As kids, we’re all taught to play safe when it comes to life and it’s relationships, but where’d we be if not for a tiny risk? I’ll mention of all the once-lived legends, when I speak of this. In all fields, there have been some serious entrepreneurs who didn’t give up when one failure crossed their mind.
Half of us wouldn’t even live to read this, had it not been the efforts of Fleming – the creator of penicillin. Took him 9,999 fails and 1 success. There wouldn’t be an integrated India hadn’t it been Sardar Patel. There would’ve not been splendid complexes like The Delhi Akshardham or the Neasden Temple had it not been Sadhu Yagnapurushdas. And there would be no Microsoft if Bill Gates just took a 9-6 job.
Okay, I acknowledge not all of the above men are entrepreneurs, but they’ve excelled in their fields of expertise by risk, determination and truthfulness. All of the above
There are usually 5 skills, built-in at birth, or developed by experience, to be an entrepreneur and those are as follows :
1) Ability to Learn and Working towards one’s own dreams
The ability to learn stands the first and the foremost step, one has to take. It’s a stepping stone for the long, tiring journey of being an entrepreneur. We all dream, but most times it’s just a dream, and those thoughts are never really chased. Entrepreneurs go nuts after their dream. They don’t stop until they have their dreams fulfilled. But to achieve their dreams, they develop the necessary skills. It’s tough, to set one’s self with an uneasy schedule and it’s tough to follow it till the end of times, but it happens. Patience is the one quality not usually talked about, speaking of those entrepreneurs. They’re patient, never-giving-up creatures who’ll work their way to the destination, without hesitation and complaints.
When you look at Hathaway, it was going down financially, but when Warren Buffett took over, it started making profit. Why? He analyzed the patterns in price direction on the fall of their stock and today, the same which once made a loss, is making profit making Buffett one of the richest around the globe.
2) Originality in everything
No body becomes an entrepreneur by sharing motivational quotes on Instagram stories. Following the spirit of a famous industrialist is one thing and completely following their pattern is another. We came on this world an original and an independent print, why die a xerox?
The ideas an entrepreneur gets is an original and following that one, he gets on the top. The same stagnant idea, doesn’t bore fruit when implemented by someone who’s not original.
Start-Ups like Zomato and OYO are on the top, but those following the same start-up ideas are no where close to fame.
3) Ability to Listen
There is no “I” in an Entrepreneur. A good entrepreneur always works with the mindset of having all the voices on his team heard. He contemplates each and every decision and each an every view thrown on the table. One knows if he wants to make it big, he’ll need his team as his pillars so he doesn’t ignore ’em and respectfully hears each and every opinion they have in their minds. For all what’s worth, it’ll be 90% their efforts which will give him a 100% recognition.
4) Unbreakable Spirit
An entrepreneur is not only risky or hard working. They have something more than that, something which make them, Them. Something, others lack.
Spirit.
A failure, or a thousands of failures don’t break them. That just makes an entrepreneur, stronger and makes him more experienced. His spirit is always “it’s okay, we’ll try better”, which differentiates the wolf from the sheep.
Upon failing, he doesn’t blame his team, but takes the blame for himself and in the time of celebration, he credits the team.
An example as such, who is more of a sportsman than an entrepreneur, is MS Dhoni. But that’s the attitude an entrepreneur usually composes. He’s the Captain Cool.
5) Risk is EVERYTHING
When you look at the lives of the greatest people ever to exist, you see relentless, sickening work ethic. But even a donkey works his ass off. Does that make him great? The ability to know he might not have it in future, yet putting it on the line, that’s something ballsy.
Being a part of a family of businessmen , I have seen people shot to fame, and reduced to dust, in seconds, that too within this business realm.
Risk is usually taken by the ones who have the strength to do it all over again. They’re the real players. They never quit. They don’t work till they’re 50 and live on retirement salary. They quit when they’re dead.
Risk, is a 4 letter word, sounding all okay, but when one has to risk everything he ever made, all the accomplishments he ever had, and putting them on one side of the scale and losing all of ’em in a toss and still keeps calm and rebuilds all of it, again that’s an entrepreneur in true sense.
Surat, Gujarat on an average loses 2 millionaires a day, but generates 5, compensating the 2, with 3 extra. That’s why it’s the fastest growing city.
These are the five musts in an entrepreneur, but patience and belief are usually sidelined. India, with a massive population of 1.32 billion don’t have a lot of entrepreneurs due to lack of opportunities, and a much wanted 9-6 schedule left like a lineage.
We can do better, we should do better. And we will do better.
