The four golden elements that expand a young entrepreneur’s skills

17 Jul 2019

Picture New York in the 1980s; Wall Street trading was intensifying and everyone dreamed of making it ‘big’.

After 15 years serving as a corporate lawyer with his own practice, a driven and determined businessman named Reginald F. Lewis switched to the finance world by creating TLC Group L.P. – a venture capital firm.

From one success to another, Reginald F. Lewis eventually became the first African-American to build a billion-dollar business.

Fast forward to 2019, his daughter Christina Lewis is racing ahead with her nonprofit organisation, All Star Code, which teaches computer science to young men of colour.

“My aim is for All Star Code to be an organisation that gives young, intelligent, driven men of colour access to this exciting and dynamic field rooted in black excellence. With the right skills and support system behind them, and just knowing that their success is possible, there is no limit to what our young men can do – my father proved it,” Christina explains.

“Kudos to Christina Lewis and Loida Lewis who are keeping Mr. Reginald Lewis’s legacy alive and working for young men who will be the tech leaders of the future. “

We’re in @OurTimePress! Check out the coverage of our spring celebration at https://t.co/erIuM52u7y

— All Star Code (@AllStarCode) March 22, 2019

Granting the young entrepreneurs of today the tools they need to succeed and the encouragement they need to diversify the tech and business sector, All Star Code is making stars out of its students.

Spreading the news about the organisation’s impact, Christina also gives insight into the four attributes of successful entrepreneurs, witnessed throughout her six years at All Star Code.

Listed below are the four elements, in Christina’s opinion, that expand a young entrepreneur’s skill set and impacts their overall success.

The golden skill of grit. Source: Shutterstock

Grit

Whether it’s an international boarding school experience or the first day of school in a new country, grit comes with experience.

Courage and bravery are integral to education, and even homesickness teaches young minds how to become resilient, adaptable and courageous.

From presenting a show-and-tell in front of the class to overcoming shyness through team activities, grit shows itself in many ways.

Etch a golden future. Source: Shutterstock

Creativity

Daring to colour outside the lines and drive your dreams into reality, creativity is the essence that powers an entrepreneur’s willingness to experiment.

Without exposing school students to art lessons, musical tasks or fictional writing sessions, how will young people ever have the chance to explore their creative side?

Imagination and creativity walk side-by-side. By encouraging students to unleash their imaginative ideas in the classroom, a teacher could be leading them towards a life of successful innovations.

Weighing up the solution. Source: Shutterstock

Problem-Solving

To evolve as a noteworthy entrepreneur, problem-solving skills are essential!

These are promoted through various classroom tasks – especially within maths and science.

By pursuing their problem-solving skills further, students have a higher chance of creating solutions to extreme business challenges.

A path paved with gold. Source: Shutterstock

Comfort with ambiguity

“How often do you enter into a situation without feeling confident about where it’s leading?” asks Christina.

“Maintaining your composure and sense of purpose under conditions of uncertainty is a skill that serves employees in entrepreneurial environments well and is transferable to fields outside of coding and computer science.”

Direction and certainty are two factors that aid ambiguity.

By assisting students with queries and allowing them to take ownership of their decisions in the classroom, teachers are instilling future entrepreneurs with prime professional skills.

And by equipping them with all four, students’ futures are just as bright as those at All Star Code!