I’ve long observed that really successful people developed an impressive work ethic before they could even drive a car. I read a study once that said that the percentage of Fortune 500 CEO’s who had paper routes as adolescents was greater than half. Most of the really successful adults I know were hard workers as pre-teens and teens.

Last week I learned of even more anecdotal evidence. I was talking with a young entrepreneur who has really impressed me since I came to know of him a year ago. I was telling him that I hoped my own kids became entrepreneurs and he said if I was serious, I should do what his father did. When he and his siblings were adolescents, their father offered them each the same deal. If the teen would go door to door offering to paint house numbers on the curb of each homeowner, he would pay for all of the supplies and even do all of the painting work. It drove home two key points: 1) that to be successful as an entrepreneur you needed to develop the ability to sell; and 2) in order to sell successfully, you need to figure out how to communicate the value proposition of the service you offer.

This young man took his dad up on the offer and made a lot of money one summer during high school. More importantly, it planted the seed of entrepreneurship that is now starting to bear terrific fruit.