Copyright ©2003 by Henri G. Schauffler http://www.familybizbuilder.com Would you like to find a willing, enthusiastic source of free or very inexpensive labor for your Internet Home Business? Would you like to find a fantastic way to help your children learn things like self discipline, goal setting, integrity, financial management and communication skills? Then read on, dear reader!
What I'm getting at is, of course,
idea of involving your kids in your Internet home business, or helping them start one of their own. Instead of having them be a source of distraction and/or trouble as you labor to build your business, try a new approach - consider your children your potential allies and even potential employees.
Also, consider many character building benefits of involving kids in your home business. Steve Mariotti, Founder and President of The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE -http://www.nfte.com) started a ground breaking program over two decades ago that set up disadvantaged New York City youth in modest businesses of their own, such as Manhattan hot dog carts. Here is their mission tatement:
"NFTE's mission is to teach entrepreneurship to low-income young people, ages 11 through 18, so they can become economically productive members of society by improving their academic, business, technology and life skills." To say least, this program has been *extremely* successful.
Wouldn't you like your children to learn some of these life skills and help you out as well? The question, of course, is,"Practically speaking, what can my kids do in my Internet home business?" I'm glad you asked! Let's look at pre-teens and then teens.
Pre-Teens
Your 11-13 year olds are just beginning to get old enough to begin learning about business. Talk to them one-on-one about their interests. See if you can find a connection with what you are doing in your business. Here are some examples of what I mean:
If your child plays or is interested in sports, encourage him or her to begin going to sites on Web that talk about sports or sell sports gear. Start to ask them questions about sites - "Do you like this part; do you see how they are trying to get you to buy something here; do you see this banner ad there?" You'll begin to get them engaged, and soon, you can start to show them how you are doing same things in your family's business.
Another way to involve your kids is to get them actually doing some work for you - even pay them a little bit! Most kids these days are itching for a chance to earn extra money. If we pay them to do lawn and help with chores, why not hire them for helping in our home business? As they work, of course, they'll begin to be involved in business! I did this with my then 13 year old a few years back, and guess what? He now has a thriving EBay business of his own! More on EBay in a moment.
The main point with pre-teens is to engage them in some way with your Internet business and/or other Internet businesses. For some children, this is just spark they need. Don't forget - they're always going to learn important life skills as they work in a business environment.
