Looking for a summer read? Try one of these 5 books by Bill Gates

I always like to pick out a bunch of books to bring with me whenever I get ready to go on vacation. More often than not, I end up taking more books than I could possibly read on one trip. My philosophy is that I’d rather have too much to read on a trip than too little.

If you’re like me, you’re probably starting to think about what’s on your summer reading list this year—and I can’t recommend the books below highly enough.

None of them are what most people think of as a light read. All but one deal with the idea of disruption, but I don’t mean “disruption” in the way tech people usually mean it. I’ve recently found myself drawn to books about upheaval (that’s even the title of the one of them)—whether it’s the Soviet Union right after the Bolshevik revolution, the United States during times of war, or a global reevaluation of our economic system.

If you’re looking for something that’s more of a typical summer book, I recommend Graeme Simsion’s The Rosie Result. (And if you haven’t read the first two books in the Rosie trilogy, summer vacation is the perfect time to start!) I also can’t resist a plug for Melinda’s new book The Moment of Lift. I know I’m biased, but it’s one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.

Here is my full summer reading list:

Upheaval, by Jared Diamond. I’m a big fan of everything Jared has written, and his latest is no exception. The book explores how societies react during moments of crisis. He uses a series of fascinating case studies to show how nations managed existential challenges like civil war, foreign threats, and general malaise. It sounds a bit depressing, but I finished the book even more optimistic about our ability to solve problems than I started.

Nine Pints, by Rose George. If you get grossed out by blood, this one probably isn’t for you. But if you’re like me and find it fascinating, you’ll enjoy this book by a British journalist with an especially personal connection to the subject. I’m a big fan of books that go deep on one specific topic, so Nine Pints (the title refers to the volume of blood in the average adult) was right up my alley. It’s filled with super-interesting facts that will leave you with a new appreciation for blood.

A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles. It seems like everyone I know has read this book. I finally joined the club after my brother-in-law sent me a copy, and I’m glad I did. Towles’s novel about a count sentenced to life under house arrest in a Moscow hotel is fun, clever, and surprisingly upbeat. Even if you don’t enjoy reading about Russia as much as I do (I’ve read every book by Dostoyevsky), A Gentleman in Moscow is an amazing story that anyone can enjoy.

Presidents of War, by Michael Beschloss. My interest in all aspects of the Vietnam War is the main reason I decided to pick up this book. By the time I finished it, I learned a lot not only about Vietnam but about the eight other major conflicts the U.S. entered between the turn of the 19th century and the 1970s. Beschloss’s broad scope lets you draw important cross-cutting lessons about presidential leadership.

The Future of Capitalism, by Paul Collier. Collier’s latest book is a thought-provoking look at a topic that’s top of mind for a lot of people right now. Although I don’t agree with him about everything—I think his analysis of the problem is better than his proposed solutions—his background as a development economist gives him a smart perspective on where capitalism is headed.

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The 5 Mental Traps Every Founder Falls Into And How To Avoid Them

 

1. Saying, "I’ll just do it" if you see a teammate moving too slowly and you feel like you can do the work faster yourself.

This is the mistake I find myself making most often.

It’s especially prevalent among founders of early-stage startups, in those situations when you’ve hired a new team member to take over some part of your job for you. The truth is, a new hire will need time to ramp up, to learn the job — and of course, during that learning period, they won’t be able to complete the tasks you used to do as fast as you can.



But that doesn’t matter. Taking over their workload is the opposite of what you want to do, because it will prevent them from ever being able to run their domain autonomously. That will, in turn, prevent you from ever being able to scale your company.

And it’ll have other side effects, too. Stepping on your new teammate’s toes damages their morale — especially if they’re already suffering from a bit of Imposter Syndrome. And it wastes money in opportunity cost, mostly in the long run.

Let your new hires struggle so they grow - at least for the first few weeks.

2. Measuring hours, not progress

In the startup world, it’s annoyingly common to overhear people bragging about how often they get to the office early or stay there late.

That literally means nothing.

Unlike in Corporate America, that facetime doesn’t matter here. All that matters is progress.

Here’s what I’ve learned: I would rather have my team sleep later and leave earlier if that means they are sharper and more productive when they’re in the office. What matters are deliverables. To measure someone’s contribution to a growing company or cause, you need only look at things like:

• What they accomplish

• If they hit roadmap goals or deadlines

• If they’re a reliable and respected team member

Of course, founders often behave in ways which prop up this fallacy, too. I try and avoid doing that by creating daily checklists for myself, and measuring my day in accordance with what manageable tasks I’ve accomplished or made progress on during the day.

Ultimately, being goal-oriented — as opposed to hours-oriented — is how you align conceptions of “productivity” with success, for both yourself and your team.

 

3. Feeling like you can’t take a break

Many founders routinely push themselves to the point of exhaustion in running their company — mentally sprinting 18 straight hours a day, never allowing themselves to stop, sleep, or take a vacation. They feel it’s what they need to do. I’ve even seen founders post about their “work ethic” on Instagram or Twitter as a way to get some social validation that what they are doing is “extra-ordinary”. Nothing gives you motivation these days like that late night “like” or “retweet.”

But in reality, that’s unproductive. Burning yourself out makes you less effective. The startup life is a marathon — not a sprint. And despite some of the very strange and very brilliant people you’ll meet along the way, we aren’t all robots (or cyborgs)…yet.

If you find yourself constantly inundated with tasks or action items that seem to force you to work without ever taking a break, take a step back and reflect. Often, you’ll find that you’re taking longer than you likely need completing certain tasks because you are:

• Distracted (not all emails need to be answered right away)

• Mismanaging your time

• Not giving yourself enough “deep work” time

It’s about being purposeful. The old adage really does ring true: work smarter, not harder.

That also means allowing yourself to take breaks.

 

4. Trying to be the "cool boss"

There’s a fine line between being the “boss” and being a friend. When you’re running an early-stage startup — beholden to your team, investors, and to yourself — it’s always better to be the former.

It’s good to be friendly, but feigning honesty will have drastic consequences, both personally and company-wide. Among other things, it will:

• Promote an overtly political company atmosphere in which your team is competing not to be productive or valuable, but to be a member of some founder “inner circle.”

• Eat away at you personally, since the problems you fail to call out are never being remedied. This will eventually cause you to resent that person to the point of wanting to fire them.

• Cripple your product, since the feedback loop is broken.

• Prevent your company culture from growing into one of honesty, transparency and constant feedback, which is what you need.

When you need to have hard conversations, just rip the band-aid off. Be direct and say what you need to say. It’s the only way things will improve. And, truly, as long as you remain professional with your feedback, nobody will fault you.

The truth is, your team will — and should — fault you if you’re not doing your job.

 

5. Thinking you need to tell everybody things are going great all the time

Founders might be more guilty of this mental trap than any of the others. Talk to a friend or colleague who’s starting a company right now, and ask them how it’s going. 99% of the time, you’ll hear: “It’s going great.”

Not only is this often dishonest, but it has other unforeseen consequences, too. It can:

• Piss people off, since most of the time it comes off as disingenuous or as you stroking your own ego.

• Preclude you from receiving what might be very valuable advice or help, since those who could give it to you won’t think you need it.

• Decrease your credibility — especially after people find out things actually aren’t going great, even though you told them the opposite just a short while ago.

Personally, I push myself — at this stage in my career — to be completely honest when answering this question. “You know what? Shit’s hard right now.” Saying that to people at the very least is honest, and better yet, might help me form bonds with others who’ve gone through the same struggle.

At the end of the day, everyone involved in the startup grind makes mistakes. That’s to be expected. What’s important is that you don’t make the mistakes you can avoid.

That starts with avoiding these mental traps.

Origin

Six science-backed techniques to help you make hard decisions

MiniBoss Franchisee in Dubai

1. Make a “value-based” pros & cons list

Imagine that you’re considering a move. Will you relocate to another city? Pull out a piece of paper and write a classic pros and cons list for the move.

Now, here’s where science has added a helpful twist.

Assign every list entry a number from 0 to 1, based on your personal values. For example, if being closer to your family is a “pro” that’s extremely high on your list, you might score it at 0.9 or 0.95.

If you listed “near the mountains” as another pro, but you’re more of a culture hound than an alpine hiker, then it might only rate 0.2 or 0.3.

Do the same for the “con” side. Leaving a job you love could score 0.8, for example, if your career is an essential part of your life.

Add up each side, multiply by 100, and see whether the pro or con side wins out. You can also make a separate pro and con list for staying where you are. Compare the final values and see how you feel about the outcome.



Often, confronting a “logical” number (which was actually weighted with emotions) can illuminate subconscious feelings.

If you see the numbers but still feel pulled in the opposite direction, it’s worth doing some deeper exploration.

You can also use this technique for smaller, less personal decisions, like which project or feature to tackle next.

2. Explore future scenarios

Considering the best- and worst-case scenarios is a common way to make tough choices.

What’s the very best future you can imagine? The worst? And how would you feel if that disastrous scenario became reality?

To expand on this technique, psychologist Gary Klein has studied a twist he calls the “premortem.” In a classic Harvard Business Review story, Klein explains why a premortem is the hypothetical opposite of a postmortem.

“A postmortem in a medical setting allows health professionals and the family to learn what caused a patient’s death. Everyone benefits except, of course, the patient. A premortem in a business setting comes at the beginning of a project rather than the end, so that the project can be improved rather than autopsied.”

Imagine that your decision was terrible. The project you chose to tackle was a crash-and-burn disaster. Now, explore every possible reason for the failure.

Once you address this worst-case scenario, you can take steps to prevent it — and make a better decision in the first place.

In fact, research shows that premortems (which are also called prospective hindsight) can increase our ability to identify future outcome causes by 30%.

On the flip side, try to visualize that epic, best-case future scenario and gauge how you feel. If you’re not happy or excited, it’s worth considering why.

Amazon uses a variation of both these techniques. Company developers must draft a hypothetical press release and FAQ announcement before they even write any code.

By working backwards, the team tackles the most difficult decisions upfront and clarifies the product’s value proposition. As reporter Jillian D’Onfro explains, “if the team can’t come up with a compelling press release, the product probably isn’t worth making.”

3. Avoid binary choices

We often get stuck choosing between this or that. Should I go back to school or start a business? Should I move to San Francisco or stay in Houston?

It’s easy to see the world in black-and-white, but there’s typically a grey option in the middle — or several shades of grey.

Maybe you could spend summers in San Francisco (as long as you can embrace Karl the Fog) and winters in Houston. Or, you could live in Houston for another couple years and move to the Bay Area later.

Sometimes the right choice is not one of two opposites. It’s a more creative, nuanced, or flexible solution.

 

4. Consult with others

Sharing your dilemma with others can justify or reinforce a choice, but more importantly, it’s a valuable way to gather valuable information.

If you can’t decide whether to move, for example, don’t just survey your friends and family (who will also have skin in your game); talk to someone who made the same move. Ask how they feel now about their decision.

For professional or business decisions, try hiring a consultant. Find people who have deep, niche expertise and learn as much from them as you can.

The extra information you gather will almost inevitably help you make better choices in the future.

 

5. Give yourself enough time

I still remember the day I quit my job. As I climbed the two flights of stairs to my boss’s office, my heart was thumping in my chest. My legs were shaking and my mouth was parched.

I knew it was the right choice, but my mind raced: “Am I making a mistake? Should I turn around? Maybe I should stay another year.”

But, I made it to his office and had the conversation I was dreading.

I had been thinking about this leap for at least two years, and my side products were easily paying the bills. Taking time to choose empowered me to make one of the best decisions of my life.

 

6. Avoid hidden decisions

For nearly 6,000 years, North America’s First Nations hunted the plains buffalo by chasing them over cliffs and finishing the kill below.

This method enabled tribes to gather and store large quantities of meat, hide and fat for the long winter ahead.

I always wondered why so many bison would just run over the cliff. They were usually pursued by hunters on horseback, for one, but it’s also an example of herd behavior. All the animals are just following the group, letting the flow take them where it will.

Buffalo jumps are a good metaphor for hidden decisions or non-decisions, which we’ve all experienced at times. When you procrastinate or delay an important choice, you’re still making a decision — and it’s rarely a good one.

For example, maybe you need to part ways with an employee, but you put it off to avoid a potential confrontation.

If the employee is negative, unpleasant, or ill-suited to their role, the choice to wait and delay can poison the whole team. Non-decision is a choice with real consequences.

Origin

WOW ! How Unites Family Teambuiding (Photo)

MiniBoss unites generations.

Parents and children took part in teambuilding. They perform the job together. They make one team.

See photo report аnd you will also feel the atmosphere of the holiday.
























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60 Reasons Why Entrepreneurship Is Amazing

1. You have full control over your destiny. You call the shots and make the decisions that ultimately determine the success or failure of your business. Nobody will get in the way of your vision.

2. Entrepreneurs are innovators. Think of all the new technology and ideas that have come to life over the past few years. Those were all once just an idea -- but amazing entrepreneurs brought those ideas to life.

3. You become part of a family. The entrepreneurial culture is almost like a big family -- and you won’t find a better group of people willing to offer advice and help than fellow entrepreneurs.

4. You control who represents your brand. The team you surround yourself with plays a major role in your success -- you can assemble a team of like-minded individuals that share your same drive and passion.

5. No dress code. CEO and Founder of Vivint, Todd Pedersen, was recently on the TV show Undercover Boss and stated that he wears a company-branded baseball hat daily. He is the boss -- he can wear whatever he wants.

6. You have the opportunity to change lives. Have an idea for a product or service that has the potential to make a huge impact? Go for it - nothing is stopping you!

7. You have full control over your workspace. Do you excel in a creative environment? Want an office with dry-erase paint so you can draw on the walls and a full espresso bar to keep you full of caffeine? Make it happen!

8. It provides a rush that is hard to duplicate. There is no greater shot of adrenaline than the one you receive after reaching a goal and knowing you worked extremely hard to get to that point.

9. You serve as a role model. As an entrepreneur, people will look up to you. You have the ability to be a role model for family, friends, employees and community members. Your success serves as motivation and inspiration.

10. You will never be bored. There is always something to do and you will more than likely always have a mile long to-do list. Every day presents new challenges and new opportunities to keep you on your toes.

11. Freedom to travel. Modern technology, remote employees and the Internet allow you the freedom to travel while still running your business. Being able to see the world while creating an amazing company is a realistic possibility.

12. There is no age barrier. Entrepreneurs are starting at very young ages -- some straight out of college, some while still in high school and even children as young as 9 years old that want to create healthy treats.

13. Your mind will always be utilized. Every single decision that involves your business is your responsibility, from the initial concept and branding to the growth and goal setting.

14. The satisfaction of saying you’re a business owner. It is a great feeling to be able step back and say, “this is my company,” while proudly holding your head up. Being an entrepreneur takes an incredible amount of work -- those few words feel so good coming out of your mouth.

15. Go cubicle free. Entrepreneurs have total freedom to roam, create, delegate and work. There are no cubicles or desks to be tied to all day.

16. No blame game. As an entrepreneur, there is no finger-pointing when something goes wrong. Knowing every decision that I make daily directly impacts my business is the best kind of motivation.

17. You never feel undervalued. If you have ideas to make the business better you can implement them right away -- you don’t have to hope that someone in a higher position will give you the time of day and listen to your suggestions.

18. Creating something from nothing. Every business starts as an idea. You get to create it from the ground up.

19. Opportunity to make a better mousetrap. Have an idea to make something better or more efficient? Make it happen!

20. Spend more time with family. Entrepreneurs with children have the ability to adjust their schedules to attend school functions and activities.

21. You get out what you put in. If you are willing to work harder than anyone else, you will be rewarded accordingly. Want to experience more growth and opportunities? Simply work harder.

22. Provide opportunities for family members. Many will say that mixing family and business partnerships is a bad idea (and I agree) -- but this is less of an issue when talking about an employer/employee relationship.

23. Opportunity to give back. Owning a business gives you the opportunity to support local charity events, local schools and nonprofit organization. Being able to make a difference in your community is a great feeling.

24. Become healthier. A flexible schedule allows you to create a fitness routine and stick to it. Hit the gym early in the morning, at lunch or in the evening -- whatever works for you.

25. Enjoy your hobbies. As long as you “do the work” and give 100 percent when in work mode, your free time can be spent doing the things you love. Attend more sporting events, play more rounds of golf or fish more. Being an entrepreneur provides you with the ability to enjoy your hobbies more.

26. You contribute to society. You can directly impact society by introducing a service or product that people use.

27. No more frantically checking the time. How many times does the 9-to-5 crowd check the clock daily? Often. As an entrepreneur your time management balance is key. Your day ends when your tasks and responsibilities are taken care of.

28. You report to nobody. There is no boss to report to and you don’t have to get expense requests approved. If you want to do something you believe will help your business there is no red tape to navigate through.

29. It'll be one of the biggest challenges you will face. Leading a company and team members on a growth path is a huge challenge. The obstacles you face along the way will provide you with an experience you won't find anywhere else.

30. No career hamster wheel. Imagine doing the same thing every day for as long as you work. Thankfully, as an entrepreneur you don’t have to worry about this -- you wear multiple hats and play a variety of roles.

31. The ability to pivot. If your business model slows down, you have the freedom to pivot. Think of how many businesses died because of the Internet. The ones with good leaders simply pivoted and made adjustments to survive.

32. You get to work with brilliant minds. As an entrepreneur you will connect with extremely intelligent people from all over the world. You encounter brilliant minds on your team and through business relationships.

33. Create a legacy. Creating a successful brand to the point where it leaves a personal legacy behind is appealing and serves as motivation for many entrepreneurs.

34. Turn your passion and beliefs into a business. Are you passionate about health and fitness? Become a nutritional consultant or open a gym. You have the ability to create a business as well as impact people through your passions and beliefs.

35. You can make people happy. There is a good chance you own an Apple product -- an iPhone, MacBook, iMac, iPod or iPad. These products bring a smile to faces of millions every single day. Sure, Apple is making billions of dollars, but they are also making their customers happy.

36. You will never hit a ceiling. Some jobs have a growth cap and you can only advance so far. When you are an entrepreneur, there is no growth ceiling.

37. Earn a living doing what you love. Let’s face it, money is important. When you are able to make a comfortable living doing what you love it’s a win-win situation.

38. Feeling appreciated is great. It’s a great feeling when you receive an email or phone call from someone that took time out of his or her day to let you know that your business impacted them in a positive way.

39. Build your own security. It doesn’t get any more secure than controlling your own destiny. You will never stress about having the wrong person in charge of a business.

40. You get to constantly learn. As an entrepreneur you are always learning lessons -- sometimes the hard way. It is a priceless education that you can’t get in a classroom.

41. Eliminate downsizing or layoff fears. Businesses make cuts and lay off employees daily. That can be extremely stressful. When you become an entrepreneur this fear doesn’t exist.

42. Bad days could always be worse. A bad day as an entrepreneur is better than a bad day working for someone else.

43. No degrees or pieces of paper stand in your way. You don’t have to have a degree from an Ivy League school to start a business. In fact, some of the most successful tech billionaires dropped out of college.

44. You get to push the envelope. There are no boundaries -- create, invent and disrupt as you wish. This is how brilliant ideas are born.

45. Satisfy your personal curiosity. Most entrepreneurs are curious -- will my idea work? Can I grow this into a sustainable business? Can I be a good leader?

46. No more boring meetings. Gone are the days of boring meetings -- now, if you are in a boring meeting, you have nobody to blame but yourself.

47. Media and press acknowledgement. When your company receives media coverage and validation it is extremely satisfying. Recognition for the hard work you put in helps fuel your inner fire.

48. You become a provider. As an entrepreneur you will become a provider for many. Your employees will depend on your leadership and decision-making, as it will directly impact their livelihood and well-being.

49. Create your own corporate culture. You get to create a corporate culture based on your beliefs. Want to allow your employees to work from home on Fridays? How about providing in-office daycare to allow your employees to bring their children to work? You get to develop the corporate culture that you believe will provide the best environment for success and excellence.

50. Experience personal growth. It is a great feeling when you look back and see how much you have grown as an individual. The growth and success of a business is often directly related to the personal growth of the entrepreneur behind it.

51. You become an expert problem solver. As a business owner you become very resourceful and over time you will learn to overcome anything and solve any problem placed in front of you.

52. It never feels like work. Some might disagree -- but that just means they haven’t found what they truly love to do. Once you do find that you will never refer to what you do as work.

53. Even learning disabilities can’t stop you. Johnny Earle, the creator of the brand Johnny Cupcakes, is proof that not even a learning disability can stop an entrepreneur from succeeding. If you don’t know Johnny’s story watch this video for some inspiration.

54. Endless life experiences. You get to travel to new places and interact with different people all the time. What some might see as just a business conference, you see as an opportunity to visit a new part of the world and meet people you would never have met otherwise.

55. You develop an iron jaw. You are going to get hit and knocked down. Learning to take the punches and continuing to get up turns you into a stronger business owner and individual.

56. You get to walk on the wild side. When you put your own livelihood and finances on the line because you believe in something 100 percent, it becomes an extreme rush.

57. You conduct your own performance review. Sales, company morale, growth and customer feedback can all be used to judge your performance -not some person with a clipboard and a generic Q&A review test.

58. You can get competitive with yourself. Entrepreneurs are competitive by nature. The goal is to constantly improve and grow, so turn it into a personal competition. Can you make more business contacts today than you did yesterday? Can you motivate your sales team to crush the numbers from yesterday?

59. It enables you to dream big. No idea is too crazy and no goal is too big when you are an entrepreneur - you can dream as big as you want!

60. You don’t have to be lucky. Luck has nothing to do with being successful. Thinking it does is just an excuse that prevents you from achieving success.

Origin

MINIBOSS ADMISSION STARTED IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES

Knowledge Day MiniBoss in different countries

The new academic year started in the branches of the international network of the MiniBoss Business School.

Look how friends meet in different countries.
These are the first photos.
To be continued...

 

MiniBoss Odessa, Ukraine

MiniBoss Kiev, Ukraine

MiniBoss Chernivtsi, Ukraine

MiniBoss Lithuania: Vilnius, Klaipeda, Kaunas

MiniBoss Asia: Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia

Photo: Facebook MiniBoss Business School International

7 Kids Who Have Founded Incredibly Successful Businesses (Video)

They're signing licensing deals, launching video series, and collecting big checks on Shark Tank - and they're not even old enough to drive yet.

How Does Your Parenting Technique Compare to Elon Musk's and Jeff Bezos'?

Elon Musk

While Elon Musk reportedly spends 80 to 90 hours per week working, it’s clear he’s a hands-on father to his five boys. The thrice-divorced Musk brings his sons to his California-based factories regularly and takes his sons on an annual camping trip.

“I’m a pretty good dad,” Musk has said. “I have the kids for slightly more than half the week and spend a fair bit of time with them. I also take them with me when I go out of town.”

In the area of his children’s education, Musk goes beyond the scope of “pretty good dad.” He’s so invested that he began his own uber-exclusive, by-invitation-only school, Ad Astra (Latin for “to the stars”) in southern California. He spoke about Ad Astra during an interview with a Chinese network in 2015 and has been tight-lipped ever since.

What we know about the school is that it doesn’t have grades and the education caters to the aptitudes of the children. Musk, who believes that children should be taught critical thinking through problem-solving, has said, “If you want to teach children how engines work, you wouldn’t want to first teach them all about wrenches and all about screwdrivers. You would show them the engine, and ask how they would take it apart. Then a very important thing happens, which is that the relevance of the tools becomes apparent.”

Ad Astra also teaches the ramifications of advancing technology and ethics to its students. No surprise, considering Musk is extremely vocal on the topic.

Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg is one gushy dad. When his first daughter Max was born in 2015, he posted a lengthy letter on Facebook that he and his wife penned, which boiled down to wanting to make the world a better place and announcing the creation of his and his wife's foundation, The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. For the arrival of his second daughter, August, in 2017, Zuckerberg posted a less lengthy but nonetheless sweet note to hail her arrival.

“Childhood is magical,” the post read. “You only get to be a child once, so don’t spend it worrying too much about the future.”

As for his parenting techniques, Zuckerberg hasn’t gone into lengthy detail, however it’s public knowledge that both he and his wife Priscilla Chan are extremely invested in childhood education, which is likely a part of their parenting style. The two are involved in an ambitious push to personalize and democratize education through providing every student with customized learning, an initiative tag-teamed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In other education news, the Facebook founder and CEO also shared his diaper-changing hack during a Facebook forum: “Have you figured out yet that when you change the diapers you have to slide the new diaper underneath?” he asked the audience, adding, “That saved me a lot of time and wasted clothing.”

Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos and his wife Mackenzie do not buy into over-protecting their four children. The couple give their kids a long leash to play and experiment, including with knives and power tools at relatively young ages. The Amazon CEO explained that his wife MacKenzie has said, “I'd much rather have a kid with nine fingers than a resourceless kid."

Bezos greatly values resourcefulness, which is one of the traits he was looking for in a wife. "I’m looking for a woman who can get me out of a Third World prison,” he has stated. Mackenzie, a Princeton graduate who worked at the same investment firm as Bezos when he was its vice president, aptly fits that description.

When it comes to their children’s education, Mackenzie has said they’ve “tried a range of strategies, including, ‘off-season travel, kitchen-science experiments, chicken incubation, Mandarin lessons, the Singapore math program, and lots of clubs and sports with other neighborhood kids.’

However, one traditional and sweet parenting routine Bezos has is that he doesn’t schedule meetings in the morning so and his wife can eat breakfast with the brood.

Bill Gates

“How much screen time should my child have?” is a big question parents ask, and the answer given by Microsoft founder Bill Gates is “not much” for his three children. Two of his children are adults (Jennifer is 21 years old and Rory is 18), while his youngest, Phoebe, is 15 years old. While the average age for a child to get his or her first mobile phone is 10, Gates said he made his children wait until they were 14 -- much to their chagrin. He and his wife Melinda also implemented no screen-time during dinner and after a certain hour, which “helps them get to sleep at a reasonable hour.” This rule was a response to one of his daughters, who was starting to form an “unhealthy attachment to a video game.”

Gates advocates using technology in the larger sense in order to personalize education (e.g. “tailor lesson plans for each student”) and for child development, not entertainment. His no-frills attitude is aligned with the multi-billionaire’s attitude toward parenting and money.

The Gates children are given an allowance (although it’s not known whether the adult children still receive one), however, they must save a third of it to donate to their charity of choice. The Giving Pledge co-founder says that he will not be leaving the bulk of his fortune to his children when he passes, although his children will be financially secure. "Our kids will receive a great education and some money so they are never going to be poorly off, but they'll go out and have their own career,” Gates explains. “It's not a favor to kids to have them have huge sums of wealth. It distorts anything they might do, creating their own path."

Arianna Huffington

Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington, who has two daughters in their 20s, has said, “I always felt guilty. I think that’s something which every working mother feels.” Huffington revealed that to her daughter Christina Huffington in a Huffington Post video series produced by Christina called “Talk to Me,” where daughters interview their mothers in order to open up lines of non-traditional dialogue.

The media mogul is extremely close with both her daughters. “I am very grateful to be a mom. It’s the most wonderful thing in my life,” she said. She speaks to her daughter Christina several times a day over the phone. However, her parenting skills were strongly tested when her daughter became addicted to drugs and developed an eating disorder in her teens. (She has since gotten treatment and has fully recovered.)

The Thrive Global founder has since become an outspoken ambassador of self-care and being present in the moment, two behaviors that directly relate to good parenting. She cites her mother as a wonderful role model for “living life in the present, able to really enjoy every moment instead of, as often happens in our lives, getting lost in our thoughts or in our smartphones.”

Huffington has dealt with her own addiction to technology and does digital detoxes. She explains, “Disconnect from technology and really connect with myself, my loved ones, my children, nature, books. I loved the feeling of renewal that came from that.”

Steve Jobs

Like his competitor Bill Gates, Steve Jobs strictly limited his kids’ screen time. The parent to four children (Lisa Brennan-Jobs, Eve Jobs, Reed Jobs and Erin Siena Jobs), had said, after the first iPad was released in 2010, that his children had yet to play with an iPad. “We limit how much technology our kids use at home,” he volunteered.

While Jobs’s treatment of his first child, Lisa, was deemed to be seriously lacking (with good reason) in Walter Isaacson’s biography Steve Jobs, and the silver screen film adaptation that followed, he apparently had changed his parenting ways with the three children he raised with his wife Laurene Powell Jobs. The Apple co-founder had a standing dinner routine with his kids, and according to Isaacson, “Every evening Steve made a point of having dinner at the big long table in their kitchen, discussing books and history and a variety of things." With not an iPhone or iPad in sight.

Original

The Kids Are All Right: 5 Simple Ways to Instill an Entrepreneurial Mindset

MiniBoss Business Camp Greece

Keep the communication lines about your business open with them

Depending on their age, explain things to them in such a way that they will understand what you do.

Make a family game of encouraging them to look at situations and imagine what it would take to make improvements.

You should also tell them about the sacrifices you've made, why you made them, and what they're worth to you. This will make them value your business, and start thinking of how to contribute to its success.

 

Let your child see you do smart things

If your business has anything to do with computers, the internet, or gadgets, then you understand the importance of investing in security. Don’t keep such smart moves away from your kids. This is especially important when you work at home.


Administratively, let them see you manage your emails efficiently. Financially, you should equally show them a glimpse of your tax and income/expense reports. If your job requires you using a system for instance, then let them know why you use a very strong password. Or tell them why you use a VPN to protect your system against hackers.

Similarly, if your kids see you engaged in reading books, writing, making music, doing a sales pitch, or doing other creative things, they will naturally imitate you too.

Encourage them to start something of their own

Warren Buffett sold chewing gum door-to-door at the tender age of six, while Richard Branson founded a magazine at just 16. So, being young doesn’t keep them from being entrepreneurs.

Teach your kids about supply, cost, profit, loss and encourage them to work to earn enough money for that special doll or new guitar. If your kid wants to start a lemonade stand, work with them as a parent, but not necessarily as a power figure.

When they ask questions, challenge them by asking right back, “I think…, but what do you think?” This encourages them to think through problems, builds their own sense of self and develops their voice.

Show them the role creativity plays in entrepreneurship

Encourage your kids to think outside the box. How can they do an item of school work better than just the way it was assigned? How can they turn that class project into a business startup? What have they complained about that’s a problem that they could find a solution for instead of being unhappy about?

Coach them into being creative about ideas. Write lists of solutions together. Map out potential answers together. Make time to create with your child. Creativity is a skill that will always serve them in entrepreneurship; and should they chose not be to entrepreneurs, it would serve them in life.

Don’t gloss over failure

Allow your kids to fail. They need to know that it’s okay to fail at something even if they tried hard. The important role for you is to help coach them toward solutions for their own recovery after failure.

Don’t solve the problem for them or blame the world or external circumstances. You aren’t doing them a service.

Did their science project fail? Sympathize then ask them how they might have changed the outcome? They didn’t make the soccer team? Allow them to be upset. But the next morning, ask them how they plan to make the team next year.

This doesn’t come from a place of pressure, but from prompts. Prompt them to think how they can approach “problems” differently for success. Encourage them to look for solutions and lessons from failures.

You never know what will resonate with these kids. Even if yours doesn’t become the next Tony Hsieh, Warren, Zuckerberg or Gates, they still will have an appreciation for hard work and independence, thanks to you.

Origin

Best young entrepreneurs compete for the World Cup CHAMPIONSHIP AWARD 2018

The hospitable Bulgaria welcomed a new generation of the national champions. The teams of young entrepreneurs fight for the title of the Absolute World Champions at Startups World Cup Championship 2018.

The children presented different start-ups. Many of them were the designs of their own, including, puzzles, tabletop games, hand-written books.They were developing their start-up in a very detailed way, learning the presentation techniques, and getting ready for the judges’ most unexpected questions.







A start-up should consider a number of criteria. Business projects should be based on an innovative idea, while the social ones - on a creative solution of a problem, significant for the society. What is also important is the way the participants present their project.

The competitions will reveal the winners. Three teams in each category:“Best business project” and “Best social project”.

The UNITED NATIONS organization has evaluated the merits of MiniBoss Business School

MiniBoss Business School as a concept has entered as the 5-th finalists in the Global UN SDG Challenge "Top-5 social enterprises who change the World to better".

"The UN highly appreciated the innovations in education and the success in training thousands of graduates around the world as a new generation of leaders! The UN understands that this idea can conquer the world in material and spiritual poverty!",- reported on the page in Facebook MiniBoss Business School.



Let us recall that the United Nations supports educational initiatives in the framework of achieving the Global Millennium Goals. The organization supports social innovation, and the idea of making quality education accessible throughout the world.

Global Teachers Summit 2018 in Bulgaria

Teachers from different countries studied new MINIBOSS methods in pedagogy to expand innovation around the world

The MiniBoss educational summit brought together the 25 representatives of business schools from all over the world to speak about introducing educational innovations in ever-growing number of MiniBoss branches.

MiniBoss system was created 18 years ago. Back then, it was the first business-school in the educational market that helped children to reach their potential and discover their talents, that taught how to create and monetize successful projects.

Educational innovations is a main distinguishing feature of the International Business Network MiniBoss. During these years, we created unique educational programmes, proprietary game methods, developed text books for students and guidance for the teachers in different languages. The Franchisees and teachers familiarize themselves with the work of the educational system from inside, completing one stage after another and receiving necessary support from MiniBoss head office.



When the classes are over, the franchisees and the teachers got certified and are now ready to introduce MiniBoss educational innovations in their countries.