Your Own Master

Why Entrepreneurship Should Be Taught in Schools

….I kept trying to run away. And I almost did. But it seems that reality compels you to live properly when you live in the real world — Kenzaburō Ōe, A Personal Matter

An Education in Experiencing Life

There is power in standardized education. There’s a reason millions still gain a formal education and get a job — it’s how the system is setup.

However, formal education can hinder listening and observation. If the mind is trained to listen and observe only enough to pass standardized tests, it fails to listen to and to observe real life. It relies on rote learning and a syllabus to understand life — a formulaic approach to something that is not at all formulaic.

Entrepreneurship requires a deep understanding of life and the problems humans face to build solutions that offer relief. Entrepreneurship, therefore, is an education in experience outside the confines of the school. An education in entrepreneurship is an education in living.

Build, Sell, Lead, Repeat

There are two inalienable truths. First, risk appetite typically reduces with age. Most startups fail. Therefore, entrepreneurship should be learnt early. At the very least, the mindset and toolkit for starting a business should be made available early. Second, entrepreneurship is best taught practically by building a business. An idea can be originated by a young child but the investment and execution could be provided by parents. The real world validity of ideas can, then, be tested in a relatively safe environment. It is very hard to have an entrepreneurial mindset without running a business.

There are three key core skills needed for success both as an entrepreneur as well as a business manager i.e. building, selling and leading. Great entrepreneurs identify real world problems, build solutions and sell them. As the business grows, leading the expansion is the next step.

An entrepreneurial mindset teaches children that most problems are interdisciplinary. For instance, a truly well run business requires…