An entrepreneurial mindset may very well be the key to surviving a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic. This way of thinking allows people to thrive in challenging situations, become hungry for knowledge, be focused on a singular vision, and be constantly on the lookout for ways to make things better.
As we face an increasingly uncertain future, cultivating these traits in the younger generation may be the key to a better tomorrow, entrepreneur Siamak Taghaddos believes.
To help achieve this, Taghaddos, CEO of Grasshopper, and co-founder of SuperFat, Chargify, Smilebar, and Clearworks, is launching a new children’s book titled The Mountain and the Goat on July 28th.
The fully illustrated book’s plot and characters allow kids to learn about resourcefulness, and creative problem-solving, in a fun and engaging way. Apart from developing a resourceful mindset, the book also teaches universal values such as creativity, curiosity, confidence, trust, and kindness.
Taghaddos himself started young as an entrepreneur. In middle school, he offered computer repair services to his neighborhood. Then, in high school, he started PagerWholesale.com after he found pagers too expensive for his student budget. He found a cheap distributor in California, set up a website, and resold the units to small businesses and his peers.
“Running a business as a high school student wasn’t easy. I got a lot of inquiries coming in through our phone at home, my mom would answer the phone, and the house was basically chaos with all my little sisters,” shared Taghaddos.
In college, Taghaddos found an unmet need among young entrepreneurs like himself, who were in need of virtual office systems to keep their businesses running smoothly. Luckily, he found someone else who was interested in doing the same thing.
“I met my business partner while in college—our skills complemented each other; he laid out the technology for our products while I raised money for our startup,” he shares.
The venture needed $1.5 million to start, but through sheer skill and resilience, Taghaddos and his partner were able to get the business running with less than $300,000.
Today, Taghaddos is one of the youngest CEOs to receive the recognition of Inc. Magazine’s 500 fastest growing companies and is the founding supporter of National Entrepreneurs Day.
Through The Mountain and the Goat, Taghaddos promises to share his knowledge and wisdom on resourcefulness and creative thinking in a way that is fun and engaging for kids.
“Children need to be equipped with these entrepreneurial skills, more than ever,” Taghaddos shares. “Through this book, I hope to lay the foundation for kids who carry the potential to change the world and improve lives.”
The Mountain and the Goat will be released on July 28th, pre-order your copy now.