We often view entrepreneurs as people who march to the beat of a different drummer. But after interviewing 70 parents of established entrepreneurs, Margot Machol Bisnow presents a new way of distinguishing those who set out to create their own destinies. While all successful entrepreneurs must start with a great idea, a boat load of confidence, and a willingness to work enthusiastically around the clock, Machol Bisnow determined a fourth necessary prerequisite — a mom or other caring adult who provides unwavering support.
Raising an Entrepreneur shares dozens of profiles of families who launched creative, confidant entrepreneurs on their paths to success. Readers are given an insider’s glimpse into who these successful trailblazers were as children and how they were raised. We learn the fascinating backstories of people whose brands are household names.
For example, we find out how Jon Chu, director of blockbusters like Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights, loved watching videos and, while it wasn’t what his parents hoped for him, let him talk his teachers into allowing him to submit videos instead of papers. Or how Paige Mycoskie, founder of Aviator Nation, dreamed of designing clothing and, after college, used $100 she received as a birthday gift to buy a sewing machine and start designing clothes in her parents’ basement. And how Under Armour founder Kevin Plack, instilled with his mom’s belief, “There are no problems; only solutions,” found a new material better than cotton for wicking moisture when he was playing college football.
Machol Bisnow, whose two sons also are entrepreneurs, discovered through her interviews that the underlying condition for raising an entrepreneur is steadfast belief in their abilities. She writes, “Every child is unique in some way, so help your children figure out their gift and then nurture it and support it.” Among her interviewees, some were passionate about sports; for others it was computers or music or video games or even selling things to neighbors. But each had one experience in common — they had someone’s (almost always their parents’, especially their mom’s) support to pursue that passion.
Many times, parents were perplexed by what their children became fixated on. For instance, Thomas Vu, the lead producer of League of Legends, an enormous global video game franchise, escaped from Vietnam with his family as a young child. Although his immigrant parents struggled to make a living, they had high expectations for Thomas. While they didn’t understand his obsession with video games, he was allowed to play as long as he earned straight A’s in school. They even stretched to buy him a newly released game because they knew he was passionate about playing. Machol Bisnow quotes from Thomas about his mother’s support: “Whenever I loved something, she let me do it. Even if it wasn’t what she had hoped for me, even if she didn’t understand it, she’d always say, ‘You’re doing what you love.’”
Raising an Entrepreneur is divided by chapters that describe each of the 10 raising-an-entrepreneur rules the author uncovered — such as instill confidence, lead by following, and don’t worry about straight A’s (many of the entrepreneurs weren’t scholars). Much of the advice runs counterintuitive to today’s parenting approaches. Too many are over-involved in directing their child’s professional future — making sure they get good grades and fill their time with the “right” extra-curricular activities. But the better approach is to trust in the child and grant them the freedom to explore their own interests.
Even though the parenting advice in Raising an Entrepreneur doesn’t also promise the child will pursue an entrepreneurial path, it will serve parents and their children well to let them choose their own path and let their child know they believe in them unconditionally.
Learn more at raisinganentrepreneur.com.
Garth Thomas