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Are you someone with a technical bent of
mind, always looking at using technology to make life easy with a great
product, service and innovative solution? Someone who is so inclined to get the
best product that its commercial viability often takes a back seat.
Howard Gardner reminds us there are those
people with a different kind of intelligence, the one who are people smart. So
it is not a great idea or that one terrific solution or their attention to
detail that puts them at the centre of business but their ability to connect
with almost everyone. It is their enthusiasm, charisma, passion for the product
that actually rubs on others really fast. Try explaining these leaders the
basics of business – strategy, market penetration, business projections, one of
you will be lost into oblivion.
Then you have the kind who will pursue a
tested business idea in realm of e-commerce or something, just as common. It is
perfectly alright to be a follower – it is actually a smart move for first
timers as not everyone is rich with innovative ideas. The concern is when they
continue to call the business idea their own, completely unaware of its
existence since ages. That is the point - some entrepreneurs are selling their
idea to important stakeholders even before a basic feasibility study is done.
There are people whose first criteria to
run a business is not to follow anything conventional and traditional. They are
so far sighted that it is a little difficult to relate to it initially, in
current times. They are far ahead into the future and they really need some
rewinding in time machine to be able to articulate those ideas to designers and
investors of today and draw some sense out of it. Do you get the hint? I always
thought I will need a wrist watch, just to see time.
The type you meet most often is the
social entrepreneurs who believe in profit with social justice and are able to
successfully connect cause with a revenue generating sustainable model. The
only issue here is the urgency they will have to seek funds with their cause
and speak a language which is altogether different. mainly in support of their product
and program, rather than the cause.
How can we ignore the corporate
entrepreneurs – the lot who reached the executive board of a multinational
company in their late thirties and really did not have patience to wait another
decade to be a CEO – The fastest route to get there is to jump into a promising
start up or get started on your own. I have met a few of them who are getting
ready to be entrepreneurs, while waiting for their pay check.
Just one more type and I should be done
for this season – The types you will find scattered almost everywhere - who
have no mission, long term vision, no credibility, no experience, no
inclination to learn, no dream to make a difference to the world, no team who
will ever trust them. The only thing that made them think business is the buzz word
– Venture capitalist and that they are too lazy to ever excel in their jobs. All they need is a
business summary that will get them funds. Most of them are even clueless how
much funds they need.
The point is every kind of entrepreneur has
a learning gap, just the degree varies. You have a few training institutes
certifying CEOs now. Enough said.
If you are contemplating entrepreneurship
and can relate to one of the types above and need to know more, you can respond
to BECKON qualifying questionnaire that has approximately fifty odd questions
based on which a high level Learning road map will be shared with
you.
