I am extremely excited and encouraged as I hear more stories of successful businesses started by teens becoming more frequent. In fact a recent article in Harvard Business Review, Meet the Teenagers Who Found Their Own Startups, highlighted research of the characteristics of teens who had started their own successful companies. If we want these instances to be become more frequent, we definitely need to understand what it takes for this current group of exceptional teens to excel. The article stated that... "According to the influential GEM (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor), although the average age of an entrepreneur is between 25 to 45 years old, people are starting businesses at younger and younger ages... Despite the difficulties they face, what struck us about these teenpreneurs was that they are smart, have a sense of humor and an appetite for risk, and most importantly, have developed capabilities to meet the challenges." This is why at Kinsman Community we're excited about working with at- risk teens to help them build successful businesses. Entrepreneurship training is an incredible vehicle to help them build their future, break generational cycles of poverty, and transform their communities. Sometimes all a teen needs is exposure to the right opportunity and you will see them flourish.
The more we understand what is required for teenagers to build a successful business, the more we can integrate these principles across the board no matter what kind of community a teenager may come from. Click here to learn more abou how we help at-risk teens start profitable businesses.
A lot of people in the workplace today say they hate their jobs And want to start a business, but the number is far few for those who are truly ready to make that jump from employment to entrepreneurship. And I believe that jump is an even a little bit harder when one is considering the path of a faith based business. Although many people romanticize about entrepreneurship, everyone was not cut out to be an entrepreneur.
Nevertheless, there are many people who recognize that mission driven entrepreneurship is the path to their career and purpose fulfillment. Fortunately, I believe there are at least eight clues to help people navigate the process of making a decision when they begin to sense that it might be time to make transition into business ownership.
Although big businesses get most of the media coverage, the truth is in the United States, small businesses are the engines of job growth and economic growth. Let’s look at a few statistic about small businesses according to most recent date [1]:
In light of these statistics, what are the major implications for mission driven entrepreneurs? I believe they are at least 3-fold: financial, social, and spiritual.
So if God called you into business, He wants your business to make a major impact in the world. Just seek His direction for the specifics and watch your business do more than all you could ask, think, or imagine. ______________________________________________ [1] Sources: http://sbecouncil.org/about-us/facts-and-data/ and https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/FAQ_March_2014_0.pdf
Watch this powerful message from Thomas Cotton, pastor of Redeemed Life Community Church in South Atlanta, about the benefit of partnering with our summer camp to offer business training for youth. ​
Click below to learn more about our free Inc. My Dream Young Boss Camp for middle and high school students! We have some excited new offerings this year. In addition to teaching them how to start businesses we will also provide more of an emphasis on STEM/STEAM topics. They will have a chance to interact with experts in the following career fields:
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers just pulled off an improbable feat in the basketball by coming winning three games in a row to win the NBA Championship against the defending world champions, Golden State Warriors. The thing is this journey didn't just start this season. It started nearly two years ago when James returned to Cleveland. He announced his return by penning an essay describing why he came back.
The part of the essay the caught my attention wasn't about basketball. It was his vision for his hometown. Here is an excerpt:
So is your vision compelling enough that you can pull enough of the right people "Together" to accomplish it?
Unless you were living under a rock, you couldn't escape the shear excitement, fascination, and bewilderment when Steph Curry effortlessly launches one of his vintage moonshoot 3-pointers and it slices through the rim barely disturbing the net. The stands are packed hours before his games start as fans clamor to watch him go through his pre-game routine. Last season he won the MVP award for the NBA. This year he was so much better that one TV analyst said he should win the this year's NBA award for Most Improved Player. Statistically speaking, no player in the history of the game has improved upon an MVP season to the level that he has. So what has led to Curry's rise as one the of NBA's best players if not the best. Let's look at seven lessons we can learn from Curry that can elevate your work performance. 1) Unparalleled preparation leads to unprecedented performance. Curry didn't just get good overnight. In the off-season he uses an extremely unorthodox training regimen to prepare himself for the grueling 82-game NBA season. Some of the exercises and drills he performs don't even seem like they relate to basketball, but now you can see the end result. If you desire to perform in your career beyond all expectations and surpass all your goals and expectations, in your preparation you have to be willing to do things that others aren't willing to do. It's not just about working harder than everyone else. It's about preparing harder when nobody else is around. 2) Turn your talent into skills. Talents are based on natural abilities. Skills are enhanced abilities. Talents are given. Skills are developed. Being the son of a former NBA player, Curry was born with ball-shooting talents that most people only dream of. However, success is not a birthright. He still had to invest the time to practice and dedicate himself to becoming one of the NBA's best shooters (some even say he's the best shooter of all time). Most young professionals are extremely talented. Unfortunately, too many of them don't apply the time and discipline needed to hone their natural talents into transferable, work-relevant skills. In fact many CEOs today say that most college graduates are entering the workforce with knowledge, but without critical job skills 3) Perfect your skills into expertise. Although he had the natural genes to be a greater shooter (his dad Dell Curry spent more than 15 years in the NBA), Steph still works on his game endlessly. He is what's know as a "gym rat." He's usually the first one in the gym and the last one out, trying to get up as many shots as possible. One story said he shoots until he makes 500 three-pointers. That means he has to shoot maybe 2 to 3 times more than before he will leave the court. It not good enough to be talented. You need to become an expert. So although you have great skills, what is your practice regimen like to become the best in the world at what you do? 4) Turn your setbacks into strengths. Early in his career he had many ankle injuries that limited his playing time and potential. It seemed like every time he was about to move to the next level an ankle injury would slow his development. It was until his off-season strength and conditioning figured out why his ankles seemed to be so fragile. Once the issue was discovered, they developed a very unique workout routine that has allowed to strengthen his ankles in a way that ankle injuries are mostly a memory. The additional benefit of his routine is that it also improved his hand-eye coordination, dribbling skills, and agility. What have you learned from your failures that you can turn into competitive advantages? How can you build on your setbacks to develop new skills and abilities? 5. Don't let opinion or criticism or traditions (other's expectations) limit your boundaries. Curry is often underappreciated and underestimated because of his slight build. A lot of NBA players are taller and more muscular. But what he lacks in size and girth, he makes up for in speed, agility, and ridiculous shooting skills. When he is in a hot shooting streak, he is almost impossible to guard because he has developed an incredible knack to make impossible shots look easy. What knowledge, skills, or resource do you have that others would consider a disadvantage, but you can actually use to your advantage? 6. You can have fun after you've put in the hard work. When he's on the court many times it looks like he's having more fun than everyone else. You can easily tell that he finds joy and enjoyment in playing this game. Do you find joy in running your business or serving in your community? If you don't you need to ask yourself why. If you can't come up with a good answer maybe you need to go do something else 7. Live with fearless faith! I was super excited to hear that Steph Curry is a Christian. During a 2013 interview with Active Faith Sports, he said, "I try to use each and every game as an opportunity to witness... It's a way to kind of preach the message in little ways that I can. Each game is an opportunity to be on a great stage and to be a witness for Christ." He lives his faith through his profession. His excellence is a demonstration of God's glory. Your business or community engagements is your platform to shine for God. How are you using it for His glory? You may not be a well-known, record-breaking basketball player like Steph Curry, but you still bring something significant to your customers or your community. You can be a MVP to those you have the opportunity to serve every day. To the world you may not be anybody, but to somebody you may be the world! Why We Must Inspire Youth to Dream Again What if while you were growing up no one ever encouraged you to be someone great? What if you didn't have anyone close to you say that you could do something special? What if there was never anyone around to say that you could accomplish your dreams? If that were your experience it would probably be a pretty safe bet that you wouldn't expect much for yourself or your future. In fact, you might not even think that you have a future at all. Unfortunately, many youth feel like their lives are a lost cause and not even worth living or planning for. Why? One major reason is their hope has been lost. Hope is a very powerful concept. With a lot of it, we feel like we can conquer the world. Without it, we feel like that world has conquered us. That's why Solomon writes in Proverbs 13:12, "HOPE deferred makes the heart sick, but a DREAM fulfilled is a tree of life." Having hope is a really big deal. It's not just a good feeling. It's an essential element connected to the dreams God places in the hearts of every human being in our childhood. But if those dreams are not recognized or nurtured, people end up living out what Solomon expressed in Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no prophetic VISION the people cast off restraint…" Much of what I see from our young people today is connected to the fact that they are hopeless, which causes them to reject and disregard moral boundaries. Many of them have experienced so much in such a short time of life, including violence, poverty, sexual abuse, bullying, exploitation, and so on. Without divine intervention their lives will either be cut short through self-destructive activities, or they will live long lives of repeated regrets, failures, and ultimately unfulfilled potential. A Powerful Alternative to Hopelessness That's why we're so excited about launching Club D.A.R.E., which stands for “Dreams Are Realized Everyday.” This is a youth development movement on a mission to inspire 1 million teens to “dream B.I.G. dreams and do B.I.G. things.” We expect these B.I.G. dreams to impact their families, friends, communities, and potentially the world. To make this happen, a core part of our strategy includes the development of:
As great as this sounds, we can't do it alone. We need your help to turn the dreams of 1 million teens into reality. You can give your tax-deductible donation at this link, which will help to fund these resources that will be launched very soon. We are in real danger of having a lost generation of young people who have given up on life. We can't let that happen. OUR future depends on their dreams.
Please partner with us today to impact our youth. To learn more about Club D.A.R.E. go to www.clubdare.org. Success in business can come from some unexpected places. Jackets for Jobs, Inc. in Detroit is a great example of this. This incredible organization, founded by Allison Vaughn in 2001, provides unemployed women with business attire and mentoring, while helping them find jobs. Since they started, they have helped over 16,000 women. I love this quote by Ms. Vaughn:
When Jesus tells us to help the "least of these," I believe many Christians struggle with seeing how that applies to our businesses. However, this powerful story is a great example of how following your dream can make a significant impact in your community.
I encourage you to ask God how He wants you to use your dream to impact your community. Click here to read the full article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alison-vaughn/how-dressing-the-unemploy_b_8033112.html Recently I read an article online that focused on the challenges many African-American teens face in their own communities and how in the past it was taught that your education was the ticket to escape. The author was challenging that notion with some points that supported the premise that these teens should be taught how to change their communities rather thatnlook for the first chance to get out.
While I definitely agree with the overall theme in the article, one of the things that jumped out to me was the fact that this is not an issue just for African-American teens. We need to be teaching all young people across all cultures the importance of investing in the communities they grow up in while they are there. Here are five reasons why I believe we should teach all teens focus on impact in their communities versus escaping them:
Youth are often overlooked and undervalued as community development assets. However, they are in the perfect position to become positive change agents. If we can get them to see it in themselves, maybe we can turn more communities around. Read the full article, Teach black students they can change communities, here: http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/jul/07/teach-black-students-change-communities-not-escape |
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