Parents, what are you doing to raise children who grow up to be successful entrepreneurs?
November is Entrepreneurship Month, and 75% of Gen Z want to start their own businesses. This generation—born between 1997 and 2012—is now 13 to 28 years old. They are the first to have grown up surrounded by smartphones and social media.
Here are the three most important things parents can do to help them develop the traits they need to succeed.
1. Build Their Resilience
Resilience is the foundation of entrepreneurship. Resilient people understand that failure is how they learn and grow. They know they’ll come back stronger each time they fall. Because they’re not afraid of failure, they’re not afraid to take risks—and that willingness to take risks fuels creativity, innovation, and growth.
Dr. Taryn Marie Stejskal emphasizes that raising resilient children is one of the most important things a parent can do. It gives kids the ability not just to withstand challenges but to grow stronger because of them. She suggests helping them manage anxiety about difficult tasks by asking two simple questions:
“What’s the worst that could happen?” and “What’s the best that could happen?”
Wharton psychologist Adam Grant says:
“I don’t think there’s any skill more critical for success than resilience.”
He explains that resilience determines how fast and how well you recover from adversity. “Bad things will happen—it’s inevitable,” he says. “The key is how you respond. I think of resilience as the speed and strength of your recovery.”
2. Encourage Their Curiosity
Curiosity, surprisingly, is becoming rare. David Reyero calls it a rising skill for career success:
“Curious people want to understand others, learn new things, think outside the box, and explore unusual ideas—essential qualities in environments that depend on creativity and constant innovation.”
Curious people ask questions like:
“Does it have to be this way? Why? How can it be improved? What’s missing? What could change?”
That’s how new companies, nonprofits, and ideas are born—and how organizations grow and adapt.
In the age of AI, curiosity is even more vital. It helps people know what to ask, where to look for advice, and how to adapt the answers. As Anne Jolly says:
“Curiosity is a magical state of mind that supercharges learning.”
To raise curious children, don’t give them all the answers. Say, “What do you think? I don’t know—let’s figure it out together. Where should we look? Who could we ask?”
Ask questions when reading together: “Why did they do that? What do you think will happen next? Why? What should happen?”
The goal is to get them asking questions on their own.
3. Support Their Passion
Almost every entrepreneur I’ve interviewed had a passion outside of school—and almost every parent supported it. Sometimes it was unexpected: sports, video games, cooking, filming… and yes, that’s okay! It doesn’t matter what their passion is—what matters is that they chose it themselves.
Because they chose it, they work hard at it. And when they work hard at something they love, they gain invaluable qualities:
– They develop grit.
Psychologist Angela Duckworth defines grit as “passion and perseverance for long-term goals.”
“Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint,” she says.
When young people dedicate themselves to a passion, they learn to work relentlessly to achieve success.
– They learn to pivot when things don’t work.
Life isn’t perfect. Kids who consistently challenge themselves learn to adjust and improve.
Task Force CEO Simon Isaacs, once a competitive skier, says:
“You’re always analyzing yourself to figure out how you can improve.”
– They gain confidence.
When kids work hard at something they’ve chosen, adapt when they fail, and ultimately get good at it, they develop the belief that they can succeed—if they stay committed long enough.
That confidence is essential for entrepreneurship.
They Need Your Support
It doesn’t matter if their passion changes over time. It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand it.
What matters is your support—showing them how proud you are of their effort and dedication.
Children need time to find their path. Sometimes it may seem like they’re lost or giving up—but parents of future entrepreneurs see that as exploration, not failure.
Kenneth Ginsburg, founder of Fostering Resilience, offers this advice:
“Letting go is hard. We want to help, fix, and guide our kids. But when we let them figure things out themselves, we send the message: ‘I believe you are capable and wise.’”
Jonathan Neman, cofounder of Sweetgreen, recalls:
“My parents were great at letting me explore my passions. Imagine your kid goes to Georgetown and then comes home saying he wants to open a salad shop! But they never thought my ideas were stupid. They always trusted me and believed in me.”
So, pay attention to what your children enjoy—what excites them, what they’re good at, and what makes them happy.
Let their natural talent reveal itself.
Support it. Tell them how proud you are of their hard work and perseverance.
Remind them that failure and setbacks are part of learning—and that each one makes them stronger.
They may not end up in the career you imagined,
but if they’re able to pursue what they love, they’ll be happy and fulfilled.
And isn’t that what every parent truly wants?
The article is based on the analysis of the Forbes
*The article was also prepared using data from AI․
