This post was inspired by two things. A talk given by Luke Johnson at the RSA this evening, and Adam Murby, who invited me along to listen and learn.
Entrepreneurship. It’s not about the money.
It’s about the creativity, the flexibility and the suffering, or passion if you must call it that.
And for me, it’s also about the encouragement.
Entrepreneurship. The money is a by product.
What can the world of work learn from entrepreneurs?
I have had the good fortune to be involved in a number of start-ups and entrepreneurial ventures. You are right that for most of the people involved, it’s not about the money. There are few things in life more rewarding or exciting than helping something grow and develop – be it a child, a colleague or a business. You have to be aware and responsive and there is an amazing sense of camaraderie as people work together to achieve desired goals and overcome hurdles. Last Friday I went to the reunion of employees of a business I co-founded a decade ago – even ten years on we all felt a sense of togetherness and the joy with which people greeted each other was almost palpable. Without exception, everyone said that they had learned so much from the experience and that being in a truly entrepreneurial environment had made those of them who are now in large corporates perform better in their current roles. They believe that they are more collaborative than the majority of their long-term corporate colleagues; they are comfortable with change and see it as an opportunity rather than a threat; and they have a wider range of skills and creativity to apply when problem solving.
Thank you for your post – it has reminded me of so many positive things and people.
Thanks Kate – I love your story and really appreciate you taking the time to tell it here. The piece about collaboration stands out along with the joy and togetherness, great stuff!
I’d sort of agree.
We measure success in lots of different ways. Money (or profit) is one way of measuring success, but satisfaction, achievement, realisation are all other methods.
However, the luxury of other measures tends to come after we’ve at least made a little bit of money. Otherwise we’re not really an entrepreneur are we?
I’m sure we can learn a little about ownership and the link to performance but I’d be careful of massive generalisations.. I know some disengaged entrepreneurs too!
Hey Rich, that’s cool, I only sort of agree with me too. F’rinstance I think a flip side to entrepreneurial behaviour can be ‘my rules or no rules’ type stuff. And yes, massive generalisations don’t always help. This post was framed in the aftermath of a very interesting talk at the RSA last night, bias and all 🙂
Good point, well made 😀
…and how can you bring that spirit to your current role? You don’t need to “go solo” to bring that passion, energy, and success to your work.
Good stuff Doug, as always.
Hello Jay – good point. Passion and energy and success are indeed not the preserve of the soloist, I appreciate the reminder 🙂