Before Kids Can Build a Business, They Have to Believe They Can

By Kari Ehmer

We spend a lot of time preparing kids for their future.

We teach them math, reading, science, and history. We encourage them to work hard, make good choices, and prepare for whatever comes next.

But there’s another skill that can influence almost everything they do:

Believing they are capable of figuring things out.

That belief matters in the classroom, on the field, in relationships, in leadership, and eventually, in the workplace.

And entrepreneurship gives kids a powerful place to practice it.

Entrepreneurship For Kids Builds More Than Business Skills

When a young person creates something, shares an idea, talks to a customer, makes a decision, or hears the word “no,” they’re learning far more than how to run a business.

They’re learning how to trust themselves.

Entrepreneurship asks kids to use their voice.

They have to explain an idea, ask a question, or tell someone why they believe in what they’re offering. There isn’t always an adult standing beside them telling them exactly what to say.

That can be uncomfortable.

Their voice might shake. They might forget what they wanted to say. They might have to try again.

But every attempt gives them evidence:

I can do something even when it feels uncomfortable.

That’s how confidence starts to grow—not because everything goes perfectly, but because they discover they can handle the moments when it doesn’t.

Learning to Hear “No” Without Making It Personal

Using their voice also means kids will eventually hear “no.”

An idea won’t work.

Someone won’t buy what they’re selling.

Something they were excited about won’t get the response they hoped for.

That’s where another important lesson begins.

Kids can easily turn:

“This didn’t work.”

into:

“I’m not good at this.”

What if we teach them to ask a different question instead?

What can I learn from this?

Maybe the message wasn’t clear. Maybe they need a different approach. Or maybe the answer was simply no.

Failure isn’t an identity. It’s information.

That distinction matters.

Confidence Isn’t Believing You’ll Always Succeed

I often remind students and athletes that confidence isn’t believing you’re always going to

succeed.

Confidence is believing you can handle what happens when you don’t.

Once kids begin to understand that, a setback becomes less about what happened and more about what they choose to do next.

Do I try again?

Do I change my approach?

Do I solve the problem differently?

That’s where ownership starts to grow.

Give Kids Opportunities to Make Decisions

So much of childhood involves being told what to do.

Go here.

Finish this.

Follow these instructions.

Entrepreneurship gives kids opportunities to ask a different question:

“What do I think we should do?”

They make a decision.

They see what happens.

They adjust.

And little by little, those experiences add up.

They used their voice.

They heard “no” and kept going.

They made a decision.

They solved a problem.

They recovered from a mistake.

Eventually, “I don’t know if I can do this” starts becoming:

“I figured it out.”

“I handled that.”

“I can do hard things.”

The Business Is the Opportunity to Practice

That shift matters far beyond a business.

When young people begin seeing themselves as problem-solvers, leaders, and people capable of figuring things out, they carry that belief into the classroom, onto the field, into relationships, and eventually into their careers.

Not every child who learns entrepreneurship will become an entrepreneur.

And that’s not the point.

The business is the opportunity to practice.

The business they build today may be temporary.

But the belief they build about themselves can last much longer.

Because one of the greatest things we can teach a young person isn’t simply how to succeed.

It’s how to believe:

“Whatever happens next, I can handle it.”

About Kari Ehmer

Kari Ehmer is a confidence and leadership speaker and coach who helps students and student-athletes develop the mindset, resilience, self-belief, and leadership skills to thrive under pressure.

A West Point graduate, U.S. Army veteran, and former Division I athlete, Kari combines real-world leadership experience with practical mindset tools young people can use in school, sports, relationships, and life.

Through speaking, workshops, and coaching, she helps young people strengthen their inner voice, recover from mistakes, take ownership of their choices, and become more confident in who they are and what they’re capable of becoming.

Keep Building the Skills Behind the Success

Entrepreneurship gives young people an incredible opportunity to practice leadership, resilience, communication, problem-solving, and ownership in the real world.

Those skills become even more powerful when kids learn how to manage self-doubt, respond to pressure, learn from mistakes, and trust themselves when things don’t go according to plan.

If you’re an educator, coach, or parent looking for practical ways to help young people build these skills, explore Kari’s student workshops, speaking programs, confidence resources, and coaching at kariehmer.com.