SoCE exists because of one big question:

What if we listened to kids before the world taught them to shrink?

This story is personal. It is also bigger than one person. Because so many adults are walking around trying to rebuild confidence that should have been protected in childhood.

When “Worth” Feels Like Something You Have to Earn

I grew up inside a story where my worth felt conditional.

As a kid, I said, “Someday I’ll be somebody important.”

An adult replied with a message that stuck: “Doing something important is not the same as being somebody important.”

That kind of sentence does not just sting. It shapes you.

When worth feels conditional, you learn to perform. You learn to produce. You learn to prove.

So I became very good at doing.
I worked hard.
I built businesses.
I succeeded.

And for a while, entrepreneurship felt like freedom.

Then I learned something most people do not say out loud.

If your worth is tied to output, entrepreneurship can feel like a treadmill. There is always more to prove.

The Season That Changed Everything

A few years ago, my husband and I hit a moment that forced us to get honest.

We had a steady six-figure income. We also made two money decisions in six days that financed over $100,000.

On paper, we looked fine.

In real life, we were scared.
No savings.
No margin.
No peace.

Our problem was not information. It was confidence.
We did not trust ourselves with money.

So we did what SoCE teaches kids to do.
We practiced.

We budgeted.
We had “no spend” months.
We made a payoff plan.
We learned through real practice, not lectures.

When we made the last debt payment, the relief was not just about the number.
It was about the confidence we built along the way.

That season taught me something I cannot unsee:

People change when they feel the difference.

Adults Are Not “Bad.” They Are Bruised.

When I worked with families through financial coaching, I saw it again and again.

Adults were not lazy.
They were not irresponsible.
They were carrying guilt, shame, and fear.

Fear of being wrong.
Fear of starting.
Fear of failing in front of other people.

Most adults do not lack information.
They lack confidence.

So I started asking, where does that fear come from?

Because it is not natural.
It is learned.

The Kids Were Fine Until Someone Taught Them to Doubt

Before all of this, I ran an in-home daycare. I also taught an all-girls, play-based engineering curriculum.

We launched water pressure rockets.
We built simple machines.
We asked, “What happens if?”

Those girls tried things fast.
They failed without shame.
They adjusted and tried again.

No spiraling.
No hiding.
No “I’m not good at this.”

They had not been trained to doubt themselves yet.

And that contrast hit me hard.

We spend decades trying to rebuild confidence that could have been protected early.

The Question That Started SoCE

During COVID, life got loud. My husband was deployed. I was home with little kids, trying to build something new while still being present.

One day, my four-year-old said, “Mom, I want to start a business too.”

My first thought was no way.
Four-year-olds do not start businesses.

Then she asked the best question in the world:

“Why?”

I had no good answer, so we tried.

She named her business.
She ran polls.
She took orders.
She sold her art.

And I realized something uncomfortable.

The only reason I thought she could not do it was because I was taught that leadership comes later.

But kids are leaders now, if we let them be.

We Do Not Just Host a Fair.

After we moved back to Kansas, I hosted a children’s business fair. It was exciting. Kids made money. Parents were proud.

Then it ended.

No reflection.
No learning captured.
No next step.

As an educator, that felt wrong.

SoCE was built to fix that gap.

At The Society of Child Entrepreneurs, kids as young as six build real businesses.
They handle real money.
They talk to real customers.
They learn what works, what flops, and what to do next.

They do not just get a “good job.”
They get real skills, real practice, and real confidence.

The Moment That Proved the Point

On my daughter’s tenth birthday, she expected a huge event. The city expected 10,000 to 15,000 attendees.

Instead, vendors were moved, and almost no one shopped where the kids were.

She was devastated.

Then she did something powerful.

She said, “Here’s what I want to do differently next time.”

That is resilience.
Not taught in a lecture.
Built through experience.

Why We Do This

SoCE is not just about raising entrepreneurs.

It is about raising capable humans.

Kids who trust themselves.
Kids who can lead.
Kids who can try, fail, learn, and try again.

When we trust children early, we do not have to repair confidence later.

We just need to listen.