Homeschooling and Startups are Similar

Homeschooling and startups are similar. Here are some ways:

Both are liberating, with respect to how you spend your time and what things you work on
Both have risks; or at least most of the external world looks at them as very risky (though they are not really as risky as they appear once you get good at them)
Both remove ceilings; startups have uncapped potential reward; homeschooling has uncapped ability to move forward in learning and doing
Both provide more raw and rich life opportunities
Both provide tremendous opportunities for personal improvement
Both require discipline to be successful
Both require finding ways to acquire all the important ingredients; startups need customers and revenue; homeschooling needs specialization and peer groups for social development
Both require bootstrapping; startups require getting a lot done on a little budget; homeschooling requires a dedicated parent and living off of a single income

Albert Wenger, the popular VC at Union Square Ventures, is homeschooling. He can afford to send his kids to the best private schools (and has done so in the past), but he’s homeschooling instead. He’s spending his wealth to have individualized guides for each child to help them get good at doing real things.

What are your thoughts on homeschooling and startups?

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