By 
The Department of Labor predicts that the number one employer in 2010 will be “self.” A recent online survey of 25-44 year olds revealed that 90% of them expected to have their own business. A survey by Ernst & Young found that 75% of influential Americans believe that entrepreneurship will be the defining trend of the 21st century. Some of the factors that have been attributed to the rise of modern entrepreneurship include access to technology, the global economy, and business stagnation.
Many workers have experienced feelings of discontent, which are probably due to the increase, shrinkage, and adjustment of corporations. But whatever the reason, modern workers want more control over the work they do. And they want meaningful and important work for themselves. Now is a great time to become your own boss. In fact, the number of Americans running their own businesses will continue to grow as we move into the millennium. As workers’ values are changing and people want more time to do the things they love with their loved ones, having a job that allows for greater balance in their lives is critical for today’s worker.
In fact, it is downright anti-American not to believe in the principles of entrepreneurship. We started out working on the family farm or family-owned grocery store (or other small business), but as our country became more industrialized, families split up. We had to go where work was. We leave our homes and places of origin and venture into the big cities. Large companies, industries, and corporations appeared all over the country, and we became dependent on them to take care of us. Today, with the advent of the computer, we don’t even have to leave home to do business. It frees us to refocus on the “business of life.”
The new world of work encourages the entrepreneurial mindset as we must learn to use our imagination to dream up new ideas, challenge assumptions and belief systems to find a better way, and break out of out-of-the-box thinking to create new and innovative products. and services. This mindset is helpful whether it works for you or someone else. An entrepreneur can be defined as anyone who takes a commercial risk for profit and / or faces new challenges. They are the agents of change in society because they see a problem and want to find a way to solve it. They believe in being self-reliant and taking action to improve their communities. Definition of Robert Schwartz: “An entrepreneur is essentially a visualizer and an updater. He can visualize something and when he visualizes it, he sees exactly how to make it happen.”
Successful entrepreneurs realize that if it is to become a reality, they are the ones who will make it happen. An entrepreneur is someone who is able to continually reinvent himself and rethink an entire project (and possibly start over) if he discovers that something is not right. Therefore, someone who has vision, flexibility, and a risk-taking nature does very well in self-employment ventures.
Of course, like everything else, there are pros and cons to becoming an entrepreneur. One advantage is that you are the boss. The downside is that you still have other coworkers, customers, and suppliers to trust to get the job done. People who are self-employed often only have illusions of control. For example, you may think you have everything under control and then something happens that puts everything out of your control. The difference is that being the boss means that everything is up to you. You are fully responsible for your success. For many people, this level of personal responsibility is part of the challenge and the enjoyment. The truth is, any successful entrepreneur moves with the blows and moves with the winds of change. Take this quiz to see if you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur.
Are you the enterprising type?
Please check if applicable.
_____ Responsable
_____High worker
_____Risk Taker
_____Creative
_____Flexible
_____ Go ahead with ideas
_____Good to see
_____Optimistic
_____Perceptual
_____ Self-confidence
_____Determined
_____ High degree of energy
_____Innovative
_____Independent
_____ Ability to anticipate needs
_____ Effective communicator
_____ Respond to criticism
_____ Able to take initiative
_____Learn from mistakes
_____ Self-directed
Would you say that you always, sometimes, or never like these statements:
- I am goal and action oriented.
- I am an entrepreneur.
- I trust in myself.
- I am a persistent person.
- I like to take risks.
- I am flexible and adaptable when necessary.
- I am a problem solver.
- I am an innovative thinker.
- I can sell myself and / or my product to others.
- I accept responsibility for my actions.
- I enjoy networking.
- I can function in an environment of uncertainty.
- I like being in charge.
- I am willing to put in the time and energy to be successful.
- I can see what needs to be done and then do it.
Be smart!
If you dialed and always answered ten or more questions, you are probably the entrepreneurial type. If you answered sometimes or never to ten or more, you better work for an organization.