What is Entrepreneurship?
Forget everything you've ever heard about entrepreneurship. Most of it misses the point. Ask a hundred people what "entrepreneurship" means and you'll get a hundred different answers. Sales people will tell you that entrepreneurship means selling. Accountants will tell you that entrepreneurship boils down to accounting. Management gurus will tell you that entrepreneurship begins and ends with management. And economists will tell you all about entrepreneurial economics.
Well, entrepreneurs do use some sales, accounting, management and even some economics once in a while. There's no denying that. But the truth is that entrepreneurship is really none of these things alone, and in fact a whole lot more.
Saying that entrepreneurship is really a matter of accounting is like saying that the great voyages of discovery were just a matter of navigation. Similarly, saying that entrepreneurship is really about management is like saying the moon landing is really all about project management. It misses the point.
Entrepreneurship is all about taking giant leaps into the unknown. Whether your leap takes you towards starting your own small consultancy, or a shop, or a chain of stores, or a corporate behemoth, it's a giant leap if it takes you away from your comfort zone and into uncharted territory. If it helps you feel safe and secure and free from risks it might be a lot of things, but it's not entrepreneurship.
How do you know you're ready to take your giant leap? You're ready the moment you leap. What can you do to prepare you for your giant leap? Research. A business plan. Experience. Training. All of these help. But in the end, there's nothing you can do to take away the pounding in your chest when you're standing on the edge of that cliff, buffeted by the roaring wind, and wondering whether it wouldn't be better to put off the leap to another day, sometime when you're better prepared. In the end the only thing that prepares you for your giant leap is the leap itself. Aristotle said it best, "For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them."
What do you need to get you to that cliff-top, a gap in the market waiting to be seen and seized? Start out with a "can-do" or "get up and go" attitude. Add some initiative. Look out for opportunities. Sort out the great possibilities from the merely good or just plain bad ones. Then dream up a vision of success.
Be resourceful. Be tenacious. Persevere against the obstacles. Link up with like-minded people who can help out. Ignore your critics and team up with people who can see your vision. Think critically about the challenges that pop up. Face the uncertainties. Break out of conventional ways of thinking. Try out new ideas. Work up some creative solutions. Keep on going. Whatever you do, don't give up.
Entrepreneurship takes guts, energy, courage and daring. Add these to your mix and great achievements are possible.
Our Learning Philosophy
Since we develop learning materials, you would think that we’re passionate about teaching. But you’d be wrong. We’re not passionate about teaching. We’re passionate about learning. And this subtle shift in focus from teaching to learning is what really defines our educational philosophy...
