Home | Mia & Tiago

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An all-new, all-awesome series about entrepreneurship for kids!

About The Series

Join Mia and Tiago as they shoot for the moon with their very own business venture!

Based on the research of Professor Saras Sarasvathy and presented by The LendingTree Foundation, this series uses entrepreneurship principles and stories of successful, real-world companies to teach kids how to think like entrepreneurs.

“I am just thoroughly delighted. I love the characters, the content, the beauty of the drawings… It’s just not one of those things you expect to happen in your career. How many academic theories have made their way to children’s books?” – Prof. Saras Sarasvathy

5-10 years

Grades K - 5

English

Book 1

The Moonshots Contest is coming up and Mia and Tiago are trying to win a trip to outer space!

But they need a great idea—and where in the world are they supposed to find one of those? With sage advice from Edison Eagle, Mia and Tiago realize that great ideas often come from starting with what you have—who you are, what you know, and whom you know.

$ 14.95

Book 2

Mia and Tiago have a BIG problem.

The Moonshots Contest is only weeks away and they have nowhere to build their skate park! But after talking with their friends Kiara and Noah, Mia and Tiago realize that the only way forward is to turn this lemon into lemonade.

$ 14.95

Book 3

And the hits just keep on coming.

It’s time for Mia and Tiago to build their garden for the Moonshots Contest, but everything is so expensive! Weed whackers, spades, shovels, and seeds—how will they ever afford it all without going broke? As usual, Edison Eagle swoops in with clutch words of wisdom, and Mia and Tiago learn that entrepreneurs don’t have to risk everything when starting a business, only what they can afford to lose.

Coming Soon

... And more coming soon!

Collaborators

Gosia Glinska

Gosia Glinska is the Associate Director of Research Impact at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. She believes that entrepreneurship can be harnessed to improve people’s lives and address social problems, and that we should teach the entrepreneurial method to K-12 students to empower them to take charge of their own destinies. To that end, she has written Mia & Tiago based on the effectuation principles developed by Saras Sarasvathy.

Saras Sarasvathy

Professor Saras D. Sarasvathy teaches at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. Professor Sarasvathy is a leading scholar on high-performance entrepreneurship. Her work pioneered the logic of effectuation, a set of teachable and learnable principles used by expert entrepreneurs to build enduring ventures. She was awarded the 2022 Global Award for Entrepreneurship for her path-breaking research on entrepreneurial decision-making and the entrepreneurial process.

Tomasz Pląskowski

Tomasz Pląskowski is a freelance illustrator. Tomasz creates illustrations for children and a lot more. Tomasz has worked on various projects for publications, magazines, and museum exhibitions.

LendingTree Foundation

The LendingTree Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that fosters financial health for all. Through community assistance and forward-thinking initiatives, the LendingTree Foundation enhances opportunities for entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and awareness of the social issues that affect our communities.

Reviews

What Parents Are Saying

Mia and Tiago Learn How Expert Entrepreneurs Think and Act

The story of Mia and Tiago’s entrepreneurial quest, engagingly told by Glinska and delightfully illustrated by Plaskowski, will introduce young children to an inspiring way of thinking, one that expert entrepreneurs practice while building successful ventures.

This book is the first in a series in which each story highlights a separate entrepreneurial principle. Together, the series will provide young readers with a powerful toolkit that they can draw from for the rest of their life.

For the curious parent: the entrepreneurial principles underlying these stories are part of a framework known as effectuation. Prof Saras Sarasvathy developed the framework based on rigorous empirical research more than two decades ago (when she was doing her Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University under Nobel Laureate Herbert Simon’s supervision). A growing global community has since been advancing the practice and research of effectuation in new directions.

Parent

Amazon Customer

How Real Entrepreneurs Get Started!

Absolutely mind-blowing! I am a fan of Prof Saras D. Sarasvathy’s work on Effectuation – how expert entrepreneurs actually create a venture. They start with their means. Gosia’s book explains with absolute clarity what the fiat principle of effectual entrepreneurship is! This is not only suitable for aspiring entrepreneurs – it’s for everybody!

Parent

Amazon Customer

Great Series! Highly Recommend for Future Business Kids (6-11ish)

My kids LOVE starting their own little businesses (selling lemonade, crafts, old toys, etc.) so I thought I’d get them these books. The simple yet expert entrepreneurial tips that kids can apply themselves, coupled with real-life examples got them hooked quickly. The only downside is, each book leaves a cliff hanger to the next, so get ready to buy all 7 books. 🙂

Parent

Amazon Customer

Makes a Complicated Topic Fun for Kids

These are great stories for kids aged 5-10, and their older brothers and sisters too! To be honest, I was afraid that a topic a lot adults find complicated might be too hard for kids, or that the stories might read like a textbook. But that’s not the case at all.

In fact, Mia and Tiago are bright, very relatable 11-year-old kids who are determined to set up a contest-winning business. When they start out, they don’t know anything more about entrepreneurship than their 5-10-year-old readers will. They find out that the process isn’t all smooth sailing. But when their ideas don’t work out, they start again (which is also something good for young kids to see).

They find out that entrepreneurs have to learn by doing. Their readers learn that along with them. The illustrations were bright and colorful and added an upbeat note. Mia and Tiago send their readers a very positive overall message.

Parent

Amazon Customer

Kids are very enthusiastic, but sometimes they get discouraged quickly too when they hit roadblocks. If you think your kids could learn how expert entrepreneurs turn negatives to advantages, this book is for them! The actual real life example plus the engaging storyline makes it easy for parents to talk about this to kids and to help them become more adaptable to changing reality. I’m going to read and re-read this book with my kids! Eager for the next one!

Parent

Amazon Customer

My 7 year old daughter loved this book and wants to read the next one, the Lemonade Principle…What I like about this series is that it draws on scientific research. The principles of entrepreneurship in those books are based on a scientific study of successful serial entrepreneurs. Saras Sarasvathy, the professor who developed those principles is an expert in high-performance entrepreneurship with a global following.

Parent

Amazon Customer

Very clear lesson that will satisfy the young, aspiring entrepreneur in your life! Illustrations and story are adorable.

Parent

Amazon Customer

In the media

The Darden Report article by Dave Hendrick, September 12, 2022 – New Book Series Takes Power of Effectuation to Kids. University of Virginia Darden School of Business Professor Saras Sarasvathy’s theory of Effectuation is a global phenomenon, the rare academic theory that seems to have equal influence in higher education and among individuals and organizations across the world.

BookTrib review by Cameron Kimball, October 18, 2022 – Young Entrepreneurs Shoot for the Stars in This Fun and Educational Read. From Girl Scouts selling cookies to kids trading Pokémon cards, it’s clear that the entrepreneurial spirit starts young. While it may be too early for them to be founding their own businesses, it’s never too soon to teach kids about the values and lessons of being an entrepreneur. By implementing this kind of enterprising thinking early, it sets kids on a path to success and self-confidence that will help them along every step of the way.

Resources

Resources for Parents & Teachers.

The Lemonade Principle

Surprises happen all the time, especially when you’re launching a new company. Imagine you’re opening a new hotel, and you’re having an ice-sculpting contest for …

bird-in-hand-principle-kids-entrepreneurs

The Bird-in-Hand Principle

How do you start a company? Do you start it with a GREAT IDEA? Experienced entrepreneurs START with WHAT THEY HAVE. How do we know …

Coming soon!

Latest on YouTube

Mia & Tiago

An all-new, all-awesome series about entrepreneurship for kids!

Available now!

About The Series

Book 1

Book 2

Book 3

... And more coming soon!

Collaborators

Gosia Glinska

Saras Sarasvathy

Tomasz Pląskowski

LendingTree Foundation

Reviews

What Parents Are Saying

Mia and Tiago Learn How Expert Entrepreneurs Think and Act

Parent

How Real Entrepreneurs Get Started!

Parent

Great Series! Highly Recommend for Future Business Kids (6-11ish)

Parent

Makes a Complicated Topic Fun for Kids

Parent

Parent

Parent

Parent

In the media

Resources

Latest on YouTube

Mia & Tiago

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