My daughter Nicole wants to work in the fashion industry, so one thing we together do all the time is go fashion shows and shop retail stores in New York City where she helps me buy clothes.
On one of these adventures, we were waiting in line for a show at Fashion Week. Nicole, maybe about 11-years-old at the time, turns to me and declared, “I want to open a chain of retail stores and the next cool clothing line.”
We all have our kids tell us what they want to be when they grow up. Sometimes (or most times) these dreams might be bigger than their wildest imaginations!
I always thought whatever my kid wanted to be I am going to get behind them and help them chase that dream 100%.
So, I arranged for us to go see Kenneth Cole and his company in New York City one day and also went to see Morris Goldfarb, Founder and CEO of G3. We arranged for tours of their facilities to show Nicole how the fashion industry works.
I remember Kenneth Cole telling my daughter that to design great shoes and products you must learn how to draw well and she should draw as often as she could…STARTING NOW!
What I love is that that ten years later my daughter took that message to heart. She’s taken countless numbers of classes and drawn an endless amount of sketches because she’s chasing her dream to become a fashion guru.
I also recall Morris explaining how important it is to get on the floor at retail stores and just work, so you can learn how the costumers think and learn how the store operates.
Remember, my daughter was just 11 at the time. But now that she is in college, she’s already worked three retail internships with two of those being “on the floor.”
What does this tell me? It’s a reminder that the key to success is to not be afraid to support your child with whatever they are interested in doing.
Get behind their visions, not your own, authentically. Why? Because your kids will be all grown up very soon and it’s good to be a step ahead. No one knows what Nicole might eventually end up doing, but now she has an idea of the type of hard work she’ll need to put forward in order to have success.
Showing your kids how a business they’re interested in operates can be very impactful and goes a long way.
My favorite show lately…yes, it’s on the Oprah channel, is called Master Class. It’s a great show to watch with your kids. It’s all about successful people explaining how they got to where they are today.
That’s the stuff you want to get your kids watching, so they can become the best at what they want to do!
