Agreed, I’m digging deep with this analogy but bear with me. Is it daddy’s responsibility to hand 16 year old Meg the Mercedes Benz on a silver platter aka ‘My Sweet Sixteen”?  Or should dad rather be the enabler to encourage Meg (whose friends all drive Porches remember so the pressure is on) to rather think creatively and come up with a sound plan to fund this sweet drive herself?

A plan that involves thoughtful deliberation combined with a fresh perspective that could result in Meg launching for example her own entrepreneurial venture perhaps; driving into the sunset with the Mercedes and a business tucked under the hood.

With today’s savvy teenagers, who want to make pots of money; have the latest gadgets and rely on instant gratification (not all bad desires) we have to harness that “gimme-gimme’ approach positively.

It begs the question, have “we” (parents, educators, big business and government) ensured that a significant and profound footprint of entrepreneurial advantage has been laid to afford our teenagers the ability to consider a growth opportunity or niche market venture as first prize?  Are we encouraging and celebrating entrepreneurial drive?

To be able to have the educated advantage, before simply trawling the papers and job portals for employment and despite the challenges teen entrepreneurs face, to pause and reflect on the entrepreneurial role they could play in today’s economy.

Does one turn to government expecting job creation reform?  Probably not, as legislation can tend to be a sticky mire in itself.  Certainly, they can be held accountable in the classroom in ensuring that a practical entrepreneurial curriculum is a given subject afforded the same non-negotiable respect as Maths and Afrikaans perhaps?

Does one wag fingers and tut-tut at big business expecting them to right the wrongs of a shaky platform.  I’m not so sure.  They are chasing a domestic target and during these fighting times it’s all hands on deck.  Could they perform a mentor role both in terms of human capital as well as financial, absolutely.

The gap is there to be filled for our fresh generation who need to reach out and grab it with both hands.