Nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit

Professor Albert Shapiro, from Ohio State University, said: “Entrepreneurs are not born, they rather become through the experiences of their lives.”

Entrepreneurship is a developmental process, nurtured from early ages. There are some things in life, some characteristics that are either formed from within or learned over time, which ultimately end up becoming a part of who you are.

Being an entrepreneur is no easy “task” – this particular mindset develops in those individuals who can prove a true passion for creating and achieving great things from scratch, willing to push themselves to their highest limits. All that to pursue their goals. It also translates into an attitude which involves a certain kind of thinking. According to Jay Canchola, an independent human resources consultant, the entrepreneurial spirit is also associated with taking calculated risks and sometimes failing.

We know we cannot all be entrepreneurs – meaning that not everybody should start their companies right away. Here, at ThinkOut, we encourage the entrepreneurial spirit in terms of how we should approach our own careers. We like to embrace critical questioning in almost everything we do in order to reach continuous improvement. Although it is hard for employees to think the same way as the owners, we are all doing our best not only to see the problems but also seek for solutions, opportunities and how to apply them. Employers and employees should work together to create a culture which enables ideas to flow from anywhere within the company.

We strongly believe in nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit by doing some simple, but effective things that may prove inspiring to other entrepreneurs out there.

First of all, be passionate about whatever you are doing

Passionate people are driven to dive deep into a subject and understand it from any point of view. This way, they will be energized to find new ways to figure out the problems your company wants to solve.

Secondly, be curious about everything

Take notes on any kind of opportunities, any new technology or ideas that can improve the existing product and, most important, act on it!

Take calculated risks

Those who have the entrepreneurial spirit running through their veins are more likely to have a high endurance to risk. This means that they calculate their moves while understanding that there is no real guarantee of success. Let’s just say it’s a kind of gamble in which you have to be agile and adapt to any kind of ambiguity.

Working hard is the paying price of being an entrepreneur

Don’t count on being successful without any hard work, some may get lucky, but most of us don’t. And this kind of luck comes often from years of experience and effort bound to push limits thought to be impossible.

Being an entrepreneur and promoting the entrepreneurial spirit is a wonderful thing. Even if there are a lot of hurdles that will cross your path, don’t be discouraged and be willing to take it. Bringing new ideas to the world and taking the risk of starting a business no matter the odds can help the society and change lives through innovation.