“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” (Barack Obama)
Is entrepreneurship the Holy Grail?
It is argued that most businesses fail and entrepreneurship requires extreme daily hard work but is romanticised as the holy grail (the sought after).
However, consider that in the game of life, just like sports, there are always more losers than big winners. Many entrepreneurs fail daily, some are broke, others earn pittance on daily trying to survive or keep businesses afloat. Many fail and few re-continue after failing several times to eventually succeed. A core principle of entrepreneurship is the ability to deal with failure and not allow the failing grind one to a halt.
“Never be limited by other people's limited imaginations.” (Mae Jemison)
When a romance fails, you don’t give up on ever finding love again you get back up. It's about not allowing the mind to wallow in self-pity and depression but taking back control as the CEO of your life. It's about crying when things go bad or wailing at night thinking about where the next money is going to come from to feed or pay bills but wiping the tears, getting back up daily and defeating life’s problems. Research shows that entrepreneurs of all gender know what it feels like to cry when nothing works and to temporary give up or think about giving-up. Whatever process the entrepreneur goes through to not quit is what earns the one the entrepreneurship identity.
Hence, to succeed as an entrepreneur, one must learn how to problem-solve to start again and again after many failures. The entrepreneurs’ that achieve a single goal are proof that at least one goal out of many business ideas or failures can thrive. Subsequently, the entrepreneur enjoys career satisfaction following their dreams and giving life their best shot. This entrepreneur likely falls within the income percentage of businesses that earn an average of the income bracket of the 20%. The entrepreneur’s fruitful venture becomes their asset, reputation, business card, and work reference. Successful entrepreneurs become winners and game changers.
“We are all gifted. That is our inheritance.” (Ethel Waters)
Is entrepreneurship the Holy Grail? What is the relationship between romance and careers? Well, many entrepreneurs are passionately married to their careers and businesses while employees are married to their jobs. Neglecting the family is not being encouraged, but the reality is that majority of people’s lives are spent in the workplace rather than doing what they enjoy, or with say, families or the home which is akin to an unhealthy work romance.
Many entrepreneurs work round the clock which can be tasking for the body, some hardly see or have time for friends and family due to working 27/7. Similarly, employees get to work in the morning and leave in the evening or at night. By the time they get home they are too tired to positively engage with the family. They go to bed and repeat, over and over. This is why jobs are called the rat race. The WESM section on mind (you), body (work) and soul (family) discusses the distinction between personal goals and career goals to hopefully encourage a better work-life balance. However, Alain de Botton says, “There is no such thing as work-life balance. Everything worth fighting for unbalances your life”.
According to a Gallup survey, only about 13% of workers are actively engaged in their jobs, while 87% are simply going through the motions akin to riding a stationary bike in the gym going nowhere. This group waste valuable time complaining about their jobs instead of being more creative at work, innovative and the CEO of their lives. However, don’t wait for the pessimists, continue moving and you can become much of what you decide and action.
“Fear is a disease that eats away at logic and makes man inhuman" (Marian Anderson)
The 13% career-oriented consists of the intrapreneurial but many start work accepting any unfocused job and over time gradually move into pursuing a career. It is true that not everyone is an entrepreneur or intrapreneurial employee because there are over 90% more employees worldwide. However, not everyone is meant to solely become an employee either, working 9-5pm, just staying alive.
Additionally, the Pareto Principle known as the 80/20 rule describes how in life the law of the vital few operates, that for many events about 80% productivity comes from 20%. This ratio is largely same for the distribution of income and wealth amongst people in the world, mostly 20% own 80% of the land. This is not a cause to despair, rather a reinforcement that anyone who becomes the CEO of their life and raises their productivity levels will ultimately enjoy this 20% principle. We are all unique, and whether a person chooses to start a business or not, they would definitely become more successful being intrapreneurial than if they were less entrepreneurial.
Make no mistake, being a valuable employee OR leading a successful business are not a work in the park both require very serious problem-solving, commitment and focused hard work. Hence, no more trying to shame individuals for identifying with or aiming to become entrepreneurs. To further reinforce the perspective, entrepreneurship is not a fashion trend because it is a mind-set and a lifelong career for those who understand that entrepreneurship is a viable career choice. When more people dream big, start small, create products and services, develop opportunity, wish and take action to become entrepreneurial this is encouraging.
Therefore, is entrepreneurship the Holy Grail? It is, depending on whether you consider the cup as half-empty or half-full. The entrepreneur’s fruitful ventures become their assets, reputation, business card, and work reference. Successful entrepreneurs eventually become winners and game changers.
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