Lake Wales High School Entrepreneur Group, me in the blue shirt, entrepreneur/instructor Bill Lockhart 1st row far right + 25 future entrepreneurs.
Today was a great day. I am a mentor to 25 students at the Lake Wales High School Entrepreneur Group. This morning I got the high school students thinking about what their personal strengths are as individuals. I taught the students that successful entrepreneurs utilize their core strengths every day in their businesses. I gave the students a little worksheet exercise to help them identify their core strengths.
I fully believe it’s our duty as entrepreneurs to give back to the younger generation as the world is changing fast.
The traits of an entrepreneur are in demand in the workforce more than ever before as we move towards a more creative economy driven by technology. Your personal strengths (skills, talents, education and experience) are the value you create for yourself to offer to others.
I realize every person can’t be an entrepreneur. What we can do is teach others how to create value for themselves. If you boil it down in a nutshell, entrepreneurs build amazing products and services because we,
THINK first
CREATE (innovate) second
EXECUTE third and we all know that execution is not only the hardest, its what separates the dreamers from the builders.
The tagline for the Lake Wales High School Entrepreneur Group is TCE (Think, Create, Execute).
Why I give back and mentor.
One professor taught me how to think for myself and changed my life forever.
I experienced firsthand how one person can influence a life.
Through mentoring I’ve realized that if I want to contribute and have influence being present matters the most.
“Those that show up rule the world.”
Being inspired and having people believe in us is what we all really want and need.
Positive reinforcement “you can do it,” will always break through the negative noise that surrounds us on a daily basis.
Youth are full of ideas and are high energy.
I love being around people that want to build things and be a positive force in our world.
I am happier when I am around people that want to learn and improve their lives.
What you can do today to get started in mentoring young entrepreneurs and start giving back.
- Call your local high school in your area, the local chamber of commerce or local community college or university. Ask if there is an entrepreneur class. Call the director or send him/her an email volunteering to come into the class to tell your entrepreneurial story. Start with your story. Everyone wants to hear “how you did it.”
- Google the search term “young entrepreneurs” or “youth entrepreneurship” in your town/city and a list of organizations may pop-up that you can reach out to.
- Next time an entrepreneur emails you or calls you to ask a question offer to be a mentor. Meet for 1 hour in the early morning or over lunch every 2 weeks.
- When the opportunity arises teach a youth how to think for themselves, create and execute.