There was a time when, if you asked a young person what they wanted to be when they grew up, the answers were almost always the same. "I want to be a..." firefighter, police officer, doctor, lawyer, baseball player, actor; rarely was it an entrepreneur or business owner.

But times have changed. The Kauffmann Foundation in Kansas City, Mo., surveyed youth from across the country and found that 38 percent of children and young adults, between the ages of 8 and 24, hope to become an entrepreneur and start their own business.

Starting and owning a business can be one of the most rewarding things youth can do for themselves and their community. It offers unlimited potential, the ability to call your own shots and, most importantly, the chance to change the world through innovation and creativity.

Ideally, your business education begins early in life. Yes, summer or sports camp sounds like a lot more fun than business camp or selling lemonade on a street corner. But business can actually be fun if it is taught correctly, and you can see the connection between running a business and achieving what you want in life. And anyone with a great idea and the skill to bring it to market can become the next Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg. Tens of thousands of people, including many young people, do it every year.

Most entrepreneurs are not born with the gift of business success; they learn in a cultural environment within the public, private and non-profit sectors that are supportive and innovative. To accomplish more of this, communities should consider the following pathway:

- ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Encouraging the creation/expansion of business and entrepreneur camps. These summer camps can provide, in a fun environment, basic education on the fundamentals of business tools as well as experience the joy of networking and brainstorming new ideas with fellow future entrepreneurs. This can be complemented throughout the year by participation on a large scale in programs such as National Lemonade Day that teach kids how to take their idea from a dream to a business plan.

- MIDDLE SCHOOL: Bringing mentors to schools and developing internships. Entrepreneurs who tell their story to a classroom and share what it is like to run a business, being your own boss, creating new products and services and bringing them successfully to market have a tremendous impact on today's youth. Schools also can participate and support internship programs, especially in the non-profit sector, to develop the next generation of social entrepreneurs.

- HIGH SCHOOL: Exposing students to school-based enterprise, and building and managing businesses. Ideally, such programs would be connected to local businesses, colleges and technical schools such as the Sno-Isle Skills Center in Washington State, where students from 34 high schools receive 450 hours in training, utilizing the REAL Enterprises curriculum.

- COLLEGE: Supporting business plan competitions with technical assistance and prize startup money. A good example of the connection between these programs and entrepreneurism is Contour, a helmet camera that makes it easy to record your adventures hands-free. The company was started by two students who took their third place winnings of $10,000 in the University of Washington business plan competition, and are now on Inc. magazine's list of the 500 fastest growing private companies in America.

The next generation of great products, services and businesses are already out there. They are locked in the minds of students throughout the United States. It's our challenge to unlock these ideas as early possible, seed them with solid business skills and mentorship and bring them to market. Teaching entrepreneurship in our schools not only inspires tomorrow's entrepreneurs, but it ensures that our economy will continue to lead the world in groundbreaking innovation in the marketplace.

Lemonade Day is a 14-step process that walks youth from a dream to a business plan, while teaching them the principles to start a successful company of any size. Learn more at www.LemonadeDay.org

Maury Forman is the Senior Manager for the Washington State Department of Commerce specializing in entrepreneurship for rural communities. Robb Zerr is the Marketing, Communications & Outreach Manager for the Washington State Department of Commerce, an award-winning freelance writer and author and entrepreneur.

• Read more articles by ROBB ZERR AND MAURY FORMAN

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