Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/23/can-entrepreneurship-be-taught/?src=twt&twt=nytsmallbiz

The above is an NYT article about a class for entrepreneurs, where the assumption is that entrepreneurs are born, not made, and they use the class as a screening process to find people with the right blend of risk tolerance, out of box thinking, and talent to be entrepreneurs. A while back, we had a thread debating this - born or made. This group makes their stand. It's kind of interesting. I wonder if I'd pass the course. Would you?

EDIT:

http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/21/literally-born-entrepreneurs/

The above link debates the question and comes to the same conclusion.

Probably not - but a human being is capable of nearly anything - including learning a new mind set - thus those that are born to it might have an easier path - but, those that are not could easily learn - our paradigms shift all the time - so could the entrepreneur one.

Entrepreneurship brings great success for some, but it's not a career path for all. Many people can learn the basics of being an entrepreneur. It just depends on how well you retain and utilize the information & knowledge that you have & will obtain.  An entrepreneur has to have that drive, passion, determination, skill set, creativity, innovation, work ethic, entrepreneurial ability to produce results & become successful. They have to have a leadership mindset. Leaders possess innate personal qualities that distinguish them from others. Many entrepreneurs can be born and made. They just have to be developed to bring out those entrepreneurial qualities.

Well, good question. I think entrepreneurs are born, not made. I've seen teenagers able to make money by selling their second-hand gadgets. I've also met kids whose bike was for rent, or kids who would do their classmate's homework or English essay for money. Business in not for everyone. Of course, you could learn some tips and tricks, especially for negotiating, but you don't become a successful entrepreneur just because you've read a pile of How to Be Successful books. It's a lot more than that. Some skills are visible from your early stage (I would say they exist in your seed stage- to also make reference to the seed stage of venture capital funding :)) For those who don't really have a clear plan of how to become an entrepreneur, there are articles and books with the steps to entrepreneurship to be followed and, yes, they will work, if you have great marketable ideas. Watch this free presentation to discover how to finish your business plan in 8 hours (or less) and discover how you can find the right business investors for your start-up!

Good luck,

Len