When my son was a small child, he loved when I would read
him Dr. Seuss books. Stories like ‘Oh
the Things you can Think’, or ‘To think I saw it on Mulberry Street’ were some
of his favorites. Maybe it was the
funny stories. Or maybe it was the
made-up words. But he kept asking me to
read them again and again.
What he did not realize was that he was learning some
important lessons about money, math and being an entrepreneur from the
books. Here are a few of the Dr Seuss
lessons that I love.
- ‘Horton Hears a Who’ has great lessons for
business owners, who can find it a challenge to delegate work. Entrepreneurs realize that there are no small
rolls in a company. And successful
companies need good leadership and management. “A person’s a person, no matter
how small”. My favorite point in the
book is where the smallest suggestion can be transformed into something
great. In my monthly podcast ( where I
interview entrepreneurs, I get real world story after story, where these Horton
lessons show up. - A less popular Seuss book is “Did I Every Tell
You How Lucky You Are?”. Which has a
message of taking your successes and staying humble. And if you dig a little deeper, you can see
the whole glass half empty or half full debate. - Most Entrepreneurs understand the power of
persuasion. They have to sell their
product or service. And to be a great
salesperson, you have to show enthusiasm.
This can be found in the classic Dr. Seuss “Green Eggs and Ham”. By the end of the story, the narrator has
convinced Sam to try the Green Eggs and
Ham. Sam has to step outside of his
comfort zone and try new things. You
won’t be much of a business leader, if you are not willing to take a chance on
something new.
I can go on and on with Seuss books that teach math “One
Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish”. Or
even choosing the right career path from “Would you rather be a
Bullfrog?”. Maybe your SmartMoneyMove
should be to invest in a set of Dr Seuss books for your child or grandchild.
