1 Nov 2014
As told
to me across the year (May 2014- Oct 2014)
What
really makes one an entrepreneur?
To be honest, I do not know for sure.
All I
know is, when the time came to take a career decision, I did not want to be
anything else. Did I really want to be an entrepreneur? Nopes, not nearly. But
I just couldn't be anything else.Options
available: A journalist with one of the best newspapers/agencies, or probably a
consulting editor/correspondent with a news firm. But I just couldn't imagine
myself in any of those roles.I keep
meeting entrepreneurs all the time nowadays. Some very successful, some along
the way and a vast majority, just surviving on the fringes. Most of these have
left lucrative career options to become an entrepreneur.
But why?
The Myths
Money: It
isn't the money. Really. After sometime, you know that money may come and go.
It hardly matters as long as you can cover your basic requirements of life. Revenues
always remain a number you want to grow. But personal income isn't the reason
to be an entrepreneur for many.
Changing the world:
In my experience I haven't met many entrepreneurs
who want to create a big company or change the world. Most are content by
creating a successful one, a profitable college or institution that provides
jobs and pleases customers.
So what
is it that creates and is creating entrepreneurs everyday. What is the genesis
of an entrepreneur?So there
are two parts to this question
A. What
creates entrepreneurs?
B. What keeps them going against all odds?The Two
Driving ForcesWhat I
have seen, in my limited experience is that there are two driving forces (there
may be others) which lead to creation of entrepreneurs? Mind you, I am not
counting the quick-quitters over here (yup, there are many), only the ones who
seem to carry on come what may, for at least a couple of years.
1.
Glamour:
The first one is the glamour. The media keeps covering successful colleges and
many seem to think that is what an institution to be– at least when they take
the plunge. These people initially tend to be quite driven by money, and seem
to have lots of big ideas. Many of these however, soon realize that money
doesn't come easy. But by that time, they are deep into “the startup stuff”. It
can get addictive. Not counting the quitters, they just keep going, and some
make it big. The “startup stuff” gradually changes your persona. Those who persevere
tend to become different people after sometime. The day-dreams of making crores
are gone and are usually replaced by something more practical – dominating a
small market, creating great impact on society, etc.What
keeps them going if there initial dream of crores is shattered?
As I said, becoming an entrepreneur changes your personality (if you
persevere). You start to look at the world differently. As the dreamers look
around they see a lot of unsolved problems. And many eventually find solutions,
some succeed and a small percentage make it big.
2. Being
Pissed Off:
The other kind are those who are pissed off. They do not like the job they are
doing, or do not feel they are using their talents to the full extent, or see an
opportunity in their current industry. They become entrepreneurs because they
feel they can do better professionally, take advantage of a specific problem
people are facing. These people tend to become pretty quickly – much faster
than the previous group.Why do
some of these people persevere?
Even if the first idea fails, this group is clearer about its goals. They pivot
and reboot. The hopes and aspirations they have just cannot be fulfilled by
going back to the job market. That just won't satisfy them. They have been permanently
damaged :-)
3. The
Third Group:
And finally there is a third group of entrepreneurs. Mind you, I said there
were two forces that create entrepreneurs – and yet I am adding a third group.
The reason is that these people are chance entrepreneurs. They are passionate
about something and at some stage it seems that an opportunity has presented
itself. These guys just want to do what they want to do. They have not become
entrepreneurs for changing the world, or for money or for anything else. They
just became.This
group is also my favourite.
At an individual level, there may be many reasons.
As one entrepreneur put it “We didn't have big expenses like father's illness
or sister's wedding (a line from old Bollywood movie referring to problems
faced by the Indian middle class), so we became entrepreneurs. We had no
responsibilities”, or “I don't know. I guess it was just the right age. I could
take any risk I wanted.” and others like “we were working on this stupid
project just for fun till we realized it was solving a real problem”.
But at
core, this group just is.I do not
think that one falls necessarily in one group or the other. If you are an entrepreneur,
you can be a mix of any of those groups, with your reasons partly being from
any of those groups.
Bachie
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