Speaking at Big Sandy

“College tuitions have risen more than 440% over the last 25 years-and for what? The students who say that college has not prepared them for the real world are largely right.”

“…the average college debt load is about the price of a new Toyota Prius- $28,100 for those with a degree from a four-year private school, $22,000 for those from public schools.”

(According to recent research conducted in the writing of Academically Adrift), “They found that more than a third of seniors leave campus having shown no improvement in critical thinking, analytical reasoning, or written communications over four years.  Worse, the majors and programs often thought most practical-education, business, and communications-prove to be the least productive.”

These quotes come from recent writings posted in the Wall Street Journal.  Why is tuition inflation so high during a time of such economic instability?  Why are people willing to take on such tremendous debt without researching the quality of the product and without any guarantee of employment?  Even if good employment were more likely than it is, it would be foolish to make this choice given all that has been written over the past few years on what colleges are actually producing.

It seems like the marketing departments have convinced us that, statistics pointing to higher income levels and greater achievement, are real – but I’m not convinced.  Who participates in these studies?  Are they thinking about the few entrepreneurial thinkers that have found a better way to spend their time and money, or are they comparing non-achievers who drop out of school to find a local job at minimum wage?  The first group is small.  But I don’t believe it needs to be small.  Instead, I see this as a product of the school system used by over 90% of Christian young people today – a government run program, which doesn’t encourage entrepreneurship or creativity and innovation.  I encourage all of us to do some serious thinking before just assuming it’s best to incur large debts and invest the next four years in a mediocre program.  On the other hand, what alternatives exist – I have some ideas, but I would love to hear from others who have found some great ones.  Bill Gates had a pretty good one when he dropped out of school.

© 2011, David Stelzl

In a document on Corporations and Public Welfare, James Dill wrote on the need, “To get rid of the small entrepreneur while retaining his loyalty to a system of private enterprise.” His purpose here was to strengthen the large corporations by addressing two needs; the need for more workers (compliant and content working under a small senior management team) and a large population of consumers.  His solution was stated simply, “Let the school do it.”

I came across this and many other disturbing quotes from the leaders of our industrial revolution while preparing for a series of talks I gave over the summer on building an entrepreneurial mindset and starting businesses.  As as result of this and other statements made by government and other industrial thought leaders, steps were taken in our country to actually reduce literacy, classify people, and produce more worker bees for large corporations.  It was an organized effort to create a people group who would be willing to perform mundane tasks at lower wages, for long hours every day, for the rest of a person’s working life.  This is not what most of us hope for as we raise our families, and there are steps we can be taking to spur our children on to greater works!  Works that use the gifts God has given us and which will lead to meaningful and productive careers and ministries.

As you plan ways to encourage and raise Godly children, I would urge every father and mother to work on a vision for each child including their God given callings in life, their talents and gifts, and their opportunities.  Ask God to show you what great things He has prepared according to Ephesians 2, and ask Him to show you what you should be doing to help them prepare.  If you missed the summer events I spoke at, or just want a review, please join us on Nov 15 – online (all you need is a computer and Internet connection).  Check our events page for more information or sign up here: (CLICK).

© 2011, David Stelzl

Another Family Business in the Oven

We’ve set the date – Our first Raising Entrepreneurs conference happens next month in Brandy Station VA, November 11-12. After speaking at several conferences over the summer on this topic, I am aware of so many families that have expressed a desire to have home businesses, involve their sons and daughters in business as part of their education, and avoid sending their young people off to low paying, unfulfilling jobs at local gas stations, grocery stores, and fast food restaurants.  I truly believe that there is more for us as we apply wisdom and creativity; an opportunity to meet real needs, use our God-given gifts and talents, and avoid many of the traps that come with corporate America.

Some of the topics I will be addressing include:

• A vision for parents as they raise young people – some important information on how our education system was built and what it does to prepare people to work in mundane jobs across America.  This is critical information that will help you rethink how to approach education.
• Secrets of high-priced consultants.  Having worked as a consultant, as well as alongside many large consulting firms, I plan to take you through some of the concepts and methods used by people consulting for large companies…we will actually walk through the process with a project of identifying a set of profitable businesses that could be started at home by you.
• Disciplines of successful fathers – here I hope to show you some ways God has taught me to be involved in our homeschool program despite my busy schedule (Which often requires me to travel all over the world); how to keep wives motivated in the homeschool process, young people on track, and as fathers, assume leadership charge… when it all seems impossible.
• Starting a business – I believe every student (with a few exceptions) should be involved in some type of business during their school years.  What better way to understand people, serve others, learn discipline and responsibility, as well as math, marketing, selling, writing, communicating, and much more…than to use it in real life?  I don’t know about you, but I find most text books boring – getting paid to learn seems like a win/win.
• We’ll also talk about parent/teen relationships in the context of family business, degrees and certifications and what is important, time management, disciplines of a successful business, while having a great time of fellowship and idea sharing.  Make sure you sign up while there is room…go to our events page for details, and click to register.

MORE INFO HERE (CLICK)

© 2011, David Stelzl

We’re working hard on putting together our first Raising Entrepreneurs conference.  As I am working through different sessions, one thing that continues to stand out is the need to do something other than just recreate school at home.  Even USAToday writers, in an article published over the weekend, agree that parents must do something more than just sending their kids to school if they are going to have that entrepreneurial spirit in them.  While we will be covering this in great detail through live workshops as well as some shorter online sessions in the coming months, some questions fathers should be asking:

• Am I planning our curriculum by thinking back to what I did in school as child?
• Am I blindly following some program we purchased – and perhaps handed to my wife, without reviewing the goals for each child?

Also, have you considered what your end-goal is as you shape your young people for the future?  I was talking with two parents recently who are just now embarking on their homes school journey.  They were very concerned with curriculum and keeping up with other kids of a similar age, but there is much more to consider here.  A few questions I posed:

• How do you picture your children ten years from now? The school was shaping them their way, now it’s up to you.
• How do you want them to make moral, religious and political decisions?
• How to you want them to view marriage, family, children, etc?
• Do you want them to home school their children years from now?
• Do you want your sons and daughters to head into big corporate jobs, work in small business, own their own businesses, and do you see your sons having a different role from your daughters; will your daughters stay at home and raise children and home school or will they pursue careers outside of the home.

Not that you ultimately make all of these decisions, but you do shape their thinking in every one of these areas.  Suddenly they seemed overwhelmed – it dawned on them, home school is not just a matter of completing the state requirements for graduation.

© 2011, David Stelzl

It’s been an exciting summer traveling around to various home school and family conferences speaking on the topic of entrepreneurship and homeschooling. Tina and I have received a great deal of feedback and have been inspired to put together a more in-depth conference for the fall that would allow families to better implement key principles from the sessions I presented.  Right now I am busy putting together an agenda for the fall including topics such as:

• Raising Entrepreneurs – Avoiding the mindsets that hinder true prosperity
• Helping fathers to be more involved in developing the home education program
• Developing creativity, business ideas, and work ethic in the early years
• Transitioning from home education to vocation
• Biblical principles of starting new businesses
• and more…

We hope to have our first conference, November 11 – 12, Stay tuned for more details!