Entrepreneurs: Born or Buildup

ABSTRACT Do you think entrepreneurs are made or born Is it in Nature or we can Nurture someone My opinion can be on one side and your opinion can be on other side. The debate over whether entrepreneurs are just born that way, or can be taught the skills to start and run a successful business, certainly divides opinion. Lets examines both sides of the argument. Its a combination of both actually. We understand that 50% of our thoughts and actions are genetically and based due to our heritage but the other 50% we learn from our environment and conditions as person. Some people seem to have the entrepreneurial DNA in their makeup, while others adopt and adapt to their environments. There are examples all over the world of both type who come from great business genetics but who dont do anything big in already setup businesses, and then there are those who come up the ranks of poverty to create masterpieces. These people are often encouraged by their parents and family members who might be in business for themselves. Lets remember that not all business owners are born entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs tend to be highly creative, ambitious, risk-takers and often better at starting something versus growing it and running it well. If he or she surrounds themselves with good people, the chances of success are greater. THE ANCIENT QUESTION: Its a polarized argument. Can you truly train somebody to be an entrepreneur In aspect of the above question the population is split in two teams. People who endorse mentoring initiatives soundly say YES, whereas there are others who believe that entrepreneurial spirit is something youre born with; that you will instinctively overcome any odds to make your business succeed. Many people believed that entrepreneurship couldnt be taught; they are of the belief that it was simply too different from other subjects, and that much of the success of entrepreneurs could be attributed to innate personality traits. Stories of young, successful tech entrepreneurs who had dropped out of school and leading the corporate world seemed to support this assessment. But over the past few years, interest in teaching entrepreneurship has increased at all levels of education, and universities around the world are rapidly adding more programs and spaces to support their entrepreneurial students. There are more entrepreneurship education courses and programs are on the way and demand for them is continuously growing with the rapid change in the era. But it does not answer the long back question Whether entrepreneurship can be taught THE TEAM NO: BORN TO BE ENTERPRENEUR There are a group of people who are still adamant that entrepreneurship is a skill and art which is inborn in the individual and cant be taught. It is a commonly held view that entrepreneurs are born, not made. This proves that to become a successful entrepreneur one has more to do with his/her personality and innate qualities rather than anything learned through formal education. This bunch of people believes that entrepreneurship is untidy, unsure and unpredictable and therefore there is no single methodology or map for burgeoning entrepreneurs, particularly not from a professor or teacher who has no experience in the business world and share only bookish knowledge. It is not said that people cant learn the new skill but the basic attributes of entrepreneur is inborn in people. The idea that certain entrepreneurial traits such as being able to spot opportunities, think differently and take risks can only be inherent and cant be taught by any means of source. Entrepreneurship is a team sport, not a solo endeavour, and it can only be learned by doing in the real world. The skills an entrepreneur needs to be successful go beyond the business skills that are easy to teach in a classroom (for example, finance, accounting and economics), and include people skills, like leadership and management, that are best learned through experience that one face while performing in real role. So, is it really that simple Do entrepreneurs pursue their path because of a genetic predisposition to try and do so THE TEAM YES: EXPERIENCE IS THE KEY OF SUCCESSFUL ENTERPRENEUR Its true that entrepreneurship cant be taught in the traditional sense by sitting in a classroom and paying attention to a lecture or by the typical case-study method used in business programs. It is very much an experiential subject that requires Learning By Doing i.e. action and interaction in the real world to find product/market fit. There are clearly limitations of using traditional educational methods to teach entrepreneurship. There isnt one single type of entrepreneur, just as there isnt one single type of business opportunity. The talent of many entrepreneurs lies in their ability to align their skills and their passion with potential opportunities and, as the next stage on, to develop the skills and attributes they need to maximize those opportunities. Many tools and programs have revolutionized entrepreneurship education by finding a more realistic way to support entrepreneurs, instead of the older and more passive, research and write a business plan methodology of teaching entrepreneurship. They aim to impart a strategy for getting out of the classroom and engaging with (and learning from) the market to build a business model over time. This process is more akin to the way real businesses are built than the old way of building a business plan and then executing it. By teaching entrepreneurs they also encourage entrepreneurs to adopt a learning orientation to their business to find opportunities and solutions in the challenges and failures they encounter. There is now an increased understanding that entrepreneurship education can help/support entrepreneurs by giving them: Tools to organize and analyze their thoughts (for example, brainstorming a burgeoning business model) Methodologies that encourage them to move beyond their intuition and original ideas to listen more closely to what the market is telling them. General business knowledge and support, such as marketing and finance fundamentals, to help them build components of their growing business on an as-needed basis TO CONCLUDE: ENTREPRENEUR IS NOT A JOB TITLE Entrepreneur isnt a job title one typically puts on his/her business card, it is a title usually given to an individual who is successful at what he/she do in business by others. Experience gained through work is a vital key to people becoming entrepreneurs but another type of experience relevant to entrepreneurial success is the wider set of life skills which span both their personal and professional lives. Entrepreneurship is being taught, whether formally or informally, more than ever. The lessons can come from many sources like mentors, peers, books and methodologies from established entrepreneurs along with more formal programs. People have an enormous capacity for change. As they grow and undertake new tasks, they become more confident. Entrepreneurial skills and attributes can be taught and are something that should be part of the educational experience given to all youngsters. So, entrepreneurs can be made as well as born and we can all play our part in helping to make the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators. This Article has been written by Harsha Ramnani. She is B. Com., FCA, ISA (ICAI), CCCA(ICAI). She can be reachedat [email protected]