I think entrepreneurship like any form of creativity is gifted to everyone (to some degree) at birth. But like creativity, our environment (parents, peers, education, and ourselves) can serve to encourage or suppress it.
Fortunately like creativity, i think that entrepreneurial habits and behaviours can be relearned if lost. I don't think they'll be as powerful as they could have been if they were retained, but they can still function to a necessary degree.
I think the key element is a comfort with taking calculated risk. Most of us become less and less comfortable with taking risks, but sometimes our lives force us to do so (hence redundancy is often a trigger).
People are willing to put loads of money into stocks, savings, mutual funds etc., but they could realise a much higher return if they had some time and some ideas, even as a part time activity.
If you have to wait till a redundancy gives you spare time, then it might be too late already. Starting earlier gives you more time to gain experience.
I would say it is partly innate, although I wouldn’t go as far as linking it to birth. I do not think any kind of talent comes with birth to any extent whatsoever. But yes, our environment and the surroundings we are brought up in on one hand and how we receive what they throw at us on the other, play the crucial role in shaping us in to what we eventually become. Entrepreneurship skills, I believe, follow the same pattern.
Further, entrepreneurship has multiple levels of skill sets and applications, and as such as many definitions. Just for an example, housewives take entrepreneurial decisions on a regular basis, in the running of their enterprise called ‘home’, which may not considered so, conventionally speaking. Do they obtain these skills through a learning and training process, or are they innately skilled with their jobs? I believe, it is circumstances and need-based self-development that brings it about. And in that, it is not something that can be learned through academic learning or training.
I think entrepreneurship can be learned. I believe it is the ability to learn quickly, survive the mood swings, and keeping high motivation and dedication towards the goal makes a good entrepreneur.
From my personal experience, over the past 1 year, I was exposed to such extreme mood swings at Alphadore.com that I had never experienced before. One day, you are the happiest man on earth, everything is going as planned, you think you'll be the next Steve Jobs. Another day, such small thing but has a high impact on the overall project doesn't go as planned and you feel like it was a terrible idea. It took me 4 months to stabilize these emotional mood swings, come to my senses, and reduce my working hours to 18 hours per day. Now, things are all good. Delivered a great product that has an significant public interest, sales are going as projected and I survived the emotional roller-coaster. Rest is easy...
I think entrepreneurship like any form of creativity is gifted to everyone (to some degree) at birth. But like creativity, our environment (parents, peers, education, and ourselves) can serve to encourage or suppress it.
ReplyDeleteFortunately like creativity, i think that entrepreneurial habits and behaviours can be relearned if lost. I don't think they'll be as powerful as they could have been if they were retained, but they can still function to a necessary degree.
I think the key element is a comfort with taking calculated risk. Most of us become less and less comfortable with taking risks, but sometimes our lives force us to do so (hence redundancy is often a trigger).
People are willing to put loads of money into stocks, savings, mutual funds etc., but they could realise a much higher return if they had some time and some ideas, even as a part time activity.
ReplyDeleteIf you have to wait till a redundancy gives you spare time, then it might be too late already. Starting earlier gives you more time to gain experience.
I would say it is partly innate, although I wouldn’t go as far as linking it to birth. I do not think any kind of talent comes with birth to any extent whatsoever. But yes, our environment and the surroundings we are brought up in on one hand and how we receive what they throw at us on the other, play the crucial role in shaping us in to what we eventually become. Entrepreneurship skills, I believe, follow the same pattern.
ReplyDeleteFurther, entrepreneurship has multiple levels of skill sets and applications, and as such as many definitions. Just for an example, housewives take entrepreneurial decisions on a regular basis, in the running of their enterprise called ‘home’, which may not considered so, conventionally speaking. Do they obtain these skills through a learning and training process, or are they innately skilled with their jobs? I believe, it is circumstances and need-based self-development that brings it about. And in that, it is not something that can be learned through academic learning or training.
I think entrepreneurship can be learned. I believe it is the ability to learn quickly, survive the mood swings, and keeping high motivation and dedication towards the goal makes a good entrepreneur.
ReplyDeleteFrom my personal experience, over the past 1 year, I was exposed to such extreme mood swings at Alphadore.com that I had never experienced before. One day, you are the happiest man on earth, everything is going as planned, you think you'll be the next Steve Jobs. Another day, such small thing but has a high impact on the overall project doesn't go as planned and you feel like it was a terrible idea. It took me 4 months to stabilize these emotional mood swings, come to my senses, and reduce my working hours to 18 hours per day. Now, things are all good. Delivered a great product that has an significant public interest, sales are going as projected and I survived the emotional roller-coaster. Rest is easy...