Teaching the Ideaters of the future
by Fred on 25/09/06 at 12:02 pm
3 comments
Here’s a great story, especially for me, being the father of a toddler and wondering how he’s going to make it in this ‘big wide world’. I pasted it in full to save you a click, but if you really want to know, I got it here.
Heard of Hitwise? It’s a company about to seek a public listing in the US which would value it at $300 million.
The business, which reports on how customers’ websites are performing compared with other companies, was started here in Australia by Andrew Barlow and Adrian Giles – last week these guys made it into BRW’s Young Rich List at No 21.
Adrian Giles first learned business skills in his father Alan’s small business – a pub. Adrian worked in the pub’s kitchen from the age of 14 (when pocket money stopped) for $12 an hour.
He was paid the same rate as the other staff who were much older and he was expected to do as much work. His dad involved Adrian in running the business, teaching him the importance of knowing the margins and therefore the profitability.
Adrian watched while his dad grew his business until he eventually owned 20 pubs.
By 19, Adrian was running one of them – great experience for the future high flyer. He was attracted to IT in his early 20s and his first piece of software helped a pub owner cash up the takings and complete the after-hours paperwork in 20 minutes instead of two hours.
Isn’t that the kind of leg up we parents would love to give our kids. Learning the art of running a business at such a young age is so much more attractive than sitting in a classroom with a dry textbook.
Are any of you small business owners giving your kids or someone elses kid’s the same kind of head start?
Fred Roed is the marketing guy in the Ideate crew. He runs a web marketing company called World Wide Creative and loves writing about people out there doing marketing right. View more articles by Fred.
Karin
Sep 25th, 2006
Think that’s great thought and could be compared/equaled with mentoring? I’ve been very lucky (always it seems) throughout my ‘career’ to find the right person at the right time in the right place (from being junior clerck, to business-owner) and I’ve learned more from/by example than from textbooks.
Henre
Sep 28th, 2006
I’ve recently came in contact with an entrepreneur who shares the same sentiment. It’s imperative for children to be brought up with a decent understanding of what the world is like. I used to play marbled, but kids 10 years younger than me are professionals in the online trade. Anyway, the course is called KA Ching business parenting. It’s quit fantastic and worth a look at.
Ron
Jan 21st, 2007
http://4-door-jeep-wrangler-55030cde.onx3.info