The Young Entrepreneurial Spirit Soars in Miami

Remember when you were a kid.

Did you dream of creating a business?

Did you offer some type of service?

Or did you try to solve a problem that existed in your neighborhood or for your community?

Maybe you had a job to earn money, either for yourself or to help out the family? 

Back in the day, kids had all sorts of jobs. Parents encouraged their kids to get out and earn their keep. Kids had a multitude of chores to do around the house. They mowed lawns and helped with home maintenance. They delivered newspapers. They walked dogs. They washed cars. 

Of course, kids have always worked for the money… that’s a given. But what about the sense of purpose that comes along with having a job?  Fulfilling a need, solving a problem, and offering your time and talents are what happens because of the job, and these are the things that really help a person develop a sense of empowerment and determination. 

Things sure have changed, haven’t they?

Kids don’t get out and pursue jobs the way they used to. Perhaps it’s due to the rigorous challenges of schoolwork and the intense competition of acceptance to the best schools with the highest marks. Kids these days also have such demanding schedules with sports, music, extra-curricular activities and enrichment. 

Parents struggle to keep up with one another, anxious about judgment and comparison. They hesitate to say “no” to their kids, lest they miss out on any of the amazing opportunities afforded them.  

Heaven forbid kids have time to get bored! So, instead, us parents direct and plan our over-programmed and tightly-scheduled kids. 

There’s no time for jobs when there’s all this other stuff to do all the time. 

And then there’s safety.

These days, parents may feel terrified to let kids out of their sight. We live in a hyper-aware society and perhaps we know too much to just let our kids get out and live, learning independence and resilience. It’s a scary world out there, full of bad guys and scary possibilities.

Kids barely get out to ride bikes on their streets anymore, let alone walking around the neighborhood, dropping newspapers door to door. 

Are kids missing out?

Nothing helps a youngster grow into a strong, empowered, determined adult like a daily dose of entrepreneurship, challenging work or manual labor, but how are we going to give them that opportunity this day and age?

We want our kids to learn independence, resilience, resourcefulness, and bravery, but it’s a new world, and we’re doing our best to navigate the waters so we can encourage growth and exploration while keeping kids safe.

So, we must give our youth the opportunity to develop businesses, pursue their money-making ideas, and learn the hard lessons of trial and error.

In doing so, we also give them opportunities to refine communication skills, learn real-world math strategies, and experience failure as a tool for growth and development.

In order to prepare this generation to become productive, creative, determined working adults we must give them space to practice creativity, try out innovation, and pursue outside-the-box thinking.

However, despite their rigorous school work and over-scheduled afternoons and weekends, there are young entrepreneurial spirits soaring in our city, and beyond.  kids are out there, pursuing their own dreams, and becoming the new generation of entrepreneurs. 

Meet the entrepreneurs of the next generation

“The Yard” is built on the pillars of entrepreneurship, and since day one of opening The Wynwood Yard in 2015, it has always been a focus of our culture. We have created a space for entrepreneurs of all sorts to test their model, and encouraged, mentored, and supported them along the way. 

Of course, there is no required age for an entrepreneur to participate in our environment, and no start-up too big or too small for us to recognize and celebrate.

For two years in a row, we welcomed young entrepreneurs to The Wynwood Yard, giving them space and an audience to showcase their products and services, and celebrating their creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurial enthusiasm.

See all photos from 2018 Young Entrepreneurs Day here and photos from 2019 Young Entrepreneurs Day here.

Participants were given the opportunity to pitch their idea to a panel of judges for the chance to win $1000, sponsored by The Knight Foundation. 

Winners included Loko Nutz, Are You Kidding, and Kingdom Vybez. 

So, we cannot wait to host these kids and more at Young Entrepreneurs Day at The Doral Yard in 2020. 

These kids are some of the faces of our future. Support them. Honor them. Celebrate them.