“Every entrepreneur has the power to change lives as he/she changes his/her own life. Its only the question of stepping up and leading! ”
As we all keep our eye on economic indicators, it’s easiest to focus on our local, rural area and market. But sometimes, it’s also important to think about what’s happening in other parts of the world. I was led to an article today on entrepreneurship, written by a blogger in Bangalore, India:
“I often interact with young people in cities who tell me that they would like to be entrepreneurs but do not know if there is a need to start up. I can vouch that there is a need for more entrepreneurs. Imagine if more people came down to the villages and set up businesses/industries. They can be in the field of agriculture, design and absolutely any other field. Imagine if they were socially conscious businesses. You could actually change the world!!!!(no exaggeration)”
“Every entrepreneur has the power to change lives as he/she changes his/her own life. Its only the question of stepping up and leading! ”
Take a quick read of ‘We Need More Entrepreneurs‘ and consider a truly universal theme: how to improve our lives and businesses for the benefit of our families and communities.
A University of Nebraska sociologist has found that the decreasing rural population of Nebraska is changing the way business is conducted in the state.
Randy Cantrell with the Nebraska University Rural Initiative, reports that in most rural counties of Nebraska self-employment accounts for 18 to 30 percent of jobs and pretty much all job growth.
His findings made me wonder how Nebraska compared with other states:
Cantrell thinks self-employment is on the rise in rural Nebraska. But he hasn’t been able to verify the details through his research, namely an annual rural poll that surveys rural residents on well-being, policy and work issues. He says the rural poll might be asking the wrong question.
In the past, people have been asked whether they have a business. Cantrell said that question may leave out those who still get a paycheck from an employer but who technically are private contractors. He used the example of inbound telemarketers, who he thinks can rightfully assert that they have a business.
As rural areas continue to see their populations fall, Cantrell said, employers may feel more pressure to shift away from the traditional way of doing business and rely on private contractors.
“There’s still a demand for service,” he said, “but not enough to support a business of several employees.”
This study also reported a continued decline in those age 20 and younger living in rural areas. That age group has declined in all but seven Nebraska counties, with one (Cherry County) experiencing a 20 percent drop in the 20 and under age group from 2000 to 2007.
How does your State and rural area compare to these statistics from Nebraska?
And what impact does changing population and employment statistics have for you and your business?
The entrepreneur is our visionary, the creator in each of us. We’re born with that quality and it defines our lives as we respond to what we see, hear, feel, and experience. It is developed, nurtured, and given space to flourish or is squelched, thwarted, without air or stimulation, and dies.
Michael Gerber
I found an ‘Entrepreneur Quiz’ at CNN this week, a short eight question survey called ‘’Do You Have What it Takes?“
The purpose of the quiz is to help you determine what your natural aptitude at entrepreneurship might be. It is based on the research of a Harvard professor, successful corporate executives and management consultants.
Usually I score ‘off the boards’ when it comes to entrepreneurship, and always have since I was kid taking ‘interest inventories.’ Interestingly enough, this time my results said I had SOME entrepreneur traits, but hadn’t scored as strongly as possible. I was amused to see which of the questions I got ‘wrong’ and supposedly showed I wasn’t as much an entrepreneur as I’m supposed to be.
One question asked ‘Do you tend to not think before you act?’ It was a simple yes or no question. I said no - I almost always think before I act. Apparently for an ‘entrepreneur’ this is a BAD thing. The explanation provided for that item explained that entrepreneurs usually have a special weakness that allows them to act without consulting their conscience. Apparently it’s a trait that entrepreneurs share with juvenile delinquents, who act first and then think about things later.
Just what every bank wants in an entrepreneur’s loan application and business plan. A lack of conscience. I’m sure our customers would be thrilled to know they were supporting a business that had a lack of lack of concern about them, too.
And of course we have many examples in American culture that show this ‘lack of conscience’ trait to be true, and a trend. Our most revered ‘entrepreneurs’ in the last few years have been our financial and eonomics experts, all the new millionaires who learned how to make a fortune off of all Americans without consulting their conscience. Descriptions of Madoff certainly make him sound more like a juvenile delinquent than a responsible businessperson or entrepreneur.
There was one other question I didn’t answer correctly in order to score well as an ‘entrepreneur.’ The question asked ‘Do you tend to downplay formidable challenges?’ and I answered ‘No.’ The truth is I don’t. I tend to spend a lot of time forecasting what my challenges and obstacles might be so I can tackle every one of them and achieve what I want.
But according to this ‘Entrepreneur Quiz’, I provided the wrong answer there, too. Apparently, you are supposed to be in denial or in total ignorance so that you won’t get discouraged and lose your enthusiasm for your idea. You should be in the dark about the difficulties your ideas and innovations might face, not realistic. That’s why young people are better entrepreneurs, the Quiz says, because they don’t yet know what they don’t know.
So - Today’s Entrepreneurs are supposed to be without conscience and act without implementation planning skills.
No wonder this country’s in trouble.
