Business

When You Don’t Want Your Kids To Be Just Like You

There comes a moment when your child might look up and say, with wide-eyed innocence:

“I want to go to the office and type on a laptop all day like Mommy.”
“I want to travel abroad for work for two weeks at a time like Daddy.”
“I want to have video meetings at home and in the office like you.”
“I want to go to work and come home late at night every day like Daddy.”

At first, you may feel a surge of pride. Your hard work is being seen. You’ve become a role model. But almost as quickly, that pride can twist into something else: concern.

Because if they truly knew what it was like to be you—stressed, exhausted, chasing financial security—they might rethink their dreams. And you might, too.

Why I Don’t Want My Kids to Be Like Me

After publishing Buy This, Not That, I was drained. Traditional publishing was new for me, and while I was proud to try it, it felt like swinging two bats at the plate—exhausting but satisfying to let go.

Then my publisher offered me a two-book deal. I hesitated. Did I really want to put myself through the grind again? Part of me said no. But another part—the part that wants to instill a strong work ethic in my children—said yes.

As a FIRE parent, I worry about raising entitled kids who don’t appreciate how hard life can be. So I committed to the second book, not just to help readers, but to show my kids what persistence looks like.

The Second Book, And A Moment Of Dread

Two and a half years later, Millionaire Milestones: Simple Steps To Seven Figures is finished and will hit shelves on May 6, 2025. My son has seen me write, heard me talk through chapters, and even weighed in on cover designs.

One day after school, he told me, “I want to be a writer like you, Daddy.”

My heart swelled. And then sank.

Because while writing is rewarding, it’s also brutally hard and not financially practical for most.

The Arduous Life of a Writer

I’ve often wondered how kids end up pursuing some of the least lucrative jobs after 17 years of education. Don’t they realize the world is too cruel to let them major in Art History, English, or Poetry?

Maybe not. In school, they’re encouraged to be creative, follow their passions, and believe they can achieve anything with hard work.

Unfortunately, life has bills to pay.

Unless you’re from one of the wealthiest families, spending four years and hundreds of thousands of dollars on college to pursue a career in the arts is impractical.

If my son majored in English and became a writer like me, he’d face many hungry days. He’d likely never earn enough to buy a home, let alone get married and start a family.

Instead, he could end up living in our garage, wondering where it all went wrong. During my 24 years in San Francisco, I’ve seen plenty of adult sons living at home, unable to provide for themselves.

My wife and I might not see grandchildren either. By pursuing writing, our family lineage could end, unless we build a genetic dynasty like the one in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation.

The Harsh Economics of Writing

The average book advance? $5,000–$10,000. Even a top 1% advance of $250,000 is usually split over 3–4 payments and 2–3 years. That’s maybe $83,000 a year, hardly a golden ticket, especially in a high-cost city.

And most writers don’t even get a deal. Roughly 95% fail to land one. The odds are long. The income is low. Don’t become a professional writer if you want to live well.

As one dad said to me in 2022, when I mentioned writing another book, “I’m sorry. Artificial intelligence is disrupting everything.”

So when my son says he wants to follow in my footsteps, I feel conflicted. I want him to be creative and fulfilled. But I also want him to eat.

Blogging Isn’t Easy Either

“Can’t he just start a blog like you did?” some might ask.

Sure. But most bloggers make little to nothing for years, even if they publish three times a week. AI-generated content is flooding the internet, but it’s not winning reader trust or SEO rewards, yet.

Yes, he could try YouTube or podcasting. But those, too, are long games filled with uncertainty.

Don’t build your main career on a platform you don’t own, and don’t expect passion alone to pay the bills. Here are some more reflections on making money online since 2009.

Meaningful vs. Lucrative Careers

Ideally, your child will find work that’s both meaningful and financially secure. Doctors, nurses, and teachers all contribute to society in incredible ways. But even they face burnout. For teachers, they often aren’t paid enough for what they do.

On the other end are the high-paying but potentially soul-draining jobs—investment banking, big tech, management consulting, and law—the industries where many elite university graduates land. While the work may not be fulfilling, these roles can accelerate the path to financial independence.”

Demand for software developers is declining — Even the once-coveted software developer job may be getting disrupted by AI.

The Freedom To Choose Comes From Financial Stability

If my son wants to write, I hope he does it as a side hustle, at least until he’s financially stable.

Personally, I’d love for him to pursue a career that helps society, even if it doesn’t pay well. But he’ll only have that choice if he builds wealth early. Passion without income is a fast track to resentment.

Before you try to save the world, you’ve got to save yourself.

Work Ethic Is The One Thing You Can Control

You can’t dictate your child’s path, but you can model determination, discipline, and pride in your work. Those are universal skills in any field.

That’s one reason I pushed through writing Millionaire Milestones. It’s not just a book, it’s the culmination of decades of financial learning, packaged to help people build great wealth step-by-step. Further, it’s an example of work ethic.

But let’s be frank: there’s no way I could have written this book or maintained this site without the net worth and passive income to support my family.

Writing is a labor of love. It brings deep satisfaction. But the freedom to do it regularly came only after financial independence.

Final Thoughts

So when your kid says they want to be just like you, take a moment. Smile. Hug them. Then think hard about what it means and what kind of life you really want them to have.

Because maybe the greatest gift we can give our children isn’t just inspiration. It’s optionality.

Millionaire Milestones is out tomorrow and I’d love for you to pick up a hard copy. Thank you for your support!

Millionaire Milestones book by Sam Dogen, When You Don’t Want Your Kids To Grow Up To Be Just Like You — Click the link to pick up a copy on Amazon

Reader Questions

Readers, do you believe in following your passion or being practical? Do you want your kids to grow up to do what you do? Why or why not? How do we ensure our kids choose occupations that pay enough and are also spiritually rewarding? How do we instill in our children a work ethic that will help them succeed, no matter their occupation?

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Business

Tackle Decision Fatigue With This CEO-Worthy AI Tool

Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

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SkillWee helps you make smarter, data-backed decisions. And right now, a lifetime subscription can be yours for just $49.99 (reg. $299.99).

Save time and avoid making mistakes with this AI-powered tool

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Business

How to Turn Bad Reviews Into Great News For Your Business

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

No matter how robust your brand’s customer service is, you can’t avoid negative feedback — noise that can block out all the great things your business offers and does. Social media is rife with videos highlighting incidents where customers feel wronged and the torrent of negative comments that follow. Reviews on Google, Yelp, Facebook, Open Table, TripAdvisor and other platforms are filled with dissatisfied customers, and that can upend a business’s good standing.

Sometimes, there are missteps, and the reviews and feedback reflect a breakdown in service or product delivery. Other times, people are venting or trolling with no cause. You can’t take it personally, but don’t ignore what they say. Customers rely on reviews when discovering or purchasing products and services. Bad reviews can turn them away and cause a reputational crisis for your business.

Your online business reputation depends on a proactive, strategic approach for identifying, monitoring, managing and responding to negative reviews. You’ll seize opportunities to build trust, improve customer service and enhance customer relations.

Table of Contents

Identifying customer issues

If a negative or bad comment appears on social media or one of the consumer review platforms, take a breath and figure out what’s behind the review. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes to see if the review or comment was justified. Go beyond the words and anger to determine where things went wrong. Then respond — genuinely and professionally.

Monitoring online reviews

You won’t know customer dissatisfaction exists without monitoring your online reviews. There are various tools and strategies available to do so. For example, you can use Google Alerts or ReviewTrackers to provide you with real-time alerts when new reviews are posted on platforms like Yelp, Facebook, TripAdvisor and Google.

Also, ensure your business is claimed and verified on the major platforms so you can respond to reviews and receive notifications of activities. Optimize your business profiles. You want potential customers to find accurate, useful information when they are looking up reviews about your brand. Make sure photos, location, hours and business description are up to date.

Managing online reviews

Designate a “review response” team or personnel to respond to reviews. Share these tips with the individual or team responsible for handling reviews:

Don’t let emotions come into play when crafting responses to negative comments.
Thank customers for their feedback and let them know your intention to do better.
If the customer is justifiably dissatisfied, apologize and show empathy without overdoing it.
Make things right if possible. For example, offer an opportunity to revisit your restaurant with dessert on the house. Send out a replacement product that got lost in the mail at no cost. Offer a discount on a future product.
If all goes well, encourage the customer to modify the comment with an updated review so others can see your good-faith efforts. When you acknowledge customer dissatisfaction and do what you can to turn things around, you’ll find that these consumers will become your biggest champions and cheerleaders.

In some cases, contact reviewers offline to discuss their experience. During the conversation, ask the customers to update their reviews. If they choose not to update the comment, you can respond online that the issue was resolved.

Go beyond the negative, highlight the positive

In dealing with bad reviews, in addition to responding and turning dissatisfied customers into advocates for your business, beefing up your online reputation with positive comments and reviews is equally critical. Positive reviews influence buying behavior and help win people over, even if there is the occasional bad comment.

When asking for a positive review, timing is everything. Encourage reviews at the point of purchase, following an event or fulfilling a service. For example, send a quick text or email saying, “Happy you had a great experience. Would you mind leaving us a quick review?” Make it easy for your customers to leave a comment with a link to the review page.

Make getting positive reviews part of your brand strategy

Train your staff to ask for reviews in their communication. For example, recently, my colleague had an issue with a product that was delivered to the wrong house. It was the delivery service and not the retailer that made the error. The delivery service would not rectify the situation; however, the retailer was happy to send a replacement product. My colleague received an email with an invoice ($0) listing the products reshipped to her home and a gentle nudge to leave a review about the service and resolution. She was more than happy to do so and spread the word.

Respond to positive reviews, too. This shows you care about your customers’ feelings and helps build trust with future reviewers. Don’t be shy about sharing great reviews as testimonials on your website and social media platforms. Other satisfied customers on social will chime in and reinforce the great experience your brand delivers, further boosting your online reputation.

Getting some negative reviews is not all bad. They help you pinpoint areas that need improvement. In addition, they help create a balanced, authentic brand profile. While you want most of your feedback to be positive, having occasional negative comments and responding to them builds trust and credibility.

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Business

This $180 Chromebook Offers Flexibility and Performance for On-the-Go Entrepreneurs

Almost half of entrepreneurs rely on their laptops daily, according to data from global market research firm Ipsos. That’s not a huge shock, considering these portable computers let you get work done anywhere. As an entrepreneur, you’re used to bringing work home… and on vacation. And right now, you can get a super versatile device, an ASUS Chromebook CM30, for just $179.99 (reg. $329.99).

This Chromebook is durable, versatile, and ready for your busy schedule

Entrepreneurs have to be flexible, and the ASUS Chromebook CM30 can keep up with everything a workday throws at you. It can even go from laptop to tablet, thanks to a detachable 10.5-inch touchscreen. There’s also a garaged push-pop stylus with fast-charging technology that you can use to jot down notes, graphs, and more.

This 2-in-1 device lets you tackle anything anywhere, with a MediaTek Kompanio 520 processor that lets you do all the multitasking required of an entrepreneur. You’ll also be working on the Chrome OS, so you’ll have access to all the cloud-based apps you’re already using.

8GB of RAM and 128GB eMMC storage ensure you have sufficient space to download your favorite apps and save important files locally. Dual 5MP cameras are available on the front and rear, letting you take pictures, video chat, and more.

If you’re hard on your devices, the ASUS Chromebook will be a great fit for you. It’s made from a military-grade, durable aluminum chassis so that it can withstand heavy handling. You’ll also be able to get a full workday in and more, thanks to the 12 hours of battery life.

This particular model is an open box device, which means it was likely excess inventory from store shelves. It will be verified to be in new condition and placed in clean packaging before it arrives at your doorstep.

Bring home an ASUS Chromebook CM30 for just $179.99 (reg. $329.99).

StackSocial prices subject to change.