Are Entrepreneurs Born or Made? Critically Discuss. Introduction The idea that Entrepreneurs are all made is obserred. This essay aims to convey that the attributes needed to make entrepreneurs cannot be taught or learned for the purpose of making a successful entrepreneur. An Entrepreneur is defined as someone who is driven to undertake a venture through their own initiative in order to be successful. They’ll assume the responsibilities of accumulating all the capital to finance the business as well as taking on all the risks they may encounter (Burch 1986).
It would be very cynical to think that all entrepreneurships1 are run by people who are only born to be entrepreneur because there are success stories on both sides of the argument. However, many researches have been carried out and have shown the majority of successful businesses are run by people who were inspired on their own accord to take the risk of introducing their business ideas, products or services to the market to satisfy their drive for success (Black Enterprise 2007).
A primarily individual is able to poses the skills, experience and knowledge which could allow them to take on the role as an entrepreneur. However, this doesn’t suggest that they are suited or bound to be successful entrepreneurs. This is the case because of the lack the most important aspect the innate drive of being an entrepreneur which can never be taught or be implemented into someone to be a successful entrepreneur. These attributes are; Intuitive, Determination, Opportunistic, Self-confident and Independent (Burch 1986: Rae 2007).
However, there are four critical aspects that an Entrepreneur must have which cannot be learnt or be acquired by experience or skills. These are Innovation, Creativity, Risk Tolerance and Independency. (REF) The innovation and desire of bring an ideal, goods or a service to life is a critical part of being a successful entrepreneurs. A person may have the desire to run their own business but fail to have the natural attribute of being innovative (Schjoed 2009).
This would not make them suitable for the position of being an entrepreneur because they wouldn’t be able to make their idea real or usable which would lead to failure. Entrepreneurs are the innovators that drive their business to success, changing and improving to methods that would allow for success in any given situations (Panos 2011). Thus, ‘Innovation will continue to be a significant driving force in entrepreneurship’ (Rae 2007, p. 215) in order for these changes (e. g. echnological, social) to be exploited and developed in ways that would generate affluence (Rae 2007). This allows entrepreneurs to be risk tolerant in the process of acquiring wealth. Risk tolerant and not being afraid to take risks is an important attribute that an entrepreneur has to possess and cannot be learnt. The acceptance of knowing that one’s ideas, services or goods could be a complete failure in the market and yet still process because of the opportunities is a quality that not many people possess (Ref).
An Entrepreneurship is not a certain entity, no matter the amount of money invested or the effort that goes into the business. Thus, if there is no confidence to tackle risks head on it wouldn’t be feasible to operate. This leads to acceptance that even if people are taught how to deal with risks most business personnel would admit trying to avoid risks but entrepreneurs are risk taker because the greater the risk grater the financial wealth (Life hack 2011). Entrepreneur’s creativity is essential in the aspect of facilitating innovation.
Thus, Entrepreneurs requires creativity to be financial and professionally successful (REF). Besides being creative when it comes to ideas goods or services (by creation, improvement or in satisfying a different needs the ability to be creative in managing their finances, human resources and all other aspects of running a business (Pretorius, Millard and Kruger 2005). The eagerness to seek independence and self-governance no matter the cost is an important quality that is programmed in the ‘DNA’ of an entrepreneur and cannot be learnt (Seshadri 2009).
The ability to have a strong desire of individuality and not being control by anyone is critical in the characteristic of a strong entrepreneur (Schjoedt 2009). Thus, natural born entrepreneurs have ‘a high level of autonomy 2’ ( Schjoedt 2009, p. 621) which is a fundamental element that results in a high level of job satisfaction. This therefore allows entrepreneurs to have the control and freedom to perform at their highest abilities (Sexon and Kasarda 1992). In conclusion from my research it’s clearly acknowledged by many that Entrepreneurs are born with the trades that make them who they are.
While, entrepreneurship skills can be taught, researches have illustrated that the desire and drive to be an entrepreneur cannot. Thus, technical and business skills are not enough to operate a business successfully and become a successful entrepreneur (Bhargrave and Shivganesh 2008). One has to be driven and self-obliged with the creativity and innovation to independently start their own business despite the risk that they may face being confident in their abilities to find opportunities (Burch 1986). These qualities cannot be taught or learnt they are just imprinted therefore; it takes a certain type of person with the appropriate characteristics that can be a successful entrepreneur.
References * ARE ENTREPRENEURS BORN OR MADE? ‘ 2007, Black Enterprise, 38, 4, p. 18, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 11 December 2011. * Bhargrave and Shivganesh (2008) Entrepreneurial Management, SAGE India * Burch, JG 1986, ‘Profiling the Entrepreneur’, Business Horizons, 29, 5, p. 13, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 11 December 2011. Piperopoulos. P (2011) Business Emergency and Growth, Palgrave Macmillan. * Pretorius, M, Millard, S, & Kruger, M 2005, ‘Creativity, innovation and implementation: Management experience, venture size, life cycle stage, race and gender as moderators’, South African Journal Of Business Management, 36, 4, pp. 55-68, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 11 December 2011. * Rae. D (2007) Entrepreneurship from Opportunity to Action, Palgrave Macmillan. * Sexton. L. D and Kasarda. D. J (1992) The State of the Art of Entrepreneurship, PWS-KENT Publishing. Schjoedt, L 2009, ‘Entrepreneurial Job Characteristics: An Examination of Their Effect on Entrepreneurial Satisfaction’, Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, 33, 3, pp. 619-644, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 11 December 2011. * Seshadri, DR 2009, ‘Decoding the DNA of a Successful Entrepreneur/Intrapreneur’, IIMB Management Review (Indian Institute Of Management Bangalore), 21, 3, pp. 209-221, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 11 December 2011. * http://www. laserassociates. net/Newsletters/Publication1%20entrepreneurs%20made%20or%20born. pdf *
