I spent the evening at a networking event talking about opportunity. My 13-year-old spent the evening creating his own.

Last night, I was at a networking event until 7:30 p.m., surrounded by entrepreneurs, business leaders, and community builders. The conversations centered around opportunity—how to find it, create it, and help others access it.

Meanwhile, my son, Dorian and his buddy were living that conversation in real time.

After spending the afternoon on the golf course, the boys decided they wanted to earn some money so they could keep golfing throughout the summer. They weren't looking for investors, mentors, or a business plan. They simply had a goal and were willing to do the work required to reach it.

Still dressed in their golf polos and shorts, they started walking door to door in their friend's neighborhood.

Fifteen houses later, they had collected plenty of silence, a handful of maybes, and more uncertainty than success. For most kids, that would have been enough to call it a day.

Instead, they kept going. Eventually, they found a homeowner willing to listen.

By that point, they were determined to land their first customer. The boys had even lowered their price to $10 in hopes of securing a yes. The homeowner smiled and told them that his own children mow his lawn and that they probably weren't charging enough for the service. Dorian acknowledged the advice. Then he made a decision that many entrepreneurs eventually learn to make.

He wasn't focused on maximizing profit. He was focused on creating momentum.

The homeowner agreed, and just like that, the boys scheduled their first lawn service appointment for tomorrow.

When I picked D up later that evening, he could barely contain his excitement.

What made the moment even more memorable was that I had completely underestimated what had happened while I was away. Like many parents, I assumed a few hours with a friend would likely involve video games, snacks, and the usual summer downtime. Instead, these two boys had spent the evening testing an idea, facing rejection, adjusting their pricing strategy, and landing their first customer. Before I even had a chance to ask about his day, D looked at me and said:

"Mom, we got our first customer."

As we drove home, he said, "Mom, you don't know how hard it is."

I smiled because, in many ways, he had just experienced a condensed version of entrepreneurship. Most people assume the difficult part is delivering the service, mowing the lawn, building the product, or running the event. In reality, the challenge often begins much earlier. It starts with introducing yourself to someone you don't know. It requires walking up a driveway when you're unsure how you'll be received, hearing "no" without taking it personally, and finding the confidence to continue after a door closes in front of you.

What fascinated me was that these two boys were discovering, on their own, lessons that many adults spend years avoiding. They learned that rejection is rarely personal. They learned that momentum matters. They learned that sometimes your first sale isn't about maximizing profit but about creating proof that someone is willing to say yes. Most importantly, they learned that confidence does not magically appear before action. Confidence is often the result of action.

By the time they landed their first customer, they had already accomplished something far more valuable than earning ten dollars. They had experienced the uncomfortable but necessary process of putting themselves out into the world and asking for an opportunity rather than waiting for one to arrive.

Along the way, Dorian realized he had $2 in his pocket. The boys spotted a lemonade stand selling fresh-squeezed lemonade and each bought a cup. Future entrepreneurs supporting future entrepreneurs.

I couldn't help but laugh at the parallel. While I was attending a networking event discussing entrepreneurship, opportunity, and community development, these two boys were conducting their own field experiment just a few miles away. They were testing a value proposition, adjusting pricing based on market feedback, learning the realities of customer acquisition, and discovering firsthand that perseverance often matters more than talent.

The experience reinforced something I have come to believe deeply through both my professional work and my observations as a parent: young people are far more capable than we often give them credit for.

Research consistently shows that entrepreneurial experiences help young people develop resilience, communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and self-confidence. Yet those outcomes rarely emerge from lectures or worksheets alone. They emerge when young people are trusted with responsibility, encouraged to take initiative, and given the freedom to navigate challenges that do not have predetermined answers.

What begins as a quest to earn money for golf can quickly become a masterclass in leadership, resilience, communication, and self-belief.

Tomorrow, D will mow his first lawn. The homeowner may remember it as a simple service call. D will remember it as the day someone trusted him enough to say yes.

Those moments matter because they become the foundation upon which future confidence is built. Long before young people learn how to lead organizations, launch companies, or change communities, they learn that they are capable of creating value for others. Once that belief takes root, remarkable things can happen.

As a parent, that's a win. And as someone who spends a great deal of time thinking about leadership development, I am reminded that some of the most important lessons are not taught in classrooms, conference rooms, or boardrooms. Sometimes they are learned by two boys in golf shirts, knocking on doors on a summer evening, hoping someone will give them a chance.