The youth are our future. With the current unemployment rate among young individuals in South Africa at 45.5%, it is crucial to get them to think outside of the box. How can they create opportunities in their areas to build healthy and thriving communities? How can they be inspired to become entrepreneurs? Let’s look at seven ways to inspire young entrepreneurs.
1. Teach them solution-orientated thinking
There are two ways to approach a problem, one is to complain about it, and the other is to consider solutions on how to solve it. It is time we adopted solution-orientated thinking. How can we solve the problem? What has been done before? What are some unconventional ways to solve it?
2. Give them a space to feel safe
Often, people aren’t willing to take a risk because of the fallout and what they could potentially lose. It is important to give young people a safe space to test their ideas and see what works and what doesn’t. By offering them a safe space to fail, they will be encouraged to try more things when they step out into the world.
3. Find mentors
The older generation can still teach us a thing or two about life. Yes, you can Google it and watch endless YouTube videos, but sometimes the nuances of doing some can only be explained in a face-to-face interaction. Young entrepreneurs must have access to people in their field to learn from, and mentors may learn a thing or two from their mentees. Mentoring is never a one-way street.
4. Embrace failure
We are often taught that to fail or get something wrong is the end of it, but it may just be the beginning of learning what not to do. Most well-known entrepreneurs have failed. They may not highlight it in their Instagram reel, but when you have a face-to-face conversation, they will tell you about the times when things didn’t go well. But they didn’t give up. They started again with the new knowledge they had. They need to know failure is inevitable, but we can learn and do better next time.
5. Get parents on board
The family is the first place where young entrepreneurs feel comfortable sharing their ideas. Parents should listen to ideas and encourage entrepreneurs to pursue their ideas.
6. Celebrate their successes
Not only should you celebrate the big successes, but also the smaller milestones which are achieved to reach the ultimate goal.
7. Develop a positive mindset
To succeed as an entrepreneur, you need to develop a positive mindset. You need to see challenges as learning opportunities and success as the stepping stones to greatness. By having a positive mindset, you will also be able to cope with the challenges and naysayers who you may encounter on your journey.
By following these six ways, we can hope to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.
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