Elementary Students Have the Brain of an Entrepreneur

Elementary Students Have the Brain of an Entrepreneur

When I was in my MBA program, it didn’t take long to spot who the entrepreneurs were.

They thought differently. They looked at problems and immediately saw possibility. They had an internal drive and a confidence—sometimes even overconfidence—that made them believe they could build something meaningful.

What stood out most to me happened during brainstorming sessions.

When a new idea was shared, most people were quick to point out why it wouldn’t work. They’d explain why it was unrealistic, too risky, or already been done before. Almost instinctively, they would talk themselves out of it.

But the natural entrepreneurs responded differently.

Their first reaction was usually something like, “That’s awesome,” or “What if we tried this?” They leaned into ideas instead of shutting them down.

At some point, I realized something surprising.

They reminded me of elementary school students.

The Natural Entrepreneurial Mindset of Kids

Young children approach ideas with optimism. They imagine freely. They don’t yet have the internal voice that says, “That’s a bad idea,” or “What if I fail?”

Elementary-aged students:

• See the world as full of possibility

• Ask bold questions

• Imagine creative solutions

• Believe they can make things happen

This mindset is incredibly similar to what I saw in adult entrepreneurs—except kids start with it naturally.

What Happens as We Get Older

Somewhere along the way, many people lose that entrepreneurial way of thinking.

Fear of failure creeps in. Concern about judgment grows. The habit of dismissing ideas before exploring them becomes the norm.

By adulthood, brainstorming often sounds like:

• “That would never work.”

• “That’s not realistic.”

• “Someone else has already tried that.”

The entrepreneurial thinkers I met in my MBA program hadn’t lost that instinct. They protected it.

Why Schools Matter So Much

This is where schools play a critical role.

If children naturally think like entrepreneurs, the question becomes:

• Do we nurture that mindset—or slowly train it out of them?

Traditional schooling can unintentionally discourage risk-taking and creative problem-solving. When there’s only one right answer, one rubric, or one path to success, students may stop trusting their own ideas.

Entrepreneurship education does the opposite.

It tells students:

• Your ideas matter

• Trying is more important than being perfect

• Failure is part of learning

• Creativity has real value

Harnessing These Skills Early

At Provo Mountain Academy, we want to harness these entrepreneurial skills as early as possible.

Not because every child needs to start a business—but because entrepreneurial thinking builds:

• Confidence

• Initiative

• Creativity

• Problem-solving

• Resilience

These are life skills, not just business skills.

By embedding entrepreneurship into the elementary school experience, we help students hold onto the mindset they already have instead of losing it over time.

Written by Tressa Long, MBA, Co-Founder of Provo Mountain Academy