Nowadays, it’s not uncommon to hear about wildly successful CEOs who started at a young age. So if you’ve ever thought to yourself “that could be my child,” meet the founder of Raising a Mogul TV & Podcast Tamara Lewis. Lewis is a mom to 16-year-old Zandra Azariah Cunningham, a beauty boss and founder of Zandra Beauty, a product line featuring everything from sugar scrubs and facial bars to shea butter and lip balms. Below she shares her advice for raising entrepreneurial children.
Zandra became an entrepreneur at 9 years old. What’s your best advice for a parent whose child wants to start a business at an early age?
- Start with research. Help your child learn as much as possible about the product or service they want to offer.
- Start local. Take advantage of local free or low-cost business programs, mentoring or networking groups that will allow your child the chance to engage in the business world.
- Connect them to a mentor in the same industry if possible. Time commitments, expectations, skill development and more, can all be determined quickly by spending time with a local baker, landscaper, or photographer. Before you invest money, it’s important for you to see your child is prepared, committed, and ready for all the hard work, let down, and, at times, being overwhelmed, ahead.
They may be young but they are resilient—no baby talk, no chasers, the world is real and it’s your job to prepare them for it.
What have been some of the points of your journey when you realized Zandra had something special on her hands?
I knew she had embarked on something special when I saw how young people, especially little girls, responded to her. She made them feel that they too can be a” Zandra.” I love it, it’s powerful to witness.
I also knew she was committed to entrepreneurship when she launched her Young Mogul Prep School to guide other young people through the process of becoming change makers in their families and communities. Another time, I watched her challenge a room full of banking professionals to do better, dream bigger, and consider mentorship, I knew Zandra had the chops, stamina, and respect for the business. Often I am shocked, surprised, and enlightened as I watch her work.