Is business nous hereditary?

November 14, 2013 by Zac de Silva Leave a Comment

I often wonder if children of self-employed parents are destined to run their own company. Does growing up with a mum and dad who run their own business inspire you to do the same? Does it teach you the lessons of business by osmosis? Does it show you that you can do anything if you think smart and work hard? Essentially, does seeing your parents succeed (even on a small scale) at running their own business, by their own rules (to an extent), bring down the mental barriers that most people have towards starting out on their own? The concerns about failure, about not knowing enough, about it being too risky…

I’d be interested to see what percentage of people who run their own business have parents who were self-employed. Let me know what the case is in your family. One of our awesome clients, Sam Thom, is a definite example in favour of. Such an inspiring guy – he’s started two (successful) businesses while also holding down a full-time job at BNZ… And did I mention he’s only 25?!

So was this shoot-for-the-stars attitude something he’s been born with or was it mostly to do with the fact he’s seen his dad succeed at his various ventures (Google him: Murray Thom – very clever guy)? Perhaps growing up with a dad who has proven you can follow your dreams and achieve what it is you want to do if you put your mind to it has given him the conviction he needs in business…

Check out THIS article on Sam and get thinking!

If business nous doesn’t seem to come naturally to you, get in touch with me for some business coaching – I can help! zac@businesschanging.com

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