Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
A recent study conducted by Ohio State University gives newmeaning to the notion that parents set strong examples for theirchildren. The survey, analyzed by economists Thomas A. Dunn andDouglas Holtz-Eakin at Syracuse University, reveals thatparents' actions have a direct influence on their kids becomingentrepreneurs.
According to the findings, sons were nearly three times aslikely to become self-employed if their fathers were self-employed;32 percent of those with entrepreneurial fathers started abusiness, compared with only 12 percent of sons withoutself-employed fathers. Similarly, 24 percent of daughters withentrepreneurial mothers also donned entrepreneurial hats, whilejust 13 percent of daughters whose mothers weren'tself-employed did so.
Some might say it's simply a case of children following intheir parents' footsteps. However, the data found that amongsons with entrepreneurial fathers, only 10 percent entered into abusiness in the same line of work--virtually identical to thosesons whose fathers weren't self-employed.
Likewise, the study also suggests there's little truth tothe idea that children of entrepreneurs start more businessesbecause they receive funding from their parents. What's morelikely the case is the attitudes entrepreneurial parents impart,such as the value of being your own boss, or specific talents theypass on, such as management or interpersonal skills, are what leadtheir children into business. In other words, it's the"human capital," says Dunn, not the financial capital,that makes the difference.
Slice Of The Action
A pizza-ordering service grows byte by byte.
A scene from the movie "The Net" could end up changingthe way pizza shops--and possibly other retail and servicebusinesses--market their products. After entrepreneur Tim Glasswatched the movie and saw Sandra Bullock order pizza via theInternet without ever leaving the comfort of her computer chair, heknew he had to get a piece of the pie.
"I was trying to come up with an everyday application forthe Internet, and after I saw [that scene], I thought everyonecould relate to that and it could make a really goodbusiness," says Glass, 38.
Glass' Seattle-based company, CyberSlice Inc., isn'tfiction anymore. After researching the market, developing asoftware application and securing agreements with more than 1,000pizzerias in several major markets, Glass launched the savory site(http://www.cyberslice.com)in December. Pizza fans input their addresses to call up menus fromrestaurants in their areas. Once an order is placed, Glass'patented software translates it into a voice-mail message, rings upthe pizzeria, relays the order and then returns an e-mail messageconfirming it.
Glass is the first to admit the idea is slightly ahead of itstime. "We don't expect to see a tremendous flow of orderstoday or tomorrow," he says, "but what is important isthat we know [Internet commerce] is going to be huge sometime inthe future, so we got in early to gather merchants and build thecompany."
Read All About It
What are business owners reading these days? The top 10 businessbooks at press time (based on net sales) were:
1. Ernst & Young Tax Guide 1997, $14.95 (John Wiley &Sons)
2. Wall Street Money Machine, by Wade Cook, $24.95 (UnitedSupport Association)
3. J.K. Lasser's Your Income Tax 1997, by The J.K. LasserInstitute, $14.95 (Macmillan)
4. Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Truth About Wealth inAmerica, by Thomas J. Stanley and William Danko, $22 (LongstreetPress)
5. The Dilbert Principle, by Scott Adams, $20(HarperBusiness)
6. Dogbert's Top Secret Management Handbook, by Scott Adams,$16 (HarperBusiness)
7. What Color Is Your Parachute 1996, by Richard Nelson Bolles,$14.95 (Ingram)
8. Personal Finance for Dummies, by Eric Tyson, $19.99 (IDGBooks Worldwide)
9. Investing for Dummies, by Eric Tyson, $19.99 (IDG BooksWorldwide)
10. Financial Peace, by David Ramsey, $21.95 (Viking)
Contact Sources
CyberSlice Inc., 300 Elliott Ave. W., #316, Seattle, WA98119, (http://www.cyberslice.com)
