Adopreneurship and Rising Tides

I love mashups and remixes - like when Jay Z and Linkin Park collaborated on the Collision Course album? Or when Heath Ledger remixed The Taming of the Shrew (10 Things I Hate About You)? Oh - and when P Diddy, I think that's what he was calling himself at that time, sampled The Police? Yes. Please.

My term, Adopreneur, is no different: it's an inspired mashup of adolescent entrepreneur. Inspired by and now a resume line item for my 12 year old hustler. About a week ago he told me that he wanted to earn some extra money (to support his Fortnite habit) and was posting an ad for his lawn mowing services on Nextdoor. And while independence and initiative is EXACTLY the behavior I reward in my home, I was apprehensive about the willingness of neighbors to hire such a young kid. And I was right in my concern - there was no response. He kept chirpily checking his post for responses - to crickets. Until this.

We reached out to the husband who tells me how he has grandchildren who are starting to work and get jobs. He would want someone to give them a shot, especially if they were willing to create their own opportunities; so, he wanted to pay it forward with my son. 

AWESOME. (And now to coordinate the logistics because my son unknowingly sent his message out to our zip code vs our neighborhood...)

The exchange got me thinking about the solo-, side-hustle-, entre-, serial- preneurs that inspire me. I'm a BIG believer that startups and small business, and the boldness it takes to immerse in that flow, are the lifeblood of our ever-evolving economy. It takes courage to pursue a passion, to initiate (and immortalize?) an idea; it takes a disruptive pluckiness and daring to support the boldness of others when convenience and low hanging, 'known' quantities are so abundant. It doesn't just take a village - or a village app - to raise a child; I think it takes a community to raise everything - to be the tide that raises all ships. Whichever you are today, be a good one.