Teen angst and business ownership

[Steve]

I have a question for you. This is more of a question on society and growing up. What do you feel is behind teen angst? What are the most difficult parts about making that transition from teen age years to adulthood? Do you think teens who own businesses have an easier time dealing with teen angst or no? If so why is that the case? Feel free to reply here or in the anonymous section.

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[StartALawnCareBusiness]

Lawn care business tips

Steve, that is a great question. I certainly went through some teen angst years....probably some adult angst years also. As you know, I came to this business from an accounting background right out of college. Ugh, sitting in a windowless cubicle everyday was my vision of hell. I felt I had zero control of my direction in life until I started my own LCO. In my case, the angst stemmed from feeling like I was drifting and living a directionless life. When a person is embarrassed by feelings of worthlessness, there is a tendency to show a non-caring attitude by that person though he is hurting deeply inside. Can you think of a better method of solving "worthlessness" than by helping someone start their own business and giving them direction? I have had lots of parents purchase my lawn care business materials in an effort to help their children find direction and have something to work toward. I can't count the number of "thank-you" notes from the parents and the kids themselves. How does the lawn care business help kids? In addition to giving them a direction, it also gives them confidence to interact with people outside their peer groups. They learn business concepts, learn how to operate and maintain equipment, learn a fair amount about horticulture, get strong by working outside, and make pretty good money in the process. Keith

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[Steve]

That is good stuff Keith.

When I reflect on our society I do wonder if the angst comes from how you are a kid up until you are 18 and then it's like the party is over. Go out and get a job or go to college for a few years and put off the inevitable.

Take for instance the kid who is the football player one moment. It's his senior year. He is in the locker room for the last game and the team all comes together when realizing this could be their last game ever. They may never be on another team again.

Why is it that there just doesn't seem to be enough education to train those who are interested in prolonging the fun they had when they were teens? It is possible if you create the infrastructure to do it.

Most teens don't know this at least that's my view. They look at their parents and say, I'll never be like them. Only to turn out to be just like that which they didn't want to become.

Why is there such a disconnect? Is that then what the angst is all about?

Them standing there at the precipice between childhood and adulthood and not liking what they see on the other side?

What then is one to do?

[StartALawnCareBusiness]

Steve:

Your post just reminded me of a book I read about 15 years ago.

It's called "Iron John" by Robert Bly. Look for it on Google Books where you can read excerpts.

The book discusses the meaning of being a man and how we have descended from the hunters & gatherers of our ancestors. It speaks how men live impotent lives sitting behind desks struggling to find meaning in long, boring lives.

If you have no patience for new-agey, burning man ideology, you may have to grit your teeth in certain sections. Overall, I think you will really like the read. I plan to reread it this weekend.

I definitely agree with you about the precipice between childhood and adulthood. I will always remember a graduation card I received from my brother. It said "Welcome to the REAL WORLD." Meaning, time to get a job and to work everyday for the rest of your life. It made me shudder when I read it. It still makes me shudder to think about that. I agree with you...why not find a way to make a living while still allowing the fun to continue?

Keith

[Steve]

I gotta check that out.

The thing I wonder is this. If society really wants to indoctrinate you into the working culture where you are to take the first job you see and stick with it. Don't think. Don't color outside of the lines. Conform.

How do you explain at times how you will get parents purchasing your training information to get their kids started on a proper entrepreneurial track?

Don't 99.9% of people want their children to simply get a good job with good benefits and disappear into that world?

Where do these parents come from that are looking to educate their children on how to be an entrepreneur? Are they entrepreneurs themselves? Or were they? Did they have a dream to do it that never came to fruition?

What's your take on that? Is there any correlation between any of that?

Or is it simply a parent seeing that their child has a desire to seek out their own freedom and the parent wants to give them as best of a shot at that as possible?




Throughout my readings and my experiences it seems like if there is a common societal norm, is if a child dreams of doing big things with a business, the parents tend to want to dissuade the child from it. Take for instance Arnold Schwarzenegger. Whom I just read about. He saw a magazine in a used book store with of Reg Park posing and he bought the magazine. He saw that Reg was not only an amazing body builder but he ran a bunch of gyms. Arnold saw that this was his destiny. He wanted to be a body builder and own gyms.

His parents thought it was absurd and tried to get him to be 'realistic.' But if it wasn't for his great ambition we would have never known him. And his story is just one in a long line of similar stories how there was little support to dream!