The Wonder Years Are your kids starting to ask questions about where businesses come from? Remember, it's never too early to teach young people the value of BIZ Experiencesship.

At age 6, Rachel Shein went door-to-door selling her little sister's birthday party balloons-until her parents caught her. By the end of elementary school, she was hawking brownies at the local ball games because she figured they were higher margin than lemonade. That same year, she was keeping the sales and expense ledgers for her mom's needlepoint store and her dad's real estate office.

Today, Shein and her husband, Steve Pilarski (also the child of BIZ Experiencess), own a multimillion-dollar bakery business in San Marcos, California, supplying pastries to coffee shops from Los Angeles to the Mexican border. They love the excitement, the creativity and the challenge of running the company, and they want to pass on that BIZ Experiencesial spirit to their three children.

Nobody's sure if great BIZ Experiencess are born or made, but parents and schools around the United States have been embracing the value of teaching BIZ Experiencesship to kids. From the venerable Junior Achievement Inc., an organization that reaches 4 million young people nationwide each year, to the mom and dad who bring their small-business problems to the dinner table each night, America's next generation is grabbing a ride on the BIZ Experiencesial tidal wave. A recent Junior Achievement poll showed that nearly 75 percent of teens indicated they would like to start their own businesses someday.

So Much to Gain
The benefits of teaching kids how to run a business are endless, according to Doug Miller, director of Children and Youth BIZ Experiencesship Education at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering BIZ Experiencesship. "Kids gain life skills like responsibility, follow-through and communication. They learn business skills, like how to manage scarce resources," he says. "But most important, kids gain tremendous self-esteem as they try to overcome obstacles or see their ideas start to work. It all sounds too good to be true, but we have 20-plus years of research that says it is [true]."

There are a variety of ways for kids to sample from the business buffet of life. In the Shein-Pilarski household, the kids come to the bakery from the time they're born. "I'd show up to a customer meeting with a plate of scones in one arm and Spencer in the other," remembers Shein. "We share our enthusiasm with the kids, our love for what we do every day." Shein and Pilarski also talk about the bakery's problems in front of the kids-but not always all the ramifications. "We may lose a big customer, and Steve and I are thinking to ourselves 'How are we going to pay the mortgage?' We may share the information, but not our fears."

For other business owners, like Dr. Chris Miller, 53, psychologist and founder of the brainstorming and product design firm Innovation Focus Inc., raising BIZ Experiencesial kids means giving his children a significant role in the business. When each of his sons reached the ripe old age of 10, Chris let them tag along to client meetings to participate. Some companies were skeptical when the junior help walked in the door. But it made sense to include them in his line of work, explains Chris. "For example, teenagers get headaches, too, so it was important for the client team from Excedrin to hear young people's attitudes toward headaches, how they feel about taking medicine," he says.

And what do the kids say? Chris' son Noah, a twelfth-grader who plays on his school's lacrosse team, gets a huge kick out of the whole experience. "I love to travel. I've gone with my dad to Chicago, New York, Colorado. I help get the session ready, like laying out name cards, hanging up displays." But he's most proud of his ideas. "After a big idea session, my mind is empty. I'm exhausted, but it's a good exhaustion. Like I've done something valuable." The approach also seems to be working for Chris' business. Innovation Focus, based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, won the 2002 Ernst & Young BIZ Experiences of the Year Award for Services in Central Pennsylvania.

Testing Their Wings

If you're not ready to let your kids join your company, orthink they'll get more out of starting their own venture, helpthem kick off a business. Kids make great BIZ Experiencess becausethey have a lot of time and energy, and they don't have toworry about paying the mortgage. Plus, kids naturally think outsidethe box because they haven't yet been inside the box.

The first step is to listen and find out what they'reinterested in. Do they love to bake? Take care of pets? Runerrands? Fix things? Next, help them figure out who their potentialcustomers are, how to reach them, and what the message or sellingproposition is going to be. Brainstorm with them on who thecompetition is, their pricing, and how they can offer somethingwith superior quality, price or service.

Once your child has decided on the type of business, who theyare selling to and who they are competing with, plan out theresources they'll need to make, buy or borrow. It's also agood idea to create a little cash-flow model showing the inflow andoutflow of money to see if the business is going to staysolvent.

Children's early businesses are not just moneymakers,they're adventures-a chance to have fun and learn. Businessesteach with real-life examples. And for the more laconic kids in thefamily (i.e., teenagers), a business venture can give parents andteens something to talk about.

Once kids have embarked on their new venture, parents play acritical role behind the scenes, according to Bonnie Drew,executive vice president of YoungBiz Inc., an Atlanta company that offerscamps and classes in support of the nascent BIZ Experiences, andjointly produces TeenStartUps.com with BIZ Experiences."It's critical to support your child when they ask foradvice like 'How do I soothe an unhappy customer?' or'Do you think I should expand?' Sometimes they won'task but may need real help staying focused or motivated when theyrun into an obstacle," says Drew.

However, she cautions, don't get too involved. There's anatural parental temptation to save your kids from any heartache,but you shouldn't try to prevent or fix every mistake."Some of the best lessons come from failure," Drew says."Why did you lose that customer? Why did you run out of money?Don't let those errors discourage your child. Talk about them.Learn from them. Overcome them. That's the best lesson a parentcan teach."

Training Wheels

Resources abound for kids and teens who want to explore theworld of business before starting their own. There are camps,school programs, and national and local organizations that can helplaunch your own little future Michael Dell. A plethora of books andWeb sites are available with ideas on what kinds of businesses tostart, how to get ideas and how to make them a reality.

The Kauffman Foundation offers BIZ Experiencesial programs andpartnerships across the country for kids ages 5 to 18. There arealso internships, grants and plenty of business advice on itsWeb site.One of the most popular programs it offers at schools and camps,Mini-Society, immerses kids in a hands-on simulation of an economicenvironment. Over 10 to 20 weeks, kids develop business ideas andexperience the resulting financial, consumer and social effects."This isn't 'Eat your spinach, and someday you'llgrow up strong,'" says Doug Miller. "This is relevantright here, right now. These kids are learning cash flow,record-keeping, scarcity-and they love it. I saw a fifth-gradeclass incredibly excited to write contracts and then find eachother's loopholes." The Kauffman Foundation, in connectionwith YoungBiz Inc., also offers an online magazine, Y&E(Young and BIZ Experiencesial), which keeps up a steady stream ofadvice and profiles other young BIZ Experiencess.

Junior Achievement, founded in 1919 as an after-school businessclub, now features an "BIZ Experiences Center" on itsWeb site with tipsand strategies on starting a business, and connections to expertswho will answer questions. In every state, Junior Achievementmatches volunteer businesspeople with K-12 classrooms to offerreal-world advice and experience. The businessperson and teacherwork together to set up hands-on activities that teach kids howbusiness works and how they can use their skills to be successful.Any classroom can get this program for free by calling their localJunior Achievement office.

"Engaging kids this way shows them why their schoolwork isimportant-for example, how math skills convert to businesssuccess," says David Moore, president of Junior Achievement ofGreater Puget Sound in Washington state.

Rohan Singh, 15, the winner of Junior Achievement's 2003Student BIZ Experiences of the Year award, credits his success to hisearly training and his parents. "In seventh grade, I had noidea what the free enterprise system was, and I didn'tcare," says the teen. After taking a Junior Achievement class,he wanted to start a business right away. "My parents had medraft a business plan to show I was serious," Singh remembers.His Woodinville, Washington-based business, Fuzzel Fish, in itssecond year and grossing $3,000 annually, sells software (writtenby Singh) that helps people create Web sites. "It's verycool to say you own a business," says Singh, whose parentsemigrated from India when he was 4. "It's part of theAmerican Dream."

For high schoolers who might like to compete with other kidsaround the nation, Junior Achievement offers JA Titan, a Web-basedsimulation where kids get to set prices, R&D spending and otherfactors, and then play along as economic factors beyond theircontrol change. The Kauffman Foundation has teamed up with DisneyOnline to offer Hot Shot Business, an online simulation game fortweens that lets kids start a pet spa, a skateboard factory or acomic book store and introduces the concepts of financing, customerdemand and pricing-with lots of decisions to make.

Students for the Advancement of Global BIZ Experiencesship (SAGE)is a program where participants learn business acumen and ethics atthe same time. Teams of high schoolers countrywide, mentored bycollege students and local businesspeople, compete tournament-styleagainst other schools to come up with the best business idea. Inthe process, they learn they can become BIZ Experiencess and helptheir communities. One winning team created an on-campus lunch cartfor their high school: It was a profitable business and helpedreduce truancy by keeping teens on campus during lunch. Dr. CurtisDeBerg, founder of SAGE, says, "Our future community leadersshould have a sense of social responsibility. If you don'tteach it, it gets lost."

Kids get hooked on BIZ Experiencesship because it's theultimate form of self-expression, says Drew. "Kids take theirtalent, skills and interests and create something out ofnothing," she says. "We teach them the skills to maketheir ideas into reality, and they can use those skills throughouttheir careers."

Will all this fuel their desire to sell the next big thing whenthey grow up? Chris Miller says it doesn't really matter,because either way, there are significant long-term benefits forthe kids. "When young people see they can contribute to a realbusiness, it gives them confidence that they can make an impact ontheir world," he says. "This self-belief is a fantasticgift to give a child. They'll have the confidence to changethings. Whether or not they decide to run their own businesses,they will feel they have choices in life."

BIZ Experiencesship 101

These books and resources will help get your buddingBIZ Experiences on the right path.

• Camp Invention. Run by the Akron, Ohio-basedNational Inventors Hall of Fame, this day camp for elementaryschool children focuses on activities that develop creative problemsolving, teamwork and inventive thinking.

• The EwingMarion Kauffman Foundation. This foundation partners withcolleges, schools and youth organizations to train educators tooffer BIZ Experiencesial programs.

• Independent Means Inc. Based in Santa Barbara,California, Independent Means offers seminars, books, games andactivities for teens, parents and mentors-all aimed at girls'entrepreneurship and financial independence.

• JuniorAchievement. This organization educates young people aboutbusiness, economics and free enterprise using volunteers in classand after school. Junior Achievement offers plenty of adviceonline, too.

• Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Program inBusiness Inc. A national organization based inPhiladelphia, LEAD is a partnership of businesses and academicinstitutions that encourages minority high school students topursue careers in business.

• Students for the Advancement of Global BIZ Experiencesship(SAGE). SAGE is an international network that links teamsof secondary school students to nearby university student mentorsto advance global BIZ Experiencesship in an ethical and sociallyresponsible manner. To set up a tournament in your area, visit theSAGE Web site.

• Y&E magazine. Especially for teenentrepreneurs, this magazine offers advice, stories of other youngbusinesspeople, quizzes and links to other resources.

• YouthVenture. Based in Arlington, Virginia, Youth Venture helpsyoung people ages 12 to 20 to launch and lead their own venturesthat give back to their community and enrich the lives of thoseless fortunate.

• 101 Marvelous Money-Making Ideas forKids by Heather Wood. Off-the-beaten-track ideas fortween/teen businesses, as well as special sections on negotiating,pricing and resumes.

• Better Than a Lemonade Stand: Small BusinessIdeas for Kids by Daryl Bernstein, for ages 9 to 12.Written by a 15-year-old, this book offers both classic and newideas for businesses kids can run, the supplies needed, what tocharge and how to advertise.

• How to Be a Teenage Millionaire byArt Beroff and T.R. Adams. Real-life young BIZ Experiencess providethe examples as teens learn about record-keeping, cash flow, andother elements critical to starting their own businesses.

• The Kid's Guide to Money: Earning It, SavingIt, Spending It, Growing It, Sharing It by SteveOtfinoski, for ages 9 to 12. Entertaining explanations of jobs,business, banks, budgeting, spending, taxes and investing.

• Whiz Teens in Business: Enjoy Yourself WhileMaking Money, A Simple and Complete Guide for Teenagers to Startingand Managing Their Small Business by Danielle Vallee.Teen topics such as establishing credibility, finding financialbacking, balancing work and school demands and managing parentalinvolvement.

• The Young BIZ Experiences's Guide to Startingand Running a Business by Steve Mariotti. Informationabout business opportunities, managing money, using the Web anddoing business ethically, all underscored by case studies ofnoteworthy BIZ Experiencess.

Julie Bick is the bestselling author of books including All I Really Need to Know in Business I Learned atMicrosoft. Visit her Web site at www.juliebick.com.