As the parent of two young men, I want to do everything I can for them. The mother in me wants to protect them from all danger and do everything I can to help them succeed in this unpredictable world. I want them to know who they can trust and who to avoid. To see them become responsible adults making money and taking their of their own families is important to me.
That’s not an easy thing to do these days. Unfortunately, finding a decent job today isn’t the same as it was when I was their age. Back in the day, many of us could imagine staying with one job for 20-30 years and making good money. Many jobs had pensions, so if you could just hold on, you were set!
Unfortunately, those days are LONG GONE. Most of us are happy to be with a job for just 5 years.
Am I the only one who’s noticed this trend?
If you saw my previous blog post, you know I talked about automation. The sad reality is many jobs we currently take for granted will be long gone in a couple years. (Click HERE to read that post.) Not only is this something I have to deal with, but my boys will really have to deal with this as well.
I don’t want to hear about them getting laid off from a job because their corporate office decided to cut costs or move to a location in a different time zone. I don’t want my boys to hop from job to job every 2 years. I don’t want them feeling angry or frustrated because they look for work but can’t find anything. I want them to have some stability.
And we know stability is key when raising a family and trying to get ahead in this world.
This is yet another reason I’m a big proponent of starting your own business. As we know, nothing in this life is guaranteed but by working VERY hard, we can give our entire families something they can grow and cultivate into something special.
Creating a Legacy
Running a successful business is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. By exposing them to running a business , we can teach them the importance of hard work, a sense of responsibility and a strong work ethic. (This is especially true for younger kids). By educating them about business at a young age, they will be more inclined to believe that they don’t have to rely on someone else to give them a job.
Instead of waiting on a job, they will know they can create one of their own.
The harder (and smarter) we work on our businesses, the greater our probability of success. This can instill a sense of pride, purpose and self reliance. Most importantly, it also gives us something we can call their own.
As we know, kids have a mind of their own and oftentimes like to do their own thing. They may not want to be involved in the family business and that’s ok. They may want to do something totally different, but wouldn’t you rather they have that option than not at all?
As parents, it’s our responsibility to show them that anything is possible. Not with our words, but with our actions.
Many of us may want to start a business but don’t know where to begin. Talking about starting a business is easy, but actually doing it well is something else. Many of us have the right intention, but aren’t sure how to go about it. This is why I wrote the soon to be published book Readi – Set Go! A Simple Guide to Creating a Successful Business with my co-author Jeffrey White. 
They say a family that prays together stays together and I believe that to be true. But what can a family accomplish if they are willing to work together? I believe a family that works together can create an amazing legacy that’s passed down from generation to generation. Nothing worth having comes easy, but by working together, anything is possible, and that includes running a successful business!
STEPHANIE A. WYNN 