Yes, 100%. Oh yes, just about anyone could become an entrepreneur. I know you’d laugh, upon reading that, but then it’s true. If not disruptive, silly. And the skeptic would say dude are you being crazy? Have you even read about the essential qualities of an entrepreneur on likes of TechCrunch, VentureBeat, PI, ReadWriteWeb? Numerous B-School researches who have dealt with this topic a million times before have shown the difference!
Sure I have read those. You too have read those nicely formatted, well written, qualified articles differentiating the Bill Gates and Steve Jobs of the world from well – the cattle class. But here is the deal: Everyone can be an entrepreneur. Just about anyone. Let us get into why YES, instead of why not. And thereafter the real answer will vest in you.
In my last post (The Great American Dream [GMAT, IVY League And All Things Between]), I discussed the worth of expensive American MBAs w.r.t ploy of entrepreneurship. Rajat commented on it as follows:
“I have one question…Can everybody be an entrepreneur … Its not everybody’s cup of tea….People do not do MBA because they want to be a businessman (although they can do so)…mostly people do MBA for better job prospects or they are stuck in a rut and MBA gives them an option to move out and change their domain or move up the chain.“
Rajat is pretty accurate when it comes to realizing the intent of pursuing an MBA. But like many he is not too sure about elements of entrepreneurship per se.
Have a look at the following pics from our world, to get a hang of who entrepreneurs are:
Selling consumer products in locality makes them wonderful entrepreneurs. They face supply and commission challenge, they face the brunt of end consumers and intense competition from many who open up daily supplies shop around our residential clusters.
Remember this guy from IIM, Ahmedabad selling vegetables on door-to-door model with much more closer look at operational optimizations?
What do you feel seeing Ratan Tata re-inventing the wheel at a much lower cost this time? Can you imagine the amount of risk & conviction he & his team put in to create an under $2000 car? Bringing about a new – really a f**king new – market of cars we are going to see in the near future!
Oh I am sure you must have felt the vibes of entrepreneurship that Michael Arrington exudes from his blog – TechCrunch. Hasn’t he and his team kicked ass of many traditional media juggernauts out there?
Do you see that even the hookers on a street of Bangkok are no less than entrepreneurs? They sell their bodies to their customers (no matter how we empathize with it) desirous of the basic human need – sex.
To tell you frankly, even the mountain goat in Himalayas is an entrepreneur. It risks the steep climb of rocky, wet and snow capped mountains to reach the favorite juicy bushes with sweet berries.
Essentially it is the risk taking capacity. Nothing else separates you from the cattle who grazed the grass in a herd with a shepherd around. There are other factors which are relevant in one’s journey of entrepreneurship too. But all of those factors are about increasing the chances of survival in the open field. They become relevant after the first step of accepting-the-risk is taken.
At an uber lever check out the article on entrepreneurial lessons from Indian traffic by Ashish or have a close look at Alok Kejriwal’s article that discusses the difference between business approaches by Marwaris or by Tatas and you will realize that each entrepreneur has a unique style of working, and they work that way to increase their chances of survival. Nothing wrong with anyone, as each has come out with a background in hindsight, a set of unique challenges that reigned in during the journey that the individual undertook.
The biggest inhibitor for Indians like you & me is the parenting that groomed us. I mean not just our immediate parents but the society as a whole. The quality within us – that streak of risk taking capacity – has not been given a boost, during the impressionable age. For the good, or bad is a different question. We are all entrepreneurs of different colors.
We were naked, wet and hungry when born. Correct me, if I am wrong.
Recommended Read: Raising Kids to be Entrepreneurs? Cut the Allowances
Great article.
To me, entrepreneurs are ‘misfits’ – they are the guys who fail to *adjust* to a normal life.
You said it all with “The quality within us – that is risk taking capacity – has not been given a boost, during the impressionable age.”
- Great post!
Yup I agree. Awesome thought
Loved the way you put it with such ease.
Man you are just killing me with your punch lines … “We were naked, wet and hungry when born.”
Great post.
Yes it is the ‘risk’ taken to get away from worker-life which matters… everything else follows… as you say “u r not going to die of hunger”.
The post tasted like a “Scotch-OnTheRocks”.
Awesome narration and again the punch line was like taking a tequila shot !!
“We were naked, wet and hungry when born.”
Nice post..liked it
I believe there is no fixed definition for an entrepreneur. To me an entrepreneur is one who starts playing without rules, and as he goes long make the rules, and then changes them. An entrepreneur is species who eludes definition. Anyone can be an entrepreneur, each one of us can become entrepreneur.
I don’t put any premium on entrepreneurship.
Its just another way to earn money. The media(including blogs like this) hype it and capitalize on that.
The world needs all kinds of people to run the planet.
There may be a shortage of entrepreneurs in this part of the planet and therefore more entrepreneurs can be absorbed here.
We should never de-value or de-emphasize the value created by ordinary workers. What will happen if all of us become entrepreneurs – who will work for us ?
“Its just another way to earn money. ” ? Or “Just another way to create money?”
You are wrong at this spot –> “I don’t put any premium on entrepreneurship.
Its just another way to earn money.” –> If you think entrepreneurship is 1) just another way to earn money or 2). it is hype then you are mistaken.
You are earning your bread & butter because of some entrepreneur who dared to create an opportunity for you. “If everyone becomes an entrepreneur” is a foolish statement. Even in your daily job you take some risk, you adapt, and create value for your employer. You are already an entrepreneur.
- Arvind
Yes, entrepreneurs are the guys who don’t want to obey their boss. But, ofcourse its a thing for the media hype. Now tell me one thing, which thing in our daily thing is left without media spotlight? “ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS ORGASMIC” ….. May be everything that’s orgasmic needs a good stage and it does!!!
**Correction – In our daily life instead of ** daily thing **
Not obeying rules, or playing around with the norms is all about “increasing your chances of survival”. It has nothing to do with entrepreneurship qualities. If one was in silicon valley, he may not have to twist too many rules to survive. Creativity & competitiveness will help him.
But in countries like India, becoming an Ambani or Tata or Marwari might just be the right approach. But before that, one has to take the plunge!
Cheers,
Arvind
I think you started out good on the article stating that anyone can become enterpreneur but the choice of examples were bad.
Enterpreneurship is not about survival. Making the definition broad enough and consider all the risk taking employees of corporate companies is a total injustice to enterpreneurship. Let’s not over simplify or glorify enterpreneurship.
I strongly believe anyone could become one but not every human being is not an enterpreneur. It’s the fine difference between ‘making a living’ and ‘leading life’
@Venkat you are right in most statements (that it is not about survival) except that it is the biggest fear of a newbie thinking of adopting entrepreneurship.
The examples justify the intent of the article: “Why yes, instead of why no’s.” And of course there can be more diversity in examples, quoted.
- Arvind
Great write Arvind, enjoyed reading it.
Posts like this make Pluggd inimitable. Original, opinionated and hard to argue against. Thanks to Arvind and the Pluggd team.
Totally liked the comment entrepreneurs are misfits.
I loved this video and thought it very relevant for this topic. 10 ways to be your boss by Fred Wilson, a New York based VC who has invested in numerous game-changing tech companies, including Twitter, del.icio.us, Etsy, and FeedBurner: http://bit.ly/burownboss
Gr8 Gr8 Gr8 post, loved it, And this made my day.
What about people who invest in their portfolio of skills? Who invest the time and effort such that they are the Go-To persons. They are not interested in a job. They look for projects. They too are entrepreneurs.
What about lawyers who have their own practice? What about surgeons and physicians who are not on the payroll of any hospital? They too are entrepreneurs.
I think the touchstone of an entrepreneur is not being on a payroll.
Well said RM, touchstone is apparently of NOT being on the payroll. But one would have enterprising employees in an organization too, that one must ensure to reward and groom.
- Cheers,
Arvind
I am glad that the question that i asked became the topic of your post. The examples you have provided are so good that i have to agree that anybody can become an entrepreneur if they have the will to.Specially i like the point about IIM passout selling vegetables, its something very hard to do when you see your peers joining MNC’s left and right. Mostly the only thing that holds back people who want to venture into entrepreneurship is their inner fear of the ‘risk involved’.
Also Ashish’s comment ‘To me, entrepreneurs are ‘misfits’ – they are the guys who fail to *adjust* to a normal life’ is perhaps one that i totally agree with and in fact its this feeling of mis fitness that makes many people to leave their comfortable zones and venture into new territories.
Great article!
Very useful article …