One thing I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is how much building a business has changed the way I look at family.

For Sarah and I, entrepreneurship has never been about pretending we have everything figured out. We don’t. We are still learning every day. We make mistakes. We try things that work. We try things that completely fail. Sometimes we have a great day. Sometimes we finish the day wondering what the heck just happened.

But the cool part is that we are doing it together.

That is one of the biggest things I want people to understand if they have an idea sitting in the back of their head right now. Maybe you have been talking about starting something with your wife, your husband, your kids, your brother, your sister, or somebody close to you. Maybe it is a food business. Maybe it is clothing. Maybe you make something with your hands. Maybe you have a service people keep asking you for. Maybe it is just a little idea that you keep saying you will get to “one day.”

You can do it.

And you do not have to wait until everything is perfect.

When Sarah and I started doing more pop-ups with Blades by Crank, the whole family naturally became part of the journey. There is inventory to pack. There are tables to set up. There are customers to talk to. There are long drives, airports, tired kids, last-minute problems, mistakes, and plenty of laughs.

Eventually we looked at our boys and thought, why should they only watch us?

Why not let them build something too?

That is one of the reasons Village Kids became what it is today.

The boys get to have their own merchandise. They get to help set up. They talk to customers. They learn how to sell. They learn that inventory is not unlimited. They learn that money coming into the register is not the same thing as profit. They learn how to clean up when the fun part is over.

They are learning business, but they are also learning life.

And the truth is, Sarah and I are learning right alongside them.

That is something I think people sometimes misunderstand about entrepreneurship. You do not have to be an expert before you start. A lot of the learning happens because you started.

You figure out pricing because somebody asks how much something costs. You figure out inventory because you run out of your best seller. You figure out customer service because somebody has a problem. You figure out marketing because nobody shows up. You figure out systems because you are tired of doing everything the hard way.

Then you wake up one day and realize you actually know a whole lot more than you did when you started.

Doing this as a family makes those lessons even more meaningful.

My boys get to see that Mom and Dad do not always win.

I actually think that is important.

They get to see a slow pop-up. They get to see when something does not sell. They see us tired. They see us stressed. They see us change the plan. Then they see us wake up and try again.

I do not want my kids growing up thinking success means everything goes right.

Success is learning how to keep moving when it does not.

And when you are doing that together as a family, even the hard days can turn into good memories.

Some of my favorite moments from our trips have nothing to do with sales. It is being in the car together. Eating somewhere new. Meeting somebody we never would have met otherwise. Watching the kids become more confident talking to adults. Seeing them make their own sale and that little look on their face afterward.

Those moments matter.

Marianas Fest really made me think about this even more.

Everywhere you looked, there were families building something together. Parents and kids behind booths. Husbands and wives working side by side. Families cooking food. Families performing. Families volunteering. Families helping make the event happen.

And then you look at people like Tommy, Bertina, and their family.

Most people see festival day. They see the crowds, food, performances, vendors, and everything happening around them.

But behind an event like that are a million little things that somebody has to do.

Their family is right there in the middle of it.

That is entrepreneurship too.

It is not always somebody sitting in a fancy office building a huge company.

Sometimes entrepreneurship looks like your family folding shirts on the living room floor.

Sometimes it is everybody loading the car at 5 in the morning.

Sometimes it is your wife answering messages while you are packing orders.

Sometimes your kids are putting stickers on bags.

Sometimes everybody is tired, but you finish the job together.

That is real.

And it is possible.

I also think our Marianas culture already gives us a great foundation for building things as families.

We grew up helping.

Somebody is barbecuing, somebody sets up the tables. Somebody is preparing food, somebody is watching the kids. Somebody needs help moving something, everybody jumps in.

We might not always call it entrepreneurship.

Sometimes we just call it family.

That same spirit can be brought into a business.

That is inafa’maolek to me.

Helping each other. Working together. Sharing what you have. Understanding that when one person gets stronger, the whole group gets stronger.

Family does not always mean blood either.

The people who show up for you become part of that village.

That is another beautiful thing about starting a business. You begin meeting people you never would have met otherwise. Customers become friends. Vendors become friends. People introduce you to other people. Somebody gives you advice. Somebody gives you an opportunity.

The village gets bigger.

If you have a business idea right now, I want you to really think about this.

You do not need the perfect logo first.

You do not need the perfect website.

You do not need 10,000 followers.

You do not need somebody to tell you that your idea is good enough.

Start small.

Make ten.

Sell them.

Learn.

Then make twenty.

Maybe your first idea sucks.

Okay.

Change it.

Maybe your kids lose interest.

Okay.

Find another way to involve them.

Maybe your wife is better at one part and you are better at another.

Perfect.

That is the point.

Use each other’s strengths.

And please do not compare your first month to somebody else’s tenth year.

You are building.

The biggest thing is taking that first step.

For Sarah and me, these businesses have given us opportunities we never expected. Yes, there are financial opportunities. But there are also experiences.

Our kids are seeing different places.

They are meeting different people.

They are learning how to communicate.

They are learning confidence.

They are learning what it feels like to earn something.

And most importantly, we are building memories together.

Maybe one day our boys decide entrepreneurship is not for them.

That is completely fine.

But I know the lessons will stay.

They will know how to talk to people.

They will know how to solve problems.

They will know how to work.

They will know how to lose.

They will know how to win.

And hopefully they will know that when they have an idea, they are capable of turning it into something real.

That is why I am such a believer in families building together.

You do not have to build the next billion-dollar company.

Build something that teaches your kids.

Build something that gives your family another option.

Build something that lets you spend time together.

Build something that might fail.

Then build again.

You might be surprised where it takes you.

So if you have been sitting on an idea, consider this your little push.

Talk about it with your family.

Make a simple plan.

Start small.

Take the leap.

It is possible.

You do not need to know everything before you begin.

We definitely did not.

We are still figuring it out.

We are just fortunate enough to be figuring it out together.

And that might be the best part of all.

— si Frank