Each November, Global Entrepreneurship Week celebrates creativity and ingenuity while also supporting local and small businesses. As an entrepreneur myself, I constantly encourage my own children to stretch their imaginations and think of ways they can create their own businesses while helping solve problems for other people.
Download a free Global Entrepreneurship Week poster here! Edit the text by downloading the PDF.
WHY AM I TALKING ABOUT GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK?
The world needs a whole lot more entrepreneurs!
I taught for 18 years in both US public and private international schools. Teaching ain’t easy, y’all. It’s been especially rough the past few years, as I see on teacher Facebook groups every single day.
Entrepreneurship is the way out of a toxic work environment. You won’t get rich quickly. You may not get rich at all. You have to have lots of consistency, patience, and perseverance every single day, and even then, your efforts may not amount to much.
But after working for myself for the past four years, I would not change this for ANYTHING. I am most definitely not rich, but I have supported my family since the pandemic with my little business. I have the freedom to work when I want and how I want.
My goal in life is to never, ever work for a toxic school system or administrator again. Those days are done and behind me forever.
If entrepreneurship speaks to you, please get started ASAP. You owe it to yourself to do something. Stop wishing for it and make it happen. Read books about entrepreneurship. Listen to podcasts. Watch YouTube videos.
You can do this, but you have to start. You have to be consistent. I work more hours now than I did as a teacher, but I love what I do. My only regret is that I waited far too long.
In 2023, Global Entrepreneurship Week is November 13-19.
PROMOTING ENTREPRENEURSHIP WITH STUDENTS
Want to promote entrepreneurship with your students? Here are five books that I recommend for middle and high school libraries. As always, every book I recommend has at least two positive professional reviews on Titlewave.
Kid Start-Up: How YOU Can be An Entrepreneur by Mark Cuban, et. al.
Recommended for: Grades 4-7
©2018
218 pages
Do you think it would be cool to run your own business?
Do you want to help people with everyday problems?
Do you want to make money?
Then you could be an entrepreneur!
You don’t have to be a grownup to launch your start-up. We’ll show you how to discover a great business idea and get it off the ground. You can try one of our ten kid-friendly businesses, including timeless ventures like starting a lemonade stand to more modern-day endeavors like launching an Etsy art store, or create your own. Because every billionaire was once a kid with great ideas―just like you!
Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid by Mikaila Ulmer
Recommended for: Grades 5-8
©2020
240 pages
When Mikaila Ulmer was four, she was stung by a bee–twice in one week. She was terrified of going outside, so her parents encouraged her to learn more about bees so she wouldn’t be afraid. It worked. Mikaila didn’t just learn what an important role bees play in our ecosystem, but she also learned bees are endangered, and set out to save them.
She started by selling cups of lemonade in front of her house and donating the small proceeds to organizations dedicated to bee conservation. When she realized the more lemonade she sold, the more bees she could help, Me & the Bees Lemonade was born.
Now she sells her lemonade across the country. From meetings with Fortune 500 CEOs, to securing a deal on Shark Tank, to even visiting the Obama White House, Mikaila’s lemonade and passion for bee conservation have taken her far.
In Bee Fearless, part memoir, part business guide, Mikaila–now fifteen–shares her personal journey and special brand of mindful entrepreneurship and offers helpful tips and guidance for young readers interested in pursuing their own ventures, instilling in them the bee-lief that they can bee fearless and achieve their dreams too.
Mo’s Bows: A Young Person’s Guide to Start-Up Success: Measure, Cut, Stitch Your Way to a Great Business by Moziah Bridges and Tramica Morris
Recommended for: Grades 5-9
©2019
176 pages
Running a successful business can be hard for anyone, but seventeen-year-old Moziah Bridges has becomes a pro at it. His company, Mo’s Bow’s, is what today’s “kidpreneurs” dream of achieving–a successful business selling a product that one loves and is passionate about. Mo shares with young business-minded readers his BOWS of Business: Believe in yourself, take the Opportunity to give back, Work hard/study hard, and have Support from friends and family. He knows there is a Mo’s Bows in every household-kids just need someone to help nurture their talents.
Aimed at young middle grade readers, Mo’s Bows: A Young Person’s Guide to Startup Success follows Mo’s journey to success and reveals all the ups and downs and important lessons he’s learned along the way-as well as provides information and tips on how to start your own business and succeed. Complete with a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Daymond John, this book is sure to inspire budding young entrepreneurs to achieve their business goals.
Idea Makers: 15 Fearless Female Entrepreneurs by Lowey Bundy Sichol
Recommended for: Grades 7-11
©2019
224 pages
Idea Makers shares the incredible stories of 15 women who changed the world through their entrepreneurship. Author Lowey Bundy Sichol presents five industries that women are leading in recent years: food, fashion and clothing, health and beauty, science and technology, and education.
Jenn Hyman brought couture fashion to everyday women with her idea to Rent the Runway. Morgan DeBaun supports Black journalists through Blavity. And Sandra Oh Lin is inspiring kids everywhere with KiwiCo activity boxes.
Readers learn about how the women featured risked their early careers, gave up their salaries, and sometimes even went against the approval of their families to follow their passions and start their own businesses. Today, these women are modern leaders worth billions of dollars and employing tens of thousands of individuals.
Girl Mogul: Dream It. Do It. Change the World by Tiffany Pham
Recommended for: Grades 8-AD
©2019
224 pages
Welcome to Girl Mogul! No matter who you are or where you come from, this book can help you define success, envision it, and make it happen―in school, in your personal life, and at work. Get ready to awaken all the awesomeness that is already inside of you.
You are fierce.
You are bold.
You are unique.
You are driven.
You are inspiring.
YOU ARE A GIRL MOGUL
Tiffany Pham, founder and CEO of Mogul, created one of the most successful platforms for girls worldwide, reaching millions of people to enact true change in their lives, after receiving thousands of emails asking for advice.
In Girl Mogul, she speaks directly to teens and young adults, sharing insights from her own life as well from the lives of the most incredible and inspiring women on Mogul. Tiffany has proven that with the right attitude, the right people, and the right vision, there’s nothing girls can’t do.