Friday, August 14, 2015

The Portrait of an Entrepreneur!

Today, the term Entrepreneur in common usage has come to denote anybody who starts and runs his own firm. 
   Its rather, a very simple sounding accomplishment that earns one the title of an Entrepreneur, in reality there is more to it than that meets the eye at a glance.
                Every single person today, at some point contemplates silently in the free space of his mind.The question, “What if I  become someone like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates?” and daydream, rather fantasize with the idea of  starting a business/company, get it to grow and also grow super rich through it. Instant ticket to name, fame and great money.  A honest realistic review of the lives of many great men and many successful Entrepreneurs reveal certain striking similarities.
What is it that makes one successful? 
What uniqueness do they seem to possess which almost guarantees their success? 
On a path alone, often battling mental demons of despair and daring to survive betrayals and setbacks.
He deals constantly with the feeling of being lost, getting nowhere, terrible confusion and great self-doubt rarely showing it.


In this Global age, a person seeking to establish a company is nothing short of creating a kingdom as in the old days.   Just the way a person (in the olden days) would dream to rise up and become a king who builds his mighty kingdom from scratch. Learning his way through great difficulties and displaying great character. Finally emerging victorious in the War, despite of setbacks and failures.  
An Entrepreneur is a leader ,like an Emperor,who has to deal with immensely powerful difficulties , risks and challenges. To be successful in this eternal quest one needs certain traits and unique kind of mind-set. To do things, the general population would never dare go beyond the realm of thought; this person is often seen as Crazy.
A person who is ‘crazy’ enough to trust himself and follow his dream.
‘Crazy’. Not because he just thought he would somehow get plain lucky , but because he trusts his ability to survive despite the prospect of stumbling into a huge disaster. This sounds pure young blood craziness to the typical Indian household setting, thus often , he has to overcome stiff opposition from people closest to him and also have the ability to get people to believe in him and his dream.

He is a person just like you and me, with almost the same set of insecurities and doubts.
Maybe in just a different time or age but the challenges have always remained the same.
Against seemingly immovable obstacles, often crossing new horizons and carving out new paths in his journey, he moves ahead with courage in his heart.
Yet, He does not choose to give up on his dream.
With Guts to be “Crazy enough” to take that one step. The leap of faith, that he can bear it all and ultimately triumph.
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He is full aware that the world may not be as supportive or encouraging  as one would require but he trust  himself that he can blossom with or without the sunshine .
He trusts himself to find a way no matter how discouraging a time that may befall him.
No matter how great the hurdles or how grave the setback may be, he never loses sight of his  triumph and victory.
This is the legendary ‘Spirit’ of an Entrepreneur’s soul.                                                                        
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The above, clearly outlines the attitude that is crucial for a Entrepreneur.
The next step to take would ideally be a SWOT analysis of himself which ultimately results in the realization of adequate knowledge in diverse fields concerning his idea and management of a company.
Pretty much like a Prince who learns the theoretical principles from his Guru and sets out into the kingdom to test himself and also learn how to implement and discover new ways to handle his subjects.
An Entrepreneur must also seek to know everything recorded and verified in the field in which he intends to enter.
                              The books are the starting point. Often, most of the written work in a book would mimic in “Personality Development Category”,I.e. they are really good interesting reads, provide an amazing motivational boost with apparent ready-made solutions and ways, but sadly nothing worthwhile can be  learnt that easily in reality.
Not everything can be learnt from reading a text book. As in Economics, most of the principles that are discussed are with a condition that most other factors remain constant. It is also a fact that in today’s rapidly changing world the uncertainty and change are constant.

            In order to be a successful Entrepreneur, one needs lot of practical first-hand knowledge of how the things happen in the actual world.
He also needs to develop the essential ‘knack’ of knowing when the established principals of business work and when to chart a new way going against ‘expert’ advice. 

How to gain a First-hand experience?

Ideally join (or intern at) an established firm and get to know the way things are actually done in the world. Often many companies guard their secrets with stringent security to ensure they don’t face plagiarism.
Just to learn about the functioning of a corporate entity one needs to be a part of one.
Most people would have to wait to graduate out of college to be able to earn a ticket into the corporate world. But those who don’t, give up with the society’s apparent norms.
A true Entrepreneur challenges the ways of the world or finds methods to get what he needs.
One of the best way is to be a part of AIESEC.

Why?
  1.  Inside view of functioning of a corporate entity.
  2.  Experiential Learning in a global environment.
  3. Programs to develop leadership skills and also team building skills.
  4.  Learn to deal with the big corporate houses out there through the privilege of being an “AIESECer”.
  5. Get to interact with diverse people from different regions of his own country and abroad.
  6. A platform to form great connections and possibly like minded passionate people to work with daily while still being in college.(Get to learn SWOT analysis, brand building, client relationship management, real-time crisis management and many more)
  7. · The Freedom to fail.

          Once a great man, the father of our nation said, “Freedom is not worth having without the freedom to make mistakes.
             Best part is that there will be almost no setbacks as your work will be monitored and guided by experienced, knowledgeable people.
            Ultimately, the aim is to learn as much as possible about the field and also about how a corporate entity functions in the shortest time utilizing the best resources.
Eventually you can proceed to get a MBA or venture out with your start up or enterprise directly after your graduation.

#AIESEC