Enterprise Nation

We promised you this piece yesterday. It’s a note from Ruth Drapper, Mum to Joel, our youngest ever profiled home business owner. In the note, Ruth tells us of the things she does every day to encourage her 11 children to be enterprising and do what they love.

Pass it on

I don't know about you, but running a business from home is amazing. Let's pass that on to our children and start training them in business skills and success principles that they will need to be able to do the same one day.

I am a mother of 11 children and as each one grows and matures I have encouraged them to think about how they can run their own business from home.

Here's what I do:

1. Find something they love to do, are good at, or a gap in the market.
2. Sit together around the kitchen table and brainstorm ideas.
3. Dream and plan together to begin to form a firmer idea of the business.
4. Set a long term goal for a year’s time of how they want to see their business running.
5. Work backwards and plan the months, weeks, days etc until you get back to today.
6. Find out what things you need to get started and GET STARTED!!

My 9 year old loves gardening. He wanted to grow plants and sell them at the top of the lane. He had £10 to invest and so bought some compost, plastic cups and seeds. He planted tomatoes, antirrihnums, and coriander, and took cuttings of our raspberry canes. Then he put them on his windowsill until they were big enough to sell.

He covered a table with plastic and made a sign for donations and in his first 2 days made over £20. With the £20 he has reinvested his money and bought some plug plants that he has potted on and will sell in a few weeks time. In the meantime someone gave him an old 8ft by 8ft greenhouse for free and he's excited about his the future.

My 13 year old is selling a children's TV idea to the BBC. She's been to London (paid for by the BBC) to present her idea and awaits their come back. In the meantime BBC3 are making an hour long documentary about her!! She's excited about her future.

My 15 year old had £25 to invest. He bought himself a URL and started his own website and logo design business. He has had several customers and made over £700 in his first 3 months, part-time, while sitting in his bedroom doing the thing he loves doing. (Beats working as a paper boy!) He is excited about his future.

My 21 year old runs her own life coaching business from home. She's now married with a little baby and loves the fact that she can be at home with her baby and work. Her and her husband have big plans and are both very excited about their future.

There is nothing more satisfying for a parent than seeing your children excited about their future. When your children have a goal and see a purpose beyond their SATs and GCSEs they work hard and succeed in life. Working from home gives us more time with our family. So let's use that time to dream, plan, work and play together, and when they're happy the whole family is happy. Let me encourage you to help your children to get excited about their future too!!

Ruth Drapper is Mum to 11 children and a home business owner herself. In her spare time, she is writing a book.

We think she's remarkable.