In these recent posts in which I've offered tips on raising entrepreneurial girls, I've suggested ways to foster their curiosity, encourage girls to remain idealistic (and to use that idealism to push themselves creatively), and to embrace and learn from failure.
Here I look at an important tip for raising an entrepreneurial girl: start quite young. How old must girls be before they’re ready to learn entrepreneurial skills? Should they be 10 years old, or 8?
Try age 5.
Here's a prime example from VentureLab. One 5-year-old student at VentureLab had a problem that kept landing her in time-out. She shared it with the other pint-sized participants in her entrepreneur camp. “I get in trouble for eating Play-Doh,” she said. “My mommy says it’s bad for my tummy.”
Others chimed in when she said this, agreeing that, yes, eating Play-Doh could be a problem. This prompted a spirited discussion among the group: If Play-Doh is so bad for you to eat, why is it so irresistible? And what can we do about it? Even children who had never been daring enough to taste Play-Doh had seen other children do it. Something about Play-Doh made it seem like a food choice. Could these children think of possible solutions that could keep their classmates out of trouble?
Out of the fertile minds of 5-year-olds sprang the idea of “edible Play-Doh.”
VentureLab guided them through market research as they surveyed other children—girls and boys—about their favorite colors and flavors. The girls tallied their findings to come up with an edible sort of Play-Doh that tasted of chocolate-chip and pink strawberry. A camp counselor bought ingredients, helped the girls to create a tasty recipe through trial and error, and packaged it according to the specifications that the 5-year-old girls had determined would best appeal to other children.
They named it “Tasty Doh.”
At VentureLab, we helped them create a website and post their photos and pricing online. On the last afternoon of camp week, the girls pitched their product and website to their parents, and each child in the group left with over $10—a windfall that they proudly earned.
So, yes: Girls as young as 5 can jump right in, create a product, make a difference and learn to be entrepreneurs.
In my next post, I look at how learning entrepreneurial skills builds girls' confidence. In the meantime, I'd love to hear from you about any entrepreneurial-related activity your daughter or the girls in your life are involved in. What does this activity entail? How old is the girl who came up with the idea? Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with me.
