Mike Farris:
Linda, as we’ve talked about entrepreneurship this week, you’ve explained the important lessons that you want your children to learn about financial responsibility—risk and reward, in particular. A lot of parents are going to be concerned about how to how to let their children have these experiences and still be safe in today’s world. Can you offer our listeners some general guidelines on how to keep your kids safe while letting them learn to practice entrepreneurship?

Linda Raasch:
When we as parents were young, we babysat, delivered newspapers, and had lemonade stands. Our hard-earned cash gave us self-confidence, self-satisfaction, and a taste of freedom.

Today, safety is a real concern for parents with regard for allowing their child to do the same kinds of jobs we did as children. Our goal in creating Bizkidz.com was to safely allow a child the ability to build their own online store and market it to their friends and family.

If a child wants to sell lemonade, set them up for success by choosing a location near a supervising adult. Let them use walkie-talkies or a cell phone to communicate with you. Explain thoroughly your safety rules. Plan an exit strategy for them if they’re uncomfortable in any way. Parents, your support of their small business will go a long way in encouraging that spark of ambition we all want our children to have.

Mike:
Linda, these are great suggestions. And until next time, I’m Mike Farris.