When we tell people we created an ABC book that teaches entrepreneurship, we usually get one of two reactions:
- “Wait, entrepreneurship for five-year-olds? Isn’t that a bit much?”
- “Oh, that’s interesting! How does that even work?”
Fair questions, both of them.
Here’s the thing: we’re not trying to turn kindergarteners into startup founders through our ABC Book. We’re not teaching them how to write business plans or pitch to investors. That would be ridiculous.
What we are doing is introducing them to concepts that will serve them their entire lives, whether they end up running a company, working within one, or doing something else entirely.
Because entrepreneurship isn’t just about starting businesses. It’s a way of thinking. And that way of thinking can start early.
What Does “Entrepreneurial Thinking” Even Mean?
When we think about entrepreneurship, we think about a specific set of skills and mindsets:
- Seeing problems and imagining solutions
- Being willing to try things, even when you might fail
- Understanding that you can create value for others
- Working with other people toward a shared goal
- Taking responsibility for your own growth and learning
Notice what’s not on that list: venture capital, profit margins, market analysis.
Those things matter in business. But they’re not what makes someone entrepreneurial at their core.
The core stuff? That can absolutely be taught to a five-year-old. In fact, it’s probably easier to teach it to a five-year-old, before they’ve internalized a bunch of limiting beliefs about what they can and can’t do.
The Words That Build an Entrepreneurial Mindset
When Kevin and I sat down to create Big Ideas for Little Achievers ABC Book, we asked ourselves: what are the foundational words that entrepreneurs use, words that kids could understand and grow with?
Here are a few from our ABC book that made the cut:
C is for Create
“When you create, you make something that didn’t exist before.”
This is maybe the most entrepreneurial concept there is. Entrepreneurs are creators. They see gaps and fill them. They imagine things and bring them into existence.
Teaching a kid that they have the power to create, whether it’s a drawing, a story, a solution to a problem—is huge.
G is for Goal
“A goal is something you’re working toward.”
Entrepreneurs are goal-oriented. They don’t just wander around hoping things work out. They set targets and figure out how to reach them.
A five-year-old can understand goals. “I want to learn to ride my bike” is a goal. “I want to build a tall tower with my blocks” is a goal. It’s the same skill, just scaled to their world.
O is for Opportunity
“An opportunity is a chance to try something that could be special.”
This one’s about recognizing possibility. Entrepreneurs see opportunities where other people see problems or obstacles.
When kids learn to spot opportunities “Hey, my friend needs help carrying those books, I could help them!”—they’re developing that same muscle.
R is for Rise
“When you rise, you get back up after falling or making a mistake.”
Resilience. Grit. Whatever you want to call it. Entrepreneurs fail constantly. The ones who succeed are the ones who get back up.
Teaching kids early that falling down is part of the process, not a reason to quit, is one of the most valuable lessons they can learn.
V is for Voice
“Your voice is how you share your thoughts and ideas.”
Entrepreneurs have to communicate. They have to pitch. They have to explain their vision to others and get people excited about it.
Telling a kid that their voice matters, that their ideas are worth sharing, builds confidence that will serve them forever.
But What If They Don’t Become Entrepreneurs?
Good. They shouldn’t all become entrepreneurs.
The world needs teachers and doctors and artists and engineers and social workers and a million other things. Not everyone needs to start a company after reading the ABC book for entrepreneurship.
But here’s what everyone does need:
- The ability to solve problems creatively
- The confidence to try new things
- The resilience to bounce back from failure
- The communication skills to share their ideas
- The understanding that they can create value in the world
Those aren’t “entrepreneurship skills.” Those are life skills.
We just happen to teach them through the lens of entrepreneurship because that’s the work we do. But the skills themselves? They’re universal from the ABC book Big Ideas for Little Achievers.
Starting Earlier Than You Think
At Venture Achievers, we have a full curriculum for middle and high school students. We teach them how to identify problems, build solutions, understand markets, pitch ideas the whole thing.
But we realized: why wait until middle school?
Why not introduce these concepts way earlier, when kids’ brains are like sponges and they haven’t yet learned to doubt themselves?
An ABC book can’t teach everything. But it can introduce the vocabulary. It can normalize the ideas. It can plant seeds that grow over time.
Because here’s what I’ve observed through working with young people: the earlier kids get exposed to empowering concepts, the more naturally those concepts become part of who they are.
You don’t have to wait until they’re teenagers to teach them about goals, creativity, and resilience.
You can start much earlier. With an alphabet book.
They Don’t Have to Be Big to Have Big Ideas
That’s actually the tagline for our ABC book: “You don’t have to be big to have big ideas.”
Because it’s true. Kids are natural entrepreneurs. They’re curious. They’re creative. They’re not yet constrained by all the “that’s impossible” and “that’s not how things work” messages that adults carry around.
We’re just giving them the words to name what they’re already doing and encouraging them to keep doing it.
Ready to introduce your little achiever to 26 words that build entrepreneurial thinking? Get your copy of Big Ideas for Little Achievers here.
