Yup, you read that correctly. I’ll repeat it again: “Don’t listen to your parents!” Now let me put that statement into context for you. Being a young entrepreneur – as I am sure that many of you already know – you’re going to receive plenty dissuasion to start your business from your parents. It’s a common situation.
Many, many parents want their children to have nothing to do with entrepreneurship. They teach their kids to do exactly what they did: 1.) go to school 2.) graduate with a degree 3.) work for someone for 40 years 4.) and retire “happily.”
Now don’t get me wrong; going that route is perfectly fine for most people and it can be very rewarding. But… we’re entrepreneurs, right!! We want more than that. We don’t want to spend 40 years locked up in a work cage (re: cubicle); we want to control our future, not our bosses.
Though our parents have the best intentions for us, there comes a time when you just have to take their advice as a grain of salt. Sure, it’s natural for many parents to not want to see their children take such big risks in life, but at the end of the day it’s your life… not theirs.
Our parents grew up in a much, much different time than us. Back then, starting a business was nothing like it is now. From a young age our parents most likely got jobs, went to school, and continued to work other jobs after college. Hence, the reason for them teaching us the same thing. That’s all many of our parents know.
I have personally experienced this school of thought from my parents when I first started my business in 2004. They didn’t want me to sell my car or even to start a business – they wanted me to go to college and become the doctor or teacher that I once thought I’d be.
But they soon came around and supported me emotionally and even financially once they saw how much drive and ambition I had to succeed and make my dreams a reality.
Please…please… don’t fall into the trap of listening to every word that comes out of your parent’s mouths. If everyone did that, I strong believe the world wouldn’t be as great as it is today. Imagine how many would-be entrepreneurs out there who would have never created such great companies. Companies that have changed the world.
Sure, we all love our parents and they are thinking about what’s best for us, but they are just as prone to giving bad advice as anyone else is. If you feel deep down inside that entrepreneurship is for you and your parents think otherwise… take the time to actually consider the situation and then “you” decide for yourself – not your parents.
Don’t ever let anyone squash your dreams – not even Moms and Pops!
Have you ever gone through this with your parents?
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See now I have had a completely opposite experience. My parents have offered nothing but support for trying to start my own business ventures. As a matter of fact, two of my ventures began as a discussion with my parents about something they thought would be a good idea.
Chris, that’s awesome. Yeah, I was lucky enough to have the support of my parents as well. They actually ended up becoming angel investors in my first site that I created a few years back. Still haven’t paid them back, though.. hehe… still workin’ on that.
Same here. When I started my business a few years back, I told my parents exactly what I was planning and they loaned me the money, no questions asked. I had them paid back within about 3 months. They support me more than ever now; I never finished college and they couldn’t be happier – I’m doing well and they saved a bunch of money in the long-run
- Anthony
My parents hated me doing anything with business. They wanted me to go to school and work for the government or something like they have been doing there whole life… :-s
David,
Great article. I can’t even talk to my mom about business anymore. She’s so anti-preneur for me, it makes me sick.
She has her own business. Go figure?!?
I know it’s because she loves me but still.
Starting a successful venture is hard enough. It would be nice if my mom fully supported me 1000%.
She’s the one that always reminds me of how great the corporate world is. hahahahah
-Adam
Yea unfortunately my family wasn’t really that supportive of me either.
The funny thing about it is I don’t come from the most successful family in the world, so you would think they would be supportive of somebody wanting to better themselves with entrepreneurship,
but they always felt like I should get a regular job with a definite pay check for the rest of my life- and that’s just not me!
I tell you many older people are just terrified of taking financial risk and not relying on a company to control their destiny, they just can’t understand living a life where you have to wake up every single morning and make things happen for yourself instead of relying on an hourly wage or salary.
My dad thinks my business is “cute.” Ultimately, I think our parents will ALWAYS lean toward reacting to us the way they did when we were children. If we are lucky enough to have a “healthy” realtionship with them — then all they want is for our happiness and safeTy. If they give you advice they think its for your own good. Them directing us out of entrepreneurship is them trying to protect us from financial failure. It is easier to work for someone else!!!
They definitely don’t want us to repeat their mistakes. Your parents may have attempted a business that you don’t know about.
I recently discovered that my dad is an swesome writer who HAD always kept a journal. HMMMM, maybaybe I’m more like him than I thought,
I get a total rollercoaster of support and “dream squashing” from my parents. When I was a teenager they tried everything to get me to stifle my musical dreams. I got a graduate degree like they suggested, but all the while still persisted in my chosen career. Eventually they started giving me advice in my music career which helped make me quite successful in the entertainment industry. My father also taught me how to make money in real estate. I listened – it worked. But now my goals are to be financially secure 100% at 31/32. Sort of “Retire” but still work of course because I like to. Now I get the discouragement all over again. It’s like they give me advice and feel I take it too far. My father even told me today that “He had to work his ass off in into his late sixties and still does therefore I have to.”
I even have mentors that try to tell me that I can’t have financial freedom and my own schedulue at the same time. I sincerely hope that when I find myself in mentoring positions that I remember to ENCOURAGE the protoge.
I agree wholeheartedly with this post in that we need to rise above the comments of others, but it is easier said than done with parents – especially parents whose advice is usually pretty great. It’s not easy to be in situations where you can’t trust your own “trusted” elders.
Anand B: Just keep on pushing forward no matter what. No matter what anyone says. You have to be your strongest motivator at all times. Stay focused. Stay passionate. And stay hungry! You’ll find success.