Montessori teaches entrepreneurship, RisingInnovator.com offers help outside classroom
In 2011 the Harvard Business Review published an article, Montessori Builds Innovators, which sought to explain why so many innovators – business leaders, scientists, famous artists and thinkers – come out of Montessori classrooms. Some of the most wealthy wealthiest and most famous entrepreneurs attended Montessori schools and even attribute their success to this education. The founders of Threadless and Kickstarter have specifically called Montessori “Entrepreneurship Education.”
Indeed, most Montessori secondary programs include a class business. Dr. Montessori taught that adolescence is a critical time to understand the practical life lessons of economics – understanding the interplay of finance, production, service, and exchange. As children perform this real work, they discover what they enjoy and don’t and begin to explore their own roles in the pageant of human civilization.
A new website, Rising Innovator, intends to to step beyond the classroom by helping children 8 to 18 turn their ideas into successful businesses. Working in partnership with The Center for Guided Montessori Studies, Rising Innovator has developed a variety of tools, tips, information, inspiration, and advice designed to help young people become successful entrepreneurs.
The website offers business ideas, help with creating a business plan, advice on taxes and contracts, inspirational videos from other young entrepreneurs, and more. It has advice for parents on how to help their kids create successful businesses, and forums to connect with other young entrepreneurs and mentors.
Starting a business venture is a way for a young person to earn some extra cash, and it looks stellar on a college application. But the website has a larger purpose that is best described by its slogan: Improving the world one entrepreneur at a time. “An innovator changes the world, and we see all innovation as a form of entrepreneurship,” says Marc Seldin, Entrepreneur in Chief at Rising Innovator. “Both independence and interdependence are skills for the 21st century, whether you are an artist or a business leader. Entrepreneurs must be creative, self-motivated, and able to understand both the details of a project and its broader strategic goals.”
The website aims to become the primary portal for young entrepreneurs and their families, helping them get what they need on their own, at their own pace – for free. According to editorial director Dan Holly, “Our motivations are not only financial. We are equally motivated by our strong belief in the necessity of developing entrepreneurial skills among youth. We believe that we are instilling in the next generation a mindset for success that will help them in whatever career they end up pursuing. It will also help our nation as a whole by producing a sharper, more knowledgeable, more innovative workforce.”
Visit Rising Innovator on the web at www.risinginnovator.com.