entrepreneurs”. These are individuals with “innovative solutions to society’s most pressing problems” (Schwab Foundation). Social entrepreneurs use their enterprises to improve systems, invent new approaches and create solution to change society for the better. Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop, say that: “Success to me is not about the money or the status of the fame, it’s about finding a livelihood that brings me joy, self-sufficiency and a sense of contributing to the world.”

“Making a Difference” should be the “for what?” of business. How do we raise entrepreneurs who will choose to make a difference? 

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Starting a business without capital: use connections: Networking

Starting a business without capital: use connections: Networking

Networking is a successful model for reaching people through face-to-face selling. In the Philippines, networking is a preferred marketing strategy, especially by older people or by people who are in places where there is no internet access. Among teens, it is also a good strategy by “people smart” entrepreneurs who can persuade others to buy from them.

Young entrepreneurs can learn from two companies that built their businesses on networking. Avon is the world’s largest direct selling company, with operations in 100 countries and 5.4 million sales representatives. It was started by David H. McConnell when he was only 28 years old. In the Philippines, Natasha, whose motto is “kung saan may Pinoy, may Natasha” (where there are Filipinos, there is Natasha), has steadily grown from its beginning in 1993 to a direct selling company with 150,000 sales representative

Use available resources: Consignment how you earn without having to shell out money? Simple. You “borrow” goods and sell them at a profit. This is called consignment. Let me share two stories on how consignment can work for your child:

The Eco Store

In 2008, a group of students who were avid advocates for the environment wanted to put a store that would sell “environment-friendly” products. They contacted various non-government organization and advocacy groups to give them products on consignment for the bazaar they are joining. Organic and coconut-based beauty and health products, bags made out of recycled plastic, handicrafts and recycled paper among the products they were able to put together. Since all of the products were on consignment, they did not have to shell out capital and were able to advocate for the environment and make a little profit on the side. They were glad to GO GREEN!

Make a Difference baler bracelets

To raise funds  for an outreach programs, kids in our school created the “Make a Difference Baller Campaign”. For every baler bracelet sold, they earned P50, which went to the Kids Can! Fund. Each child was given two bracelets to sell but could ask for more. They were free to return or to order more since the bracelets were consigned to them.

You can consign two units of your products to friends or relatives who want to support you by trying to sell your product to others for a small commission. You will be surprised that many do not really care about the commission and would just like to help. You can get your child’s handcrafted products to the market through word of mouth and direct selling.

Parentpreneur challenge

My business plan

Help your child come up with his or her very own business venture. Use the 5 business basics as a guide. Write down your plan. Come up with a business name and a marketing strategy. Try it out! If at first your child doesn’t succeed, try and try again!

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Starting a business without capital: use technology

Starting a business without capital: use technology

Maximize the use of cyberspace. Use Multiply and other social networking site to create web-based businesses. Two inspirational stories about using the web to create billion-dollar business are those of Jeffrey Bezos, the visionary behind Amazon.com, and Pierre Omidyar, the man behind Ebay.

Before amazon.com who would have thought that you could shop for anything using your computer or you mobile phone? Reinventing how people spent and shopped, Jeffrey bezos founded amazon.com in 1994 and became an e-commerce mogul. Introducing online retailing, he made books, beauty products, clothing, electronics and practically anything you can think of accessible to anyone who could logon to the web. He broke physical boundaries and reached people simultaneously without having to build stores.

Pierre Omidyar, on the other hand, changed the face of internet commerce in 1995 when he created eBay, the world’s online marketplace. Looking for a way to create an efficient market, he pioneered the auction format for online person-to-person trading, creating a simple, easy-to-understand mechanism that lets buyers and sellers decide the true value of items and connect with others.

Many starting entrepreneurs have taken advantage of the reach the web based business can give. Since most e-commerce transactions are by order, there is no need to stock up on products. E-commerce entrepreneurs can actually get the capitalization from orders that are place and paid for. Teens can also spend on internet marketing, especially if their products or services target other teens. Nowadays, you can find all kinds of products online, like crafts, personalized and corporate gift items, shoes, bags, clothes and gadgets.

Youth entrepreneur role model:

Millionaire with only $8 form mom

“I started my business as a hobby and borrowed $8 from mom to buy a domain name. my website provides free Myspace layouts that I initially designed for other girls.

Eventually I was getting so many hits that I attracted the attention of advertisers. Realizing that this was a win-win situation, I was quite happy for advertisers to start inserting ads to my content. It just snowballed from there.

Today my website attracts 7million people and 60million page views per month. I was also offered to sell my site for over $1.5million. but I turened it down because, you see, it’s my baby.

Ashley Qualls

14 years of age at the time(HYPERLINK http://www.successfulteenageentrepreneur.com/ http://www.successfulteenageentrepreneur.com/)

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Body of the business: Capital and resources for your business

Body of the business:

Capital and resources for your business

 When kids already know what kind of business they want to try, the next step is to determine how much resources they will need to get if off the ground.

Starting a business with capital:

Borrow or save?

If your are willing to help your child start his business, you may lend him the capital. Make sure he commits to a payback plan, with a specific time-frame and specific amount of payment. A young entrepreneur may want to get into the T-shirt business. He may have nice designs and his peers may want to order from him, but without capital, he cannot produce the shirts. If he already has orders, you may lend him the amount for production and he can pay you back as soon as he has collected payment.

Some young entrepreneurs save money for a business. There was a time when kids sold “baler bracelets”. These do not cost much, so one group of teenagers pooled their savings to produce the bracelets. We encourage kids to save P20 from their allowance everyday so that at the end of the school year, they would have approximately P5,000 as start-up capital for a business venture they want to start in the summer.

Starting a business without capital:

Use your smarts

You can be the main asset of your entrepreneurial venture. Stick to what you know and love doing best. Merle S. Alferez named her tutorial center MSA, after her initials. She started with a P240 start-up capital, which paid for a small signboard in front of her rented house.

Many kids can start with no capital if their businesses rely on their strengths or talents.

Use your smart for … smart business ideas:

Strong Intelligences	Smart Business Ideas
Linguistic intelligence: Word smart	Homework helper, tutorials, review center, language classes
Logical math intelligence: Number smart	Distribute a product; sell based on commission; website development
Spartial intelligence Picture Smart	Photography, art lessons, sell art work, T-shirt designs
Naturalist intelligence Nature Smart	Gardening business, sell herbs/plants, sell dogs/fishes, dog grooming; baking, cooking
Musical intelligence Music Smart	Music /voice lesson; radio station DJ
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence: Body Smart	Kid coach; repairs, carpentry, cleaning businesses; spa and massage services
Interpersonal intelligence People Smart	Babysitting; party planning
Intrapersonal intelligence Self Smart	Create a podcast on reflection; scrapbook making

Spintelligence: The student becomes a teacher

Raffy, a third year student, decided to put his talent for “fire spinning” to good use. He would conduct classes in his village during weekends for teens who would like to learn to do fire spinning, popularly know as “poy” among Filipinos( for “apoy”, which means fire in the vernacular). He also proposed to create a business called “Spintelligence” to encourage other students to take up this hobby. He offered to teach classes in school and had a few students. One of his students eventually became a teacher, too.

Lesson fro youth entrepreneurs:

1.    Stick to what you love and know how to do best.

2.    Multiply yourself by empowering others.

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Home of the business: Place for your Venture

Home of the business:

 Place for your Venture

Young entrepreneurs often have low start up capital. Guide them in choosing the most practical place to “house” their business

Home – there is no need to spend unnecessary capital on a place for your business if you can do it from your own home, your garage or your room. Goldilocks Bakeshop started in the kitchen of the Leelin sister. Michele Asence made her first soaps in her kitchen sink where Zen Zest, a local body care company, was born. Many entrepreneurs have grown their businesses from their own backyards.

Computer – with technology at everyone’s fingertips, some businesses can be launched and housed in cyberspace. The young generation is pretty “techsavy” and can maximize the use of the many social networking sites to advertise their products.  They can post on Facebook or use Multiply to introduce their products or services. A friend of mine is trying to break into the market for bags. Her day job is a newspaper reporter but she creates unique bags on the side. I am always pleasantly surprised when I get tagged to view her latest creation on Facebook. This is a good strategy since she is still building her collection, and does not have the capital for a store or to produce more stocks than she can handle.

Networking – if you are “people smart”, you should use other people as the home of your business. Ask them to sell for you on a commission. This is a smart way to grow your business because you “multiply” yourself. I know of girls who sell bags or jewelry in this manner. On the other hand, if you are not people smart but are very creative, tap your people smart friends to sell for you. You may rely on word of mouth, but many do leafleting and newspaper inserts in villages to raise awareness about their products or services.

Store – the typical home of a business is a store or outlet. Depending on what you are willing to spend, having your products in a store can be done in several ways. The least expensive is via consignment. Get your products into stores willing to sell them for you on a commission basis. The next level of displaying a store is selling your products to retailers. You will be surprised that there are big department stores that have foundations to help small entrepreneurs get their products on the market. You can also join bazaars to reach a bigger market. If you are willing to put in capital, you may have a small kiosk for your products, or go into a full fledged store. 

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Mind of the Business: Think of Plan

Mind of the Business:

Think of Plan

To come up with a plan, encourage your child to come up with a concept and focus on the client or customer he wants to serve.

Concept: Recognize opportunities

Many business ideas were born out of frustration. Bill Gates, for example, saw how people were frustrated by computer software that was so difficult to use. He then solved this problem by developing program that ordinary people can use, thus the birth of Microsoft Corp.

Encourage children to look for opportunities. When they complain about something, challenge them to come up with solutions or ways to improve a product or service. Who knows, they might create the next Microsoft.

Another good example is the Water Lily bag I receive for my birthday. I have always been concerned about what can be done about the Pasig River. I never thought that water Isilies could be converted into an entrepreneurial endeavor. Whoever saw the opportunity to create something beautiful from something people normally discard has a good entrepreneurial mind.

4 Root of Entrepreneurial opportunity

(Council of Economic Education)

1. Problems: Can you create something that would solve a problem for your self or other people?

2. Charge: Any change can stir up new business opportunities. Read the newspapers! Look for changing laws situation or trends.

3. Inventions: Even if you don’t invent something. You might find a creative way to sell a new invention. Maybe you could be the first to bring a new invention to your community. Technology is developing at lightning speed. Read magazine that cover technologies that you find interesting, and think about how to create a business from these new advances.

4. Competition: If you can find a way to beat the competition, you can create a very successful business using an existing product or service. Look at the business in your community. Could you do a better job? Could you be faster, more reliable. Cheaper? If so, you may be looking at a business opportunity.

Client: know your market

Clients or customers play a big role in coming up with your business plan. Help your children determine who they want to sell their product or service to. They have to do a bit of market research. What do their clients need? Want? What will they pay for? How much will they pay for it? Are there other services or products that will compete with what you will offer? How will you differentiate yourself from them?

Not every idea is an opportunity if it does not meet the needs of your customers. Some people are so passionate about a hobby and think that other people will share their passion. They end up disappointed that no one wants to buy their product. Knowing your market is as important as coming up with an idea that you will love!

Get Wired got tangled

What started as a business idea among our grade school kids –beautiful murano-beaded utensils and napkin rings- evolved into a range of wired products that sold well within the school? This encouraged the kids, who name their business “Get Wired”. Excited, they imagined a concept store and assumed that their products would be a hit at the World Trade Center event. They made sure that their prices were competitive and lowered margins up to 50% off department store prices. To their surprise, despite their beautiful designs and competitive prices, no one seemed to want to buy their products. The crowd did not seem to understand what the napkin rings were for, nor did they appreciate the value of murano glass. The kids immediately said, “Teacher we have wrong market!” they went on an all out marketing campaign to educate people about the beauty and value of their products.

Lesson from youth entrepreneurs:

1.    know your market

2.    know your competitors

3.    educate your consumers

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Hearth of the Business: Begin with your self

Hearth of the Business:

Begin with your self

Intelligence + Interest = Idea

(purpose) + (Passion) = (Perfect Plan)

Begin with “I” to end up with the perfect “I”. What is your intelligence? What is your interest? These are what will lead you to your idea.

The entrepreneur is the heart of the business. No other person will drive the business and be responsible for its success and failures. A “venture” is always an “adventure,” so encourage your child to go into something that he loves to do or is good at.

“Begin with yourself” is the first advice that a parent can give a young entrepreneur who is thinking of starting a business. Here are some question that you may want to go through with your child:

1. What activities do you love doing and find easy to do? What topic interest you when you read newspapers, books and magazine, and when you surf the internet
2. What personal achievements do you people usually praise you for?
3. What skills and competencies have your educational background, job exposure and training courses given you?
4. What do you easily learn? What is difficult for you to learn?
5. What kind of person are you? Do you like working with people or prefer being alone? Are you the “big thinker” type or do you prefer the nitty gritty details? Do you usually follow a logical and rational way of arriving at decisions, or do you put more emphasis on the people or relationship aspect of a decision? Do you explore many possibilities before deciding, or do you tend to focus on few thins you can make a judgement on?
6. What are your innate intelligences? Are you good at number and logic? Do you have good language skills? How are your musical abilities? Do you function well in physical pursuits like sports? How are your spatial aptitudes? Do you posses interpersonal skills? How are your spatial aptitudes? Do you posses interpersonal skill? How about intrapersonal skills?
7. What things make you happy? And energizes you? What pursuits drive you to work very hard?

When speak to teenagers on entrepreneurship, I encourage them to think of something that they would gladly do for free. Some people start a business based on a perceived need in the market. That is an important thing to consider but can you imagine starting a business that you do not like?

Some examples of possible business ventures to explore based on intelligence and interest:

You are Interested in…	You can explore business ventures in…
Sewing	Fashion
Cooking	Baking, food kiosks, food delivery, restaurant etc.
Computers	Computer programming, computer repair, graphic art
Crafts	T shirt business, handcrafted jewelry, accessories, bags
Sport	Training
Talking to people	Selling, retailing, wholesaling, networking

Cool Shade by Cool Guys

Every year, our MI youth entrepreneurs come up with a business they want to try out in the real market. One group was having a difficult time because the members felt that they were not good at making products. They felt that their best asset was being “cool” and “good looking”(note: the boys looked like teen actors). While other groups were slaving away to create products, the boys said that the product they were most interested in were shades (sunglasses). Since they could not make their won shades, they propose buying from a wholesaler, repackaging the product to make it look “cool”, then selling it. Interesting enough, they were the first boys to sell all their products. The success? They modeled their shades. They make use of their good looks and charm, and got their swooning clients to buy their product. The added bonus was that they agreed to have pictures taken with their costumers.

Lessons from youth entrepreneurs:

1. Your business should be interesting to you.
2. Do not go into a business you are not good at (i.e. crafts making); make your business maximize your assets.
3. Buy low, sell high.(i.e. wholesales to retail)
4. know your market.
5. enjoy yourself! It’s contagious and people want to buy what is “cool”

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Starting a business

Starting a business

The entrepreneurial mind is for everyone, but starting a business is not. Business basics have to be taught.

All children will benefit from having an entrepreneurial mind that is curios, creative, competent, committed and compassionate. This kind of mindset will give birth to vision, innovation, passion, determination, perseverance and motivation that will serve a child well in any profession or business.

However, if we are to raise entrepreneurs, we not only have to equip children with the entrepreneurial mind, we must also teach them how to start a business.

According to Dr. Eduardo Morato,

An Entrepreneur is someone who can:

1. contribute significantly to the economy by raising productivity;
2. create value by introducing new products and services or finding better ways of making them;
3. innovate products or operating systems; and
4. expand the business horizontally or vertically;

The goal of an entrepreneur is to start a “business venture”. This is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary of Business Terms as, “a commercial endeavor in which an entrepreneur risks his or her resources in return for an expected profit”.

Profit will always be the goal of any business endeavor, it won’t survive without it. However, I advice parents to tell their children that money should not be the only reason for starting a business. Ask any successful entrepreneur and they will tell you that the financial rewards may not materialize until after years of hard work. Thus, if the sole purpose is to make money, it will not be enough to keep him going when faced with the difficulties and challenges of starting and nurturing a business.

Business basics to guide the youth entrepreneur

Let me share with you some business basic to help your child think of his own business venture. Remember, every big business started small. You can guide your children to think about the following business basics:

A.   Hearth of the business: Begin with yourself

B.   Mind of the business: Think of a Plan

C.  Home of the business: Place for your venture

D.  Body of the business: Capital and Resources 

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Habit of Integrity and Honesty

Habit of Integrity and Honesty

Parent Personal Integrity check

1. I have lied to a client or customer about something significant
2. I have made an unauthorized copy of software, music or video.
3. I used the internet for more than 15minutes for personal reasons during work time.
4. I have misrepresented or omitted facts on a tax return.
5. I kept something that is not mine(e.g extra change, a towel from a hotel).
6. I have asked my child to lie for me(e.g tell someone I am not home)
7. I have lied to my child to get out of a difficult situation.

That habit of integrity and honesty is the hardest to teach. A “do as I say not as I do” approach does not work. Integrity id doing what you say you will. It is also choosing to do what is right because you believe in it. There are very few role models for our children who are pillars of integrity. Every day, in newspapers and television, children are exposed to corruption, stealing, lying or worse, powerful people who abuse their power to get wealthy. We cannot be passive and allow our children to come up with their own moral judgement, otherwise they may choose the shortcut to wealth. We need to communicate our own values and opinions on what is right or wrong about what other people do. “money is the root of all evil,” so we need to tell our kids that they should never compromise their integrity just to earn money.  I recall talking to a little girl, asking her what she wanted to be when she grew up. I encouraged her to be the president of the Philippine. She immediately retorted: “I don’t want to be president because I don’t want to steal money.” It is never too early to teach our children about honesty and integrity.

How can the Habit of Integrity and Honesty be developed?

Do what you say you will do. Honor your work. Keep your promises. Follow through on your commitments. Teach your children through example. When they make you a promise, even if it is difficult to keep, hold them to it. In the same way, if you tell your kids that you are going to do something, be true to your word and do it. Many kid’s hearts have been broken waiting for parents to keep an unfulfilled promise. A person with integrity will always honor his word, just as entrepreneurs who do business on a handshake.

Be honest in what you say and do. Do not allow children to lie, cheat or steal. Lying is something all kids can identify with. Teach them to tell the truth even if it hurts, by listening to them without passing judgement. Lying, cheating and stealing always start with small things. Getting another person’s pencil, keeping loose change or telling a “white lie” to cover up for something, can be the beginning of a habit of a person who will take a bribe and think that there is nothing wrong with it, because everyone is doing it anyway.

Explain to kids that in business, people do lie. Question advertisement aloud, and tell your children that people should not tell others that a product can do something that it can’t really do, or not tell people of a product that could harm you ( i.e. the Melamine scandal). If kids learn NOT TO ACCEPT LIES at an early age, there will be fewer liars in business and more entrepreneurs with integrity.

Do not get what is not yours. Respect intellectual property. Kids easily quip “Finders Keepers!” in our school, we always say “Finders Return”. We celebrate honesty and profusely thank the person who returns something that is not his. We teach them to share the joy of the person who lost something and finds it again: “thank you for returning the money. Your friend will be happy that he won’t be hungry for lunch.” Kids should not claim work that is not theirs. Hacking, piracy and plagiarism are modern day enemies of integrity and honesty. Children know that things are “not original” Ironically, I know of may wealthy people who don’t think there is anything wrong with stealing a blanket from an airplane or a towel from a hotel because it is just a “small thing”. It is “small things” like these that builds a child’s tolerance for stealing, cheating and lying.

  

Code of ethics for kids @ business

Discuss with your child the Habits of Good Work Ethics.

Come up with your won code of ethics that you can post in his room. For example :

Always come on time.

Do your best in everything that you do.

Be honest

Ask your self when making an ethical decision

A List Of The Top Ten Questions You Should Ask Your Self When Making An Ethical Decision

10 could the decision become habit forming? If so, don’t do it.

9 is it legal? If it isn’t don’t do it.

8 is it safe? If it isn’t don’t do it.

7 is it the right thing to do? If it isn’t don’t do it.

6 will this stand the test of public scrutiny? If it isn’t won’t, don’t do it.

5 If something terrible were to happen, could I defend my action? If you can’t don’t do it.

4 is it just, balanced and fair? If it isn’t, don’t do it.

3 how will it make me feel about myself? If it’s lousy, don’t do it.

2 does this choice lead to the greatest good for the greatest number? If it doesn’t don’t do it.

And the # 1 question you should ask yourself when making an ethical decision:

1 would I do this in front of my mother? If you wouldn’t don’t do it.

(Taylor, 1990)

Pasted from<HYPERLINK http://frank.mtsu.edu/~u101irm/ethicques.html

http://frank.mtsu.edu/~u101irm/ethicques.html>

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Habit of Hard Work and Excellence

Habit of Hard Work and Excellence

Parent Personal Integrity check

1. I think that you should only work as hard as you are being paid for.
2. I sometimes find myself watching the clock at work and giving mediocare work just to get by.
3. I do not force myself to go to work when I don’t feel like going.
4. I have provided my child with a false excuse for missing school.

There is no substitute for hard work. It takes a lot of will power, patience and discipline to produce excellent work. If there is anything that the Philippine taipans have in common, it is that they learned the merits of hard work from their parents. It may sound cliché but I’ve heard many parents say: “kids today don’t know the meaning of hard work!” I have seen kids victimize by the “technological age,” wherein we want things fast and easy. They are not resilient when faced with difficulties and, instead of facing challenging situations head-on, they use them as an excuse for underachieving. “We are poor, this is all I can do”, “I am not so smart, so think work is good enough”; or privileged kids would say: “it’s too hard, why do we need to do it anyway?” some kids can do excellent would say: “It’s too hard, why do we need to do it anyway?” some kids can do excellent work but just don’t care to put in the effort. Hard work is at the core of good work ethics, allowing kids to mentally commit to something with passion and giving them drive to achieve. Do not gives kids their every whim, make them work hard for it. Entrepreneurs know that they have to work hard because nothing comes for free!

Lesson from Parents

-         Habit of Hard Work

Manny Villar (CEO and President, C&P Homes, Inc.) Manny Villar describes his mother as “a consummate entrepreneur” and his best teacher in business. He said, “the best description of my mother as entrepreneur is hardworking. “She never skipped a day of work. She sold  fish in the wet market religiously, never once being absent or late. That’s one trait I learned from my mother, being hardworking. Entrepreneurs need to be hardworking to succeed. She also work very fast.

She is dynamic. She gave birth to us, her nine kids, successively, but she continued working hard daily. She is a woman of tremendous energy, she sold with passion. She’s competitive. She wanted bigger sales than other vendors in the market. She had ambition. She likes to dream, too.

I learned how to be an entrepreneur from my mother. She is also practical. She is street-smart in business. I learned how to be resourceful from her. She is pragmatic in solving problems, more pragmatic than cerebral. My mother is very good in arithmetic, fast in calculations, especially in counting change. My mother used to be a vendor selling fish and shrimps at Divisoria stall number 2245 in Tondo, Manila. I was her kargador when I was a boy.

How can the habit of Hard Work and Excellence be developed?

Take pride in a job well done. Lead by example, do excellent work required because you want to give the best work possible. It is a challenge for me to balance being a mom and running a business. Because I want to be available to my children when they need me, I end up working after they are asleep, not because I have to but because I want to. I show my kids that if something is not good enough, keep on trying to make it better. Encourage your children to give 100percent in everything they do. Reward effort instead of product. Celebrate their work by displaying it and being proud of it.

Give a full day’s work everyday. There are days when I don’t want to work, but I do. Kids feel that way too. Sometimes they feel lazy and tired. But we have to model for them tat we will still do what we committed to do. This is how my conversation my child goes: “I don’t feel like going to work today”, “Me too Mom!” “I’m going anyway because people are depending on me. I need to help others today and make important decisions.” “Oh yeah, I can’t be absent too because my group mates rely on me to do my part in our project and bring materials.” My mom is role model for going to work regardless of how she feels. There was a time that she didn’t have to go to work, but she showed up everyday because of her commitment to do kids and families at school. Nanay Coring of National Bookstore, who at 87 exemplifies the ethic of hard work, still gets up in the morning, excited to go to work everyday.

Do not be a clock watcher and just give the minimum to get by. It doesn’t matter if you are a kid or an adult, but if you don not have the passion to do excellent and good work, you will end up watching the clock. The most exciting part of your day will be “dismissal time” and you would have missed out on the exciting things you could have learned or done during the day. Help your child be an excited learner and give high quality work. Some teens deliberately give the minimum requirement. A typical response of a clock watcher to a writing task would be “Miss how many sentences do I need to give you?”, while a child who values hard work will write her heart out to truly express her thoughts and ideas. Quality of work will write her heart out to truly express her thoughts and ideas. Quality of work is learned when parents expose children to ggod examples of work. Give your kids feedback. Give them a dictionary if they misspell works. Make them redo messy work. Give them an achievable goal and help them be accountable for excellent work.

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Habit of Collaboration

Habit of Collaboration

Parent Personal Integrity check

1. I do not like sharing my ideas with a group because I think it is unfair.
2. I will only work as much as other people in my group work.
3. I have ask my child’s teacher to move him to another class or group because I do not like his group mates who are not as smart as him.

Teaching children to work well with others is a skill they need if you want them to be successful. They will need to know themselves, what roles they can play in a group, how to negotiate, and rally others behind an idea that they may have. The habit of collaboration is especially important for a future entrepreneur, who will need others to support his ideas and customers to by his products.

How can the Habit of Collaboration be developed

Learn to work within a team.

I know of parents who believe that because their child is so intelligent and competent, he should be given individual work instead of group work.  These kids end up dictating to others, not listening to other ideas and doing all the work. Inasmuch as parents should maximize their child’s potential. They also have to teach children the value of teamwork. Lyndon Johnson’s wise words were, “There are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few that we can solve by ourselves”. Encourage children to help others without being asked, to help them gain the habit of collaboration.

Leadership is for everyone. As the founder of an MI School, advocate to children that they are all capable of being a leader in an area of strong intelligence and interest. However, being a leader means that they should be willing to pay the price for their vision. Children often complain to their parents, “It’s not fair! I do all the work in our group!” I tell parents that before they share their child’s perspective. They should take the opportunity to teach them how to lead. Tell children two things: the first is “equal is not always the same”. God gave us different gifts and intelligences. Tell your group mates what needs to be done and ask them to volunteer what they can do best. The second is “to whom much is given, much expected.” Leaders will always do what is necessary to get the job done, that is why they are leaders. Entrepreneurs always see what others do not see.

Share your strengths and recognize your limitations. Teach children to be aware of what they are good at so that they can contribute it to the group. They should also be aware of their weaknesses so that they can invite others to work with them. One time, a group of children worked on a book about the Philippine rainforest. Immediately, children took on different roles: “I am picture smart, I can draw”, “I am work smart, I can help think of the store”, “I am nature smart I can research about the animals”, etc. it was non competitive but collaborative. Get siblings to work together at home to practice collaboration and don’t forget to reinforce their self-awareness and self-esteem by acknowledging their strengths. For example, “Let’s make over this room. Ana, you’re picture smart, what color do you think we should use? Ben, you are body smart and can paint evenly, can you help me with that wall?”

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Habit of Responsibility and Accountability

Habit of Responsibility and Accountability

Parent personal integrity check

1. I have other people or a situation as an excuse for not being able to do my work
2. I sometimes fail to meet deadlines.
3. I have started some projects that I never got around to finishing.
4. I am willing to do my child’s homework or project if it will help him get a high grade.

Teaching kids to be accountable for their actions starts will positive discipline and the use of logical consequences. Kids need to know that their choices have corresponding consequences. If they stay up late watching TV, the next morning they will be sleepy in class. If they play during class and are not able to copy homework, then they will have to copy it during break time, taking away time from playing with their friends. Children have to learn that they need to take responsibility for the choices they make. The worst thing a parent can do out of love is to do their children’s responsibilities because they will never learn. You can support and guide but you should NEVER do their work for them.

     

Lesson from parents – Habit of Responsibility

Be Chan(Chariman, Suyen Corporation*)

“My mom had very good organizational skills. She tough us all to be hands-on. She set the example by always being visibly present in the office and in the factory. She knew everyone’s responsibilities. I would always remember her telling all of us to take care of the family name. we should not do anything that would put the Chans in a bad light. “Pay all your bills!”, she would always tell us. I also learned from her the value of dedication, perseverance and hard work. “when I was a kid, my dad had a heart attack. This left half of his body paralyzed. It was my mom who continued with the business. As a woman, she had to be strong in running the business and raising a family. After all, there were seven of us she had to nurture.

How can the Habit of Responsibility and Accountability

be developed

Be Responsible for your work. Give your children responsibilities at home, like chores. Your toddler should be expected to clean up after playing. Older kids should be responsible for cleaning their room or doing errands. The very basic responsibility of children is to do homework. Do not do your child’s homework. Do not be tempted to give his teacher a false excuse, such as being sick, just so he will be excused for not being able to turn in homework on time. Doing homework is not optional. As a parents, you should guide them into the habit of turning in quality work.

Be Accountable for your action and decision. Accept responsibility for your mistakes. Allow kids to make mistakes and experience the logical consequences of the decision they make. I remember when my daughter forgot the book that she needed to read for a quiz the following day in school. I always remind her to check her things before going home but she was to eager to play. I refused to allow her to go back to school for it. She had to wake up rally early to get to school an hour before so that she could study for her quiz. She has never left a book since.

Don’t live beyond your means. If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it. Teach children to be responsible for how they spend money. I remember speaking to a parent who shared his heartache. He said that as far as he can remember, he has been bailing out his 30 year-old son from debt by paying for his credit card bills. He was hoping that by now, his son would have learned his lesson, but his disappointment, he continues to fall into debt. I told him that maybe this time, he should allow his son to take responsibility for his action. Instead of paying for his debt, the most he can do is to guide his son in thinking of a way to pay for it. Perhaps he can do extra work or save more. Financial responsibility is a habit that is indispensable to a future entrepreneur.

Meet deadlines. Be responsible for managing and using your time wisely. Teach children to use time management tools. Buy them a calendar or a planner to remind themselves when things are due.

Finish what you start. Do not the habit of “ningas kugon”(i.e starting something with much excitement, and then leaving it unfinished as they move on to another more interesting task). If they ask you to enroll them in a class, make sure they complete the course. Children should know that they have the responsibility to finish something even if it is no longer interesting, or if it has become difficult. As entrepreneurs, they will fail many times before they find their his breakthrough idea!

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Habit of Respect

Habit of Respect

Parent personal integrity check

1. I sometimes borrow things without asking permission.
2. I sometimes gossip about my co workers or family member
3. I cannot help but use foul language to make a point when I am angry.
4. I think that I know best when it comes to my children; they should listen to me all the time.

Treat children with respect and they will learn to be respectful, kindness, consideration, courtesy  and understanding are all part of the habit of respect. How children are treated at home becomes a template for how they treat other children, and eventually, their bosses, co workers, subordinates and customers.

Lesson from Parents – Habit of Respect

Tony Tan Caktiong

(President and CEO, Jolibee Food Corp.)

            While growing up in Davao(Souther Mindanao), he and his brothers worked in their family restaurant where their father was also the chef. From his parents, they learned two basic ingredients that led to the Jolibee phenomenon – good food and humility.

            Tan Caktiong credits his parents for cultivating his entrepreneurial spirit and instilling in him the values of respect and humility, which are now ingrained in the corporate culture of Jolibee. Everyone in Jolibee – from the CEO to a store’s kitchen crew – respectfully address each other as “Sir” or “Ma’am”

How can the Habit of Respect be developed?

Respect the rights and things of others. Teach children to ask permission first before tanking anything that is not theirs. “Ask ate if you can barrow her scissors but promise to take care of it”. “Ask lola if you can have some of the cake” or “I know that you want to borrow the magazine but she bought it so she has right to read it first”. Practice respect at home.

            Do not gossip about others. The habit of gossiping is the hardest to break so do not get your child started on it. Do not talk about people behind their backs(especially family member and co-workers). When children tattle-tale or “make Sumbong”, encourage them to go to that person and tell them they feel.

Be courteous. Watch your language. Do not say anything you do not want your child to repeat. Believe me they will! Be courteous to everyone. Say “please” and “thank you” even to salespersons. Waiters and household help. You need to always be polite and courteous to everyone, regardless of rank or status, because they may be your costumers in the future.

Be Respectful when dealing with others. Show kindness and consideration when dealing with others. One day, a some boys were excitedly chatting in the office, not knowing that they were noisy. I went over to them and instead of reprimanding them, I told them respectfully: “Boys I have a hard time working because of your noise, kindly tone it down.” My daughter who heard me, said, “Mom, I think it’s great how you tell people what to do without making them fell bad. I will try your way with a classmate who does not want to cooperate. He doesn’t like being scolded or shouted at but when you ask him nicely, he’ll follow.” If you shout at your helpers or workers and get results, your child will probably end up shouting at her employees too!

Respect other for who they are. Learning to accept others for who they are depends on how accepted you yourself feel. If parents have the habit of comparing children or of showing favoritism for the “smart” one, their children will probably only respect people whom they like. Let us be models for our children to respect people regardless of their looks, social status, gender and capability. We should show respect towards others regardless of how we feel about them or whether or not we like them.

Respect other people’s ideas and point of view. We should genuinely LISTEN to children when they express a thought, concern or story. Sometimes it is difficult when we are so busy and what they are saying may sound trivial or may just be an annoying question, BUT if we want them to learn to listen to us, we need to listen to them. What is worse is when they start to question you! It will be a challenge to keep your cool and respect their point of view. When they see that you are more open to getting at the truth than just “being right”, they too will learn to keep an open mind and respect other people’s perspectives, especially those they do not always agree with. An entrepreneur is the boss and will need to work with others who will support his ideas. You will need to convince and not coerce people to share your ideas.

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