Charles Gardner

Assignment 9

MGMT1050

Professor Komm

Bill Roche talked about young entrepreneurial mindset and how applying key concepts can help
benefit a child in various aspects of his/her life. Growing up in a traditional blue-collar household I was
never really taught the value of working for myself. I was the first person in my immediate family to go
to college. The expectation of success was predicated on earning a degree and working at some
corporation in which I was compensated with a desirable salary, benefits, and retirement package.
Knowing what I know now, I wish my parents had nurtured my entrepreneurial mindset as a kid. It
wasn’t until I turned 31 that I began really thinking about these concepts for myself. I have two
daughters, my eldest is 14 and youngest is 11. My kids see me work quite often since I currently conduct
most of my business electronically from home. I have made it a point to involve my kids in learning the
different business sectors, ranging from marketing to accounting. One day my youngest approached me
while working and said she had an idea of a business she wanted to start when she was a little older. She
began talking in detail about owning a restaurant that serves American and Filipino dishes (my kids are
half Filipina). She surprised me quite a bit when she mentioned what would make her diner different;
every waiter/waitress is required to sing when taking orders and interacting with customers. I was taken
back with the idea, I asked her if she had seen this idea on tv or the internet. She simply stated, “no,
singing makes me happy. Songs make people happy. What better way to eat than for everyone to sing
and be happy?” I was impressed with her for showing initiative and creativity. I told her that once she is
a little older, if she still had the same dream, I would completely fund it. While Mr. Roche spoke about
his young entrepreneurial project, I was vividly reminded of what my daughter mentioned just over a
year ago. I did not think to deeply about it at the time but after watching Roche break down the
development of an EM through nurture, I think the dots have been connected. She unknowingly
projected a business idea that would inherently create a culture shift. Customers want a positive, happy
experience when they dine out. Most of this responsibility comes from the waiters/waitresses who are
personally interacting with the customer. There have been times the food was terrible, but the waiter
compensated for the bad food and I still had an enjoyable experience. Additionally, she became ecstatic
for the future. She immediately began writing down ideas to present to me (the investor), ranging from
what the diner would look like to what the qualifications of the waiters needed to be. It was incredibly
exciting to see her take a leadership role and have passion in doing so. My beliefs directly correlate to
Roche’s beliefs. I think it is extremely beneficial for kids to engage with an entrepreneurial mindset. As
Roche discussed in one of his stories, it can turn a timid child with learning disabilities into a confident
leader when they had no idea it was possible. I think one of the most important things you can do for a
child is to eliminate their anxieties of the future and build their confidence at an early age. They will be
more willing to engage in calculated risks, something all great leaders must do. Conversely, I believe kids
need to be able to handle constructive criticism without losing confidence in themselves. The video
described a few scenarios where some kids needed a little push from the teachers to begin thriving with
their business. Overall, I believe entrepreneurial mindsets are vastly important in fostering a positive
image of themselves and is crucial in laying the foundation of future success.
 Works Cited

Roche, Bill. [TED]. (2018, March 20.) The Power of an Entrepreneurial Mindset [Video].

YouTube. https://youtu.be/Ihs4VFZWwn4