The Eleven Plus Entrepreneur

So what are you going to do now? You have identified, yet again, in your own mind that you have an exceptionally bright child. You know that in a few years time your child will be going to university. You know that is going to cost `lots of money’. How are you going to cope?


It is quite simple you are going to work hard to ensure that you turn your child into a budding entrepreneur. You will need a business plan. You will need an idea or a product. You need to raise around £30 000.00, (You may need an inflation blanket – so probably trying to raise £45 000.00 may be more helpful.

The big problem for you and your child is that what ever your product or idea you will need a market. How much will you charge? How many do you need? Will you try to sell a lot very quickly so that you and your child will be able to retire from raising money?

Most of all you need a team.

You need an M.D. with vision and drive -preferably one with a Harvard MBA – but failing that a warm loving person.

You need a Finance Director with links to the city. You may need to raise lots of cash very quickly. Some grandparents, however, are able to act as guarantors for collateral. This keeps it neatly in the family. In any event the Finance Director should help you to build your business plan.

You will need a Production Manager. On some day your production manager will be doing no more than producing meals – but on other days the production manager will play a vital role.

The one person all entrepreneurs are likely to rate very strongly is the cleaning services. This role will involve washing clothes, cleaning floors and dusting. `Cleaning Services’ are expected to act 24 hours a day. (A bit like the staff at a big airport.)

Because your entrepreneur will be under age for driving you must build in a chauffeur. The chauffeur will be expected to work all the hours of the day – from school trips and sporting event to social activities like parties.

So as you work with your child on eleven plus papers at home think of all the different roles you have had to play to be a mum or a dad. Think about what academic success has done for you and your family. Think about the drive and ambition you have had to display to get you and your child to where you are today.

All you can hope is that when you are old and infirm your eleven plus child, now a successful man or a woman, will be able to keep you in some degree of comfort. Pray too that they will not nag you as much as you are nagging your child at the moment.