The Parents' Guide To Raising CEO Kids Paperback – August 1, 2011

Good stories.

How do you raise a young entrepreneur? The same way you'd raise any child--by helping her develop the skills to become a happy, successful, and well-adjusted adult.Jerry and Sarah Cook interviewed over 150 young entrepreneurs to find out what they had in common. In their book The Parents' Guide to Raising CEO Kids, they explain the four common "pillars" or building blocks that every one of them possessed. They also discovered characteristics these youth shared that can be learned and taught by all parents to help their children thrive.Last August I heard Sarah Cook's presentation on Raising CEO Kids at the 2011 Homeschool Association of California Conference. She shared inspiring stories of children as young as three years old who were struck by the desire to be entrepreneurs. Sarah speaks from personal experience--all three of her children are young entrepreneurs.She and her husband, Jerry, focus on how to help youth develop business and money "sense," as well as showing adults how to empower and mentor children with the understanding that the potential and capabilities of today's youth are limitless. The Cooks believe that as a society we're doing a poor joy of preparing the next generation for employment. But they've got lots of ideas about how to change that.They begin by describing some of the many benefits of being a CEO Kid:Benefits of Being a CEO KidActive and meaningful employment reduces the risk of dangerous and self-defeating activitiesPurposeful activities increase the likelihood of youth making healthy choices now and in the future.Hobbies and talents can be turned into profitable ventures.Building a business strengthens interpersonal skills and community relationships.Working toward a goal strengthens the relationship between parent and CEO Kid.A business provides a practical framework for teaching CEO Kids about financial literacy and behavior accountancy.CEO Kids experience the benefits of being their own boss.Business experiences create options and choices.Entrepreneurs provide jobs and resources for their community and the world.They explain the four pillars that adults need to instill in children: vision, action, attitude, and outcome. Youth crave a sense of purpose and reason behind what they are doing and with vision and purpose there is motivation to do the work. The Cooks stress the importance of parents teaching their children how to work and to enjoy work at an early age to help foster the beginnings of a CEO Kid.Today's young people have so much imagination and creativity, which are key pieces in the success of a business start-up. But because they've had less life experience it's important for parents to help in dealing with disappointments that will inevitably happen. Parents can help console and encourage their kids to keep going, put things in perspective, and feel good about themselves when they face setbacks such as financial hardships, fear and doubt, burn out, and not enough time for their friends.The chapter on how to get started includes a long list of activities Sarah delegated to her three children as they got older to teach them a sense of responsibility and teamwork. She includes the following steps for starting a business:Steps for Starting a BusinessDecide on the business idea.Choose the business name.Set up the business structure.Set up the financial accounting and tracking systems.Get the business branding completed and order promotional materials.Begin marketing and advertising.Sell, serve, and follow up.The book is filled with advice and quotes from the young entrepreneurs and their parents about the successes and challenges they faced. There are many inspiring stories of children who have donated their profits to charities. The book ends with photos, profiles, and links for the CEO Kids they interviewed as well as an excellent list of resources.

If your son or daughter has what we like to call the "entrepreneurial bug" then this book is a must-read for them.Jerry and Sarah Cook took a lot of their time learning about what makes entrepreneur's successful and have done an amazing job with interviewing these kids to find out what makes them become successful.I personally am someone who has benefited tremendously from reading and learning from other people's experiences and find that if you can find someone who has done what you want to do, you can emulate them and also become successful. This book has done an excellent job of finding kids who are successful and the questions that these kids were asked really got to the root of where success comes from.If you want to save your child a lot of time (and learn about how you can help as a parent) then this book is definitely worth getting. You will not only save a lot of money in the long run by learning from others mistakes, but you will save a lot of time as well.Thank you so much for putting this together Jerry and Sarah. You definitely have an excellent resource for both kids and parents here!Chris Hughes

Wonderfully inspiring book full of the most incredible entrepreneurial kids EVER!Thanks for putting this book together Sarah!We are so honoured that you featured our own two kidpreneurs, Xanthe and Quinn.Since the publishing of your book they have created another enterprise that was inspired by the true kid entrepreneurial spirit which you dedicate your book to.Our doggie passed away this summer and my children decided to take this heart breaking experience, and create a book to help other kids deal with the loss of their own precious pets. Remembering Candy: Helping your child cope with the loss of their own pet.I am so grateful to you for show casing in your book how creative and focused our kids can be when it comes to creating their own lucrative businesses. These kids are WAY ahead of the rest, financially, and are a terrific role model for other kids and teens.This book is a MUST HAVE for every family out there!Thanks again for a wonderful book Sarah!Cheers...Amanda van der Gulik...Excited Life Enthusiast! ;o)50 Money Making Ideas for Kids and TeensAllowance Secrets, To Give or Not To Give?The CleverDough Challenge

If one of your children wants to be, or is currently the boss of their own business, then this book is made for them. The Parent's Guide to CEO Kids contains a bunch of helpful information about what to do and how to go about doing it.It also contains a nice sized section in the back that has stories about real life CEO Kids and what they do in their own businesses. The Parent's Guide to CEO Kids has truly been a great book as it shows our future leaders how to start their own businesses. One of the best books that I have ever picked up in my 13 year lifetime, starting at age 5! (I have read over 3,000 books in that time span).------------------Note: This review was written by my son. He has gained a lot of great insight.