What is so difficult about Entrepreneurship?
To understand how difficult entrepreneurship is one has only to understand the root of the word ‘entrepreneur‘. The root is a Sanskrit word ‘anthaprerna‘, which means ‘inspiration from within‘. Incidentally the way ‘entrepreneur’ is pronounced is exactly the same as ‘anthaprerna’.
It is obvious that one can’t teach anyone ‘inspiration from within’. It is intensely personal and can’t be generated through any imposed structured education, routine or plan. This is because ‘inspiration from within’ is not something that can be copied from somewhere. As its name suggest it has to come from within and can’t be brought about by any force. It comes when it comes. But once it comes it keeps coming and the person is well on his/her way to entrepreneurship and beyond.
Such has been the case with Bill Gates, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs and a host of other equally inspiring figures. They were all “inspired from within” and such inspirations blossomed into well admired and enviable enterprises.
It is worthwhile to note that they did not start with a business plan or model. They generated their inspiration exactly like great artists and improvised as they followed their inspirations creating wonder and awe in its wake.
So would it be possible for any other potential entrepreneur to copy their methods and techniques and build on them if their methods were taught in colleges as case studies? Daniel Khaneman argues in his famous book “Thinking Fast and Slow” why that is impossible by highlighting Google as case in point.
Because the entrepreneurs who leave behind a lasting impact on our world don’t go out in search for answers to their questions. They wait for the answers to come to them. They are hardly inspired by what others are doing. They draw out their inspirations from whatever they are engaged in. Then a magic happens. Because every other thing that they need to follow their inspiration follows them.
…… now that is entrepreneurship!