Entrepreneurship: Born or Bred?

That’s a good question, eh? Are people natural born entrepreneurs or can entrepreneurship be taught? Personally, I am a proponent of the former. Entrepreneurship is something that lives deep down within us; something that someone either has or doesn’t; something that can’t be explained but only felt and lived out on a daily basis.

Look at all the leading entrepreneurs of our time: Gates, Branson, Buffet, Hughes, etc… all of these entrepreneurs were involved in entrepreneurial activities at a very young age. I believe that these men are living proof that entrepreneurs are born, not created.

Let’s face it, in life there are two groups of people: leaders and followers. Some people are born to lead. These leaders are the ones who aren’t scared to swim upstream when all their peers are swimming downstream, they are the ones taking the big risks when others are turning their backs on opportunities, and they are the ones breaking the status quo and disrupting the conformities of society every chance they get. The rebels, shakers, movers, and free thinkers. You know who you are.

On the other hand, we have the followers. These are the people who grow up playing it safe. They feel the need to be a part of the herd by following the paths that have been laid out for them. The status quo gives them safety and comfort; they know what to expect everyday and don’t embrace any sort of change whatsoever. In fact, at the sight of change, they panic and feel extremely vulnerable.

I believe that the natural entrepreneur is born a leader, not made into a leader. Leadership skills aren’t something that you can read out of a book and all of a sudden master; it has to come from within.

Entrepreneurship isn’t something that you can all of a sudden just get. It can never be as pragmatic as that. Entrepreneurship is a trait that one has from the beginning, not one that is picked up along the way.

Sure, someone who isn’t naturally entrepreneurial can indeed read books, watch movies, attend dozens of entrepreneurship classes, get an MBA, yadda..yadda..yadda… but their true colors as a person will always shine through no matter what. In time, their true character will prevail and in the end, they will concede to the fact that entrepreneurship is simply something that’s not within them.

I can already feel the blood boiling from all the business professors reading this article, but oh well. No matter how much training, how much practicing, how much reading, or how much involvement you have in the business world – if you just don’t have it, you just don’t have it.

In an attempt to put this debate to rest (that will never happen), Northeastern University’s School of Technological Entrepreneurship (STE) is currently conducting a survey to see if indeed entrepreneurs are born or bred. They are also providing a series of podcasts discussing the issue, so make sure to check that out.

What do you think: Born of Bred?

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