We can rattle off Elon Muskâs accomplishments in our sleep: co-founder of monetary giant PayPal; founder of Tesla, the electric car company that is literally changing the world; and founder of SpaceX,the company that is trying to take us out of this world and colonize another.
We can also absentmindedly rattle off a stream of adjectives that describe him: innovator, leader, genius,
visionary, futurist, entrepreneur.But can we describe why Musk is the way he is? And can we not only quantify those things that make Musk so successful, but also begin to embody them in our own lives? This might be a little bit more difficult to do, but I think it’s possible.
South Africa relies on entrepreneurs and their unique business ideas to boost the economy, as well as to help alleviate the unemployment crisis.The statistics speak for themselves, with youth unemployment rising to a staggering 64,4% of those aged 15-24 and 42,9% of those between 25-34 in the first quarter of 2021. In short, almost half of South Africaâs youth donât have work and, therefore, donât have an income.
The question is, why go out and look for a job when you can create one for yourself and, hopefully, for a handful of others in the near future, too? Experts are calling on young entrepreneurs to take control and make it happen, stating that now is the time for youth entrepreneurship.
The world does not need more lawyers; it needs dreamers who will do extraordinary things. The world of work is being re-imagined, and South Africa needs to teach its youth to be more innovative, more entrepreneurial to make create a sustainable and growing economy.
The KidsMBA believes that schoolchildren need to be taught how to create the kind of companies that will provide long-lasting employment in an environment that will be totally different from the one in which their parents make a living.
A grounding built on an entrepreneurial education will benefit students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Entrepreneurship education is not just about starting and running a company; it teaches students to think ambitiously and creatively. Children learn to think outside the box and it nurtures unconventional skills and abilities. It helps youth to tap into unrealised talents.
Good news to South Africans is that the ABE Endorsed KidsMBA is now available in the country through Muthelo College. Muthelo is a 100% black owned company based in South Africa with a focus in B-BBEE ratings, skills training and learner ship programs, ISO training and Consulting services.
The Kids MBA project is created with the purpose to develop children’s business and entrepreneurial skills, leadership potential and lateral thinking from the age of 11 and 16. âAs a society we still rely on kids learning business stewardship through trial and error. It is hardly surprising that so many promising new businesses failâ says Prof. Mark Warson-Gandy, Founder of KidsMBA School in the UK.
âWe want kids with entrepreneurial aptitude to build businesses at an early age. âWe are filling the gap in the market and changing the face of the future by providing internationally recognised entrepreneurial skills to children between the ages of 11 and 16. Kids need to grow up with the mind-set of a job creator and not a job seekerâ, says Mpho Mutavhatsindi, CEO at Muthelo College.
âChildren are the future economy drivers. Therefore, it is within our interest to equip them with entrepreneurial skills so that business practice is not a foreign concept to them in the future. Earlier
interventions can develop non-cognitive skills which are key to entrepreneurial success such as creativity, persistence and communicationâ, adds Mpho. As Albert Einstein once said: âIf you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.â
