preparingu

Many of the entrepreneurial tech elite are no longer putting their children in traditional schools. In Austin, it is a full-on movement. These parents are not doing this because they are reckless. They are doing it because they understand something that most people miss. In each case where I have seen a young person develop real-world success by their mid-teens, ninety to ninety-nine percent of it is attributable to immersion in the parent's business life rather than to anything learned in school. Here is what this looks like in practice. Emilio Tucker's dad buys and sells real estate. As a twelve-year-old, Emilio was given the task of vetting tax-delinquent properties based on a set of criteria. Once he mastered the criteria, he hired and managed a team of virtual assistants to find more properties. As AI agents improved, by the time he was thirteen he had let go of the virtual assistants and was vetting properties using an AI bot that he had developed. He is racing through high school geometry in three months through Math Academy. But mostly he works with his dad and receives performance-based compensation already in the six figures. He is legitimately leading his branch of the family business at fourteen. My brother Danny buys, remodels, and sells real estate. His children were homeschooled, but their "academics" were trivial exercises done to placate the state. Meanwhile his children were involved in all aspects of the family business from a young age. For high school graduation, he gave each of them the capital to buy an initial house to flip. My niece Emma, now in her early twenties, has remodeled and flipped three houses already, making money on each one. This way of making a living has become second nature to her. This is not a new idea. This is the oldest form of education that exists. Human beings evolved in small communities where children were fully integrated into daily adult life. They could see firsthand most adult activities. They heard about the rest through gossip, conversations, and stories. By the time they were young teenagers, they were taking on real responsibilities. The practical recommendations are straightforward. Beyond developing core academic skills outside of school, immerse your children in your business activities from a young age. The overall vibe should always tend towards "I get to observe the cool adult thing" and not "I'm a burden" or "I shouldn't be here." Consider gathering around the campfire in the evening to read books together, watch documentaries, or talk about meaningful events in the history of your family or your business. Your children are more likely to care about and remember sacred family traditions, including meaningful conversations with their parents, than anything taught in school.