Creating useful people - the childhoods of entrepreneurs and business leaders - from Clever Tykes

We are so excited that today is the launch date of the brand new book - How To Raise Entrepreneurial Kids.You can find the book and accompanying resources here: https://clevertykes.com/bookThis episode is presented by Clever Tykes cofounder Jodie Cook. Here's the transcript:Hello and welcome to the Clever Tykes podcast – creating useful people – if you have been following this podcast since the start and listened to the interviews with amazing entrepreneurs and business leaders you will know that we are fascinated by childhood stories and what happened when these people were younger that led them to being the amazing leaders they are today.Well, back in 2018 I used a programme called HARO which stands for help a reporter out – and it’s where journalists and writers can get sources for their stories – and I used HARO to ask two questions.One of these was: “how were you raised to be entrepreneurial?”, and one of these was: “how are you raising entrepreneurial kids?”.Honestly – I wanted to write an article. I was looking for a few great responses that I could turn into something bitesize for parents and teachers to read. Instead, I got 500 amazing responses. 500 responses with so much detail, from people telling amazing stories of their memories – and the childhood experiences that led to them being entrepreneurs or entrepreneurial - and what they were passing on to their kids or nieces and nephews to help them do the same. So I was reading these stories… about 40,000 words of them, with such amazement thinking – this is gonna be a long blog post – haha. I started to think that maybe I had something more here.So I called up a friend – Daniel Priestley – who is something like a 5-time bestselling author and who works with entrepreneurs in the work his business accelerator does. Most importantly, he’s raising three kids of his own. And I was like hey, do you want to write a book? I told him about the stories I had, told him the title would be how to raise entrepreneurial kids… and he couldn’t say yes fast enough! It was just a case of yes – I’ll call my publisher – let’s do this!And that’s how it started. We went through all those stories and grouped similar ones together. We drew out the themes and then created a 4-part framework for raising entrepreneurial kids which consists of: entrepreneurial mindset, entrepreneurial skills, entrepreneurial opportunities and finally the parent-mentor. We included stories from our own childhoods – I was definitely raised to be entrepreneurial whether or not my mum and dad meant to do that or not – and Daniel was too but he’s also got kids of his own now. So our stories are part of the book and we’ve framed the key ideas we put forward in 46 different mini-sections – and each has explainers, actionables, and some of the stories that we collected. We also included fascinating stories from well-known entrepreneurs and business leaders about how they were raised. And now – as if by magic – today we have reached the launch date of the book and it’s available everywhere that sells books.It also has an accompanying playbook, which I just love, where we’ve taken each of the 46 sections and pulled out exercises and fun things to fill in together to explore the concepts further and just see! See how conversations go, see what you come up with and see where it leads. I’m so excited for you to see the book and read it and turn it into amazing conversations and fun things to do that will help someone grow up with this fierce sense of wonder and independence and creativity and resourcefulness and all those things associated with being “entrepreneurial”.For the rest, listen to the episode :)Support the show

After announcing our brand new book How to raise entrepreneurial kids, Daniel Priestley and I were inundated with questions about it, so we recorded this episode to answer them.Topics include:When the book will be available to readIf this book is only for pushy parentsOur collective expertise for writing this bookThe difference between a child entrepreneur and an entrepreneurial childRaising kids to be kind and happyLetting kids be kidsWhat if my kids don’t want to be entrepreneurs?Attitudes to moneyThe percentage of 18-24 year olds that dream of self-employmentHow to raise entrepreneurial kids covers how to raise confident, resourceful and resilient children, with stories from both our childhoods as well as those of 150+ entrepreneurs and parents. The book contains a four-part framework, consisting of 50 specific ideas to incorporate.Find out as soon as the book is available by visiting clevertykes.com/bookJoin our Facebook community here- Jodie Cook, Clever Tykes co-founderSupport the show

I’m super excited to announce the launch of a brand new book! How to raise entrepreneurial kids is a brand new book that I have written with Daniel Priestley, a friend and co-author whose work I admire. It will be released in autumn 2020. Ahead of that, we recorded this podcast episode in which we discuss the book and the inspiration behind it. The book covers how to raise confident, resourceful and resilient children, with stories from both our childhoods as well as those of 200+ entrepreneurs and parents. The book contains a four-part framework, consisting of 50 specific ideas to incorporate.I'm so excited for you to read it and I think it's going to change the world!Daniel Priestley is an entrepreneur, bestselling author and father of three kids under 6. I am an entrepreneur and co-creator of the Clever Tykes series of storybooks that introduce entrepreneurial role models to kids. The new book, for parents and educators, is set to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and prepare them for an ever-changing world of work. This interview includes:The difference between an entrepreneurial kid and a kid entrepreneurStories from the parents and entrepreneurs interviewed for the bookEntrepreneurial mindset, skills and opportunitiesNovel ways of introducing packing a suitcase, using the telephone and talking about work and moneyHow to answer the question, "what do you do at work?"Find out as soon as the book is available by visiting clevertykes.com/book- Jodie Cook, Clever Tykes co-founderSupport the show

After recording 17 interviews with 17 amazing guests, we started to see trends between their childhood influences. Listen to this season one summary episode to find out the 6 trends that came up several times. Revisit each episode using the link below:Craig Donaldson, CEO of Metro BankJessica Wheeler, principal of Elmhurst Ballet SchoolJordan Daykin, CEO of GripitEmma Jones MBE, founder of Enterprise NationMike Bandar, founding partner of Turn PartnersGraham Allcott, author & founder of Think ProductiveOona Collins, CEO of Potential Plus InternationalPaul Faulkner, CEO of the Greater Birmingham Chamber of CommerceDeepak Tailor, founder of LatestFreeStuff.co.ukPhill Jupitus, comedian and poetJeremy Walker, technology entrepreneurCharlotte Hodson, cofounder of Awesome MerchAndy Street CBE, mayor of the West MidlandsBenjamin Banks, founder of SBD ApparelKatrina Owen, ecosystem engineer at GitHubCarrie Green, founder of the Female Entrepreneur AssociationSara Davies, founder of Crafter's CompanionThe six trends we explore in more detail:Change or disruptionBig wide worldExperience of workInquisitive with a desire to learnIndependenceRole modelsWe want to hear your story! Tell us how you were raised to be entrepreneurial here.Tell us what you think of this episode via Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.Support the show

Sara Davies MBE is the founder and creative director of Crafter’s Companion, which designs, manufactures and sells its craft-related products to customers across 40 countries and employs more than 200 people worldwide. She established Crafter’s Companion while studying at York University.In 2016, Sara was presented with an MBE in Her Majesty’s Birthday Honours List, for services to the economy. She is a keen champion of women in business, mentoring and the North East of England! More recently, Sara was named as the youngest entrepreneur to join BBC Two’s Dragons’ Den.On this episode we discuss being immersed in business from a young age, how Sara started a six figure business whilst at university, and how to transform shyness into confidence.Find out more about Sara on her website here.Follow her on Instagram here.Support the show

Carrie Green is the founder the Female Entrepreneur Association (FEA) and the author of the international bestseller, She Means Business: Turn Your Ideas into Reality and Become a Wildly Successful Entrepreneur. FEA is a global network of over 600,000 women from around the world. Carrie set it up after feeling isolated running her first successful online business and is now utterly passionate about helping to inspire and empower other women to succeed in business. Carrie has a TEDx talk on YouTube with nearly 7 million views, she has a podcast, publishes a digital magazine AND is writing another book!In this inspiring episode we discuss the activities Carrie did from a young age which helped set her up for success. We talk about mindset; thinking big and getting intentional, what separates those who fulfil their potential from those who don't, as well as the messages Carrie is excited about passing on to her son!See the Female Entrepreneur Association website here.Find Carrie on Instagram here.Find Carrie's book here.Support the show

Decision-making frameworks for a successful career and lifestyle.Katrina Owen is an ecosystem engineer at GitHub, the world’s leading software development platform. She accidently became a software developed whilst pursuing a degree in molecular biology! Katrina is also the creator of Exercism, a platform for code practice and programming mentorship that has helped over 200,000 people all over the world learn new programming languages. Katrina mainly works in programming languages Go and Ruby, and she’s a Ruby Hero, which is an award given out by Ruby to their top programmers. Katrina is committed to creating beautiful code and has co-written a book about this called 99 Bottles of OOP.In this episode we discuss Katrina’s life before and after the pivotal age of 25, her younger self’s approach to decision-making, how introverts become exhausted and putting lifestyle and routine at the centre of success. More from Katrina on her website.Support the show

The importance of attention to detail when creating a global sports brandBenjamin Banks is the CEO and founder of SBD Group. Started in 2013 under the name SBD Apparel, the company develops superior strength clothing and equipment with world class athletes, coaches and health professionals. The products are made in the UK, predominantly in SBD’s factory in Rotherham. The group employs over 50 people, the products are distributed in over 40 countries and SBD received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2018. SBD is also the official partner for the World’s Strongest Man and the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF). Ben himself had a successful powerlifting career – first competing for Great Britain in 2007, winning multiple British Championships then going on to represent team GB in the open team at the World Championships and European Championships, retiring from competing in 2013, the same year he started SBD.In this episode we discuss Ben’s incredible attention to detail, where it came from and how it has helped him build a global sports brand. We talk about how he fitted in at school and the advice he’d give to his younger self.Support the show

The making of a mayorAndy was elected as the first mayor of the West Midlands in May 2017. Prior to that, he was the managing director of British retail giant, John Lewis, where during his tenure at the top he oversaw a 50% increase in gross sales to over £4.4bn, a doubling of the number of stores and the growth of the company's online business. Alongside this, Andy held a host of high-profile economic development roles including the chair of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership. Andy was awarded a CBE in 2015 for services to the national economy.In this episode we discuss the influences that have shaped Andy's leadership style and his career from business to politics, how his parents supported and encouraged him and the advice he would give to his 10-year old self!Support the show

From buying a badge-making machine to hiring 100 people.Charlotte heads up the creative and marketing at Awesome Merch - a custom print and merchandise business she co-founded way back in 2005, when business partner Luke and she went off to university in Leeds. Since then, Awesome Merch has gone from 2 people in a bedroom, to over 100 people in two locations across two continents, and from one product to over 650, almost all produced in-house.In this episode we discuss Charlotte's favourite subjects at school, rewarding effort versus rewarding achievement and creating an awesome business that scaled rapidly whilst Charlotte was still at university!Support the show

From no electricity on Sundays to technology that saves lives.Jeremy is a geek and an entrepreneur. He runs a range of technology businesses ranging from an education platform that’s helped over 200,000 learn to code, to using artificial intelligence to improve outcomes during heart surgery.In this episode, recorded face-to-face from Austin, we discuss how a low-income, religious upbringing can create future success, as well as Jeremy’s love of debating and travel. We learn about the teachers who had the biggest impact on him and are joined by an unexpected guest!Support the show

How a “yeah, why not?” attitude shaped a career in TV and comedy.Phill Jupitus is a stand up and an improv comedian. He’s also an actor, a performance poet, a cartoonist and a podcaster. Phill was a team captain on the BBC 2 show "Never Mind the Buzzcocks" for 19 years. He regularly appears on other panels shows including QI and within the last month you’ve probably seen him on Dave!In this episode we find out about Phill’s mercurial career doing largely whatever he felt like at the time, as well as the mindset behind it all. We learn about his early aspirations as well as how he broke into performance art and comedy, and what his mum makes of it all. Stay tuned for Phill’s number one pizza topping and how it turns out to be an analogy for life.Support the show

From teen eBay power-seller to a global internet entrepreneur.Deepak Tailor is the founder of LatestFreeStuff.co.uk. He started his first website aged just 16 from his bedroom and his sites now reach over 1 million consumers every month. He has featured on the BBC show Dragons Den, been voted young entrepreneur of the year and has written & published a bestselling book on Amazon. The company has even been chosen as one of the top 100 startups in the UK.In this episode we discuss Deepak's experiments on eBay, what his friends thought of his pursuits and how he stayed focused with distractions everywhere!Support the show

How changing school 6 times prepares a future CEO.Paul Faulkner is CEO of Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, former CEO of Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest football clubs and board member for organisations including Cure Leukaemia, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Sport Birmingham… all before the age of 40!In this podcast we discuss growing up reading newspapers, moving primary school six times and being fearless in front of the press. We also cover the messages Paul is passing on to his own kids.Support the show

The value of adversity and travel on a career developing others.Oona Collins is the CEO of Potential Plus International and an executive coach with 25 years experience of developing emotionally intelligent leaders and high performing teams. Her work has taken her all over the world, coaching people of all different nationalities in senior and high profile positions. Oona’s client list includes Burberry, Warner Brothers and Virgin Airlines.In this podcast we discuss Oona’s childhood; and the challenges she and her family faced that shaped her. We speak about the incredible advice and guidance of her mother, and how Oona applies everything she learnt to the work she does in developing others.Support the show

From washing neighbours cars to becoming a bestselling authorGraham is the author of three books, including the global best-seller “How to be a Productivity Ninja“, and is the founder of Think Productive, one of the world’s leading providers of personal productivity training and consultancy, with offices all over the world.In this podcast we discuss the power of wanting less, not more, how a religious upbringing has shaped Graham’s world views as an adult, and the valuable lessons he learned from his teachers.Support the show

From teenage publicity stunts to multiple businesses and an honorary doctorate.Mike Bandar is a founding Partner of Turn Partners, a start up studio focused on the acquisition, turnaround and creation of digital businesses. In 2017 he received a British Empire Medal for ‘Services to Young Entrepreneurs in the West Midlands’ as well as being awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Aston University, making him one of the youngest ever recipients of a DSc.In this podcast we discuss Mike’s role as a cheeky younger brother and the businesses he started when he was 15. We also go over what success looks like to Mike and how that definition has continued to develop.Support the show

From an enterprising household to an enterprise nation.Emma Jones MBE is the founder of Enterprise Nation and small business advisor to the UK government. She received her MBE in 2012 for services to enterprise, speaks fluent Japanese and is on a mission to make the UK the most enterprising nation.In this podcast we discuss how Emma’s first experiences of the world of business, her approach to a “work/life balance”, her experience of the education system as well as the messages she’s passing on to her three nieces. We also discuss the childhood influences that developed her incredible confidence and impressive memory!Support the show

Schoolboy negotiator to Dragon’s Den success storyJordan Daykin is the CEO of Gripit, a £20million business that he started with his grandad when he was 13. Jordan successfully secured investment from Deborah Meaden on Dragon’s Den when he was 19, making him the youngest person ever to do so.In this podcast we discuss how leaving home and school very early forces independent and resourceful behaviour, the teachers and family members who believed in him and what they said, and how raising a 1 year old is more difficult than running a 50-person business!Support the show

Creating ‘thinking dancers’ at world-leading dance school.Jessica Wheeler is the principal of the prestigious and world-renowned Elmhurst Ballet School, and has been since 2010. Under her leadership the school has received glowing OFSTED reports, record-breaking exam reports, and even received a royal visit! After studying contemporary dance at Trinity Laban she started her career in dance education. Jessica has created a set of videos for Teachers TV, and OFSTED has described her as a ‘highly effective leader’.In this podcast we discuss Jessica’s creative and musical influences, childhood ambitions and role models, as well as moving schools and changing her definition of success.Support the show