By Lisa Evans

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If you own your own business, it’s a great idea to hire your own kids and test their ability to handle responsibility. But even if you’re kids aren’t ready to be put to work, entrepreneurial parents can teach kids a lot more than just the in’s and out’s of their own business. Mom of three Kendra Doersam, founder of No Sweat Life, a line of active lifestyle products, says her children (ages 2, 4 and 6) have acquired a number of life lessons as a result of her entrepreneurial lifestyle.

Being an entrepreneur can give parents access to powerful teaching moments to impart all sorts of important life lessons and skills.

Adaptability.

Entrepreneurs need to be able to juggle various aspects of life and business and wear many different hats throughout the day. Doersam says this is a skill she’s tried to impart on her own children. “I expose my kids to a variety of people and languages and environments and I expect them to adapt,” she says. While most children interact the same way with others regardless who they’re interacting with, Doersam says her middle child especially has shown an ability to interact differently with different adults. “He is attentive to clues of where that person is coming from and adjusts his response accordingly,” she says.

Independence.

Being an entrepreneur is the ultimate test of independence. “As an entrepreneur, you’re the only person responsible for your successes or failures,” says Doersam. Her kids have picked up on the self-confidence it takes to be able to put their foot forward. “The kids have no qualms about entering a new environment like a school. The older ones will tell the younger ones ‘everyone is nervous, just say hi and ask if someone wants to play,’” she says.

Perseverance.

Every entrepreneur goes through highs and lows and must push through. Although her kids are too young for Doersam to share all of her successes and failures, she says she has sought to show her kids how to push through difficult situations through participation in sports, something aligned with her brand. Not giving up is part of succeeding in sport, just as in business.

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