How to Create a Spirit of Entrepreneurship. Chapter 1: What is an Entrepreneur?

Preface – about this blog post

This blog post is the initial working of a book that will eventually published about creating a spirit of entrepreneurship, and it comes from experience of not having that entrepreneurial spirit in my youth and now attaining it personally as an adult. The list consists of my 7 steps to what I feel creates the spirit of entrepreneurship and how that can be applied to areas or organisations. Some of them are focused on younger ages but all of them can be applied at any age and position. I’m currently working on the examples, so these posts will be mainly my original thoughts and positions. If you have any suggestions then please put them down below, I’ll be receptive to any feedback!

How to Create a Spirit of Entrepreneurship?

Introduction

Entrepreneurship is something that has become a social phenomenon. Many people want to be one, or what they think an entrepreneur is, but not many really are. People want to be Elon Musk, but they don’t know what it takes (no one really can apart from him). In this chapter we will define Entrepreneurship and make some assumptions as to the type of person who becomes an entrepreneur and introduce the idea that you can create a spirit of entrepreneurship, in a family, a school, a nation or within yourself.

What is entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurship is defined as: ‘the activity of setting up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit.’

However, this definition is rather simplified in my opinion, entrepreneurs are not simply business owners or people who set up a business. The local butchers may not be run by entrepreneurs, but business owners. In my opinion entrepreneurs are often highly motivated, extremely driven and ravenously ambitious. Therefore, a corner shop owner pleased with their lot may not qualify.

Entrepreneurs must also be problem solvers. People who create a product or company that occupies its own niche or solves some major problem. Just simply copying the status quo does not make anyone an entrepreneur, once again you are just a business owner.

Although we tend to think about entrepreneurs as business owners or people who set up businesses we can also think of them within companies, they do not need to be founders. Innovation can come from within, and those driving it may also be called entrepreneurs. On top of this the requiem for an entrepreneur to be involved in business has become rather outdated. There are entrepreneurs who innovate in social spaces, YouTubers who could rightly be called so, charity founders who innovate socially. The world of entrepreneurship is not so cut out as it used to be.

Risk goes hand in hand with innovation, entrepreneurs are often those who take risk because innovation is risky. Therefore, entrepreneurship is often risky. This risk does not necessarily need to be financial as with the business example, social entrepreneurs may risk reputation, charitable entrepreneurs may risk alienating those they are trying to help. All of these can be fatal for the entrepreneurship and that is what makes or breaks many entrepreneurs.

So, what we can conclude is that entrepreneurship is a set of qualities, those are:

• Ambition and craving
• Drive
• Problem Solving/ Uniqueness
• Innovation
• Element of Risk

These qualities are what separate entrepreneurship from business ownership or simple life. Although some of these qualities may not be taught or created by a spirit, there are certain ways in which you can increase their prevalence and that’s what we’ll discuss here.

Can you create Entrepreneurs?

The spirit of entrepreneurship is so elusive because often people think the qualities of an entrepreneur cannot be taught or aren’t environmental. It’s true, many people are not cut out for entrepreneurship and may never become entrepreneurs even if you create the greatest spirit of entrepreneurship in the world. However, those that already have the innate qualities that make entrepreneurs can get mixed up in the boredom of life if the spirit isn’t imbued. Therefore, if we want more innovators and entrepreneurs in society then it is pressing that this spirit is embraced.

Ambition and craving are things that can’t particularly be taught, if people are content then they won’t strive for entrepreneurship, they won’t take risk. However, a good spirit of entrepreneurship can alight a person’s ambition, their passion for a subject, and create in them a craving for something more, something great. On top of that the craving doesn’t necessarily need to be for money, social entrepreneurs crave to make people laugh, or think or cry, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is the spirit can show them what they crave and give them a means to getting it. If there is no spirit of entrepreneurship they may never discover it and entrepreneurship will be left untouched.

Drive is often dependent on the person, but everyone has it. Someone may have no drive at the job they hate but has within them a deep-seated drive when it comes to something else. A spirit of entrepreneurship allows everyone to unlock their drive and direct it towards their true purpose in life. Without this people may never find their drive and never use it for good or entrepreneurship.

Problem solving is seen by many as the reserve or great mathematicians or people with genius brains. Often however the most important problems are solved by people who’ve found their passion and work on it incessantly, becoming masters of their field. Einstein was a man who graduated from university with a 3rd, however his incessant pursuit of physics and knowledge led to one of the greatest theories in the whole of science. Without a spirit of entrepreneurship often people follow the path of society and never find their true passion or are too scared to pursue it. However, a spirit puts pursuit of passion over safety and mastery over mediocrity. Therefore, problem solving becomes ingrained into people, and into their psyche.

Hand in hand with problem solving comes innovation. This again seems relegated to those of us who possess innate genius, those who are ‘destined for greatness.’ It is my opinion everyone can be destined for greatness, if they become a master of their field, their passion, they can become a master. When masters arise they automatically innovate, as its not simply enough to be the status quo and be called a master, you must be your own master. The spirit of entrepreneurship makes sure people pursue their passions and mastery over the status quo of mediocrity.

Risk takers are often associated with entrepreneurs. However, entrepreneurs know it’s much more of a risk to spend your life outside your passion being mediocre, and therefore they are willing to sacrifice and take risks. Because to the alternative is much riskier, therefore the spirit breeds an ability to take perceived risks over the risk of a life of mediocrity and servitude.

This is the way in which the spirit of entrepreneurship can cause you to gain these supposedly innate features and become an entrepreneur. In this book we will discuss the 7 steps of creating a spirit of entrepreneurship and ensuring you create entrepreneurs and not sheep.