What you need to do is to awaken the entrepreneur in you!

(Picture Source: Mac Rumors)

People perceive I am aggressive; my boss will definitely vouch for that.

I have been given many other explicit adjectives as titles, like the go-getter, reckless, maverick, the gut feel man etc. But do any of you know what I feel is the perfect description for me?

I was an entrepreneur; I am an entrepreneur. I will always be an entrepreneur. You can get me out of my entrepreneurial venture but you can never get entrepreneurship out of my heart.


But I was not born an entrepreneur but in course of time I imbibed some characteristics that define one.

Risk, Uncertainty, Ambiguity—these are the words that excite a true entrepreneur and bring out the best in him. I call them constant companions because they have helped me unleash the power of constructive destruction and break established norms to be successful.

In 1950 Joseph Schumpeter, an Austrian economist, described an entrepreneur as an individual who is willing and able to convert a new idea or invention into a successful innovation.

To me, Steve Jobs is such an individual. The Apple iPod was his brain child. It was risky as such a product had never been tried before. It was uncertain if consumers would take to it. Lastly, such a category of electronic products had not existed. There was ambiguity about where the iPod would fit in among other market players. He did what a true entrepreneur does-- battle these challenges head on. Today we know that Jobs has been successful beyond measure. Purely through innovation and the vision to challenge status quo, he has set a precedent that any other company is yet to break.

Another aspect about entrepreneurship is that one is not born with it. An entrepreneur is created -- either by necessity, circumstances or chance.

There was a young middle class Kannadiga was working in a Multinational company in Bombay. One day the owner called him aside and handed him a business proposal made by one of their competitors. He then asked the young man to just copy the entire bid and quote a slightly lesser amount and submit it to the client. The young man was shocked and refused to do so at which his boss said “this is how business works and if you want to be so ethical you should not be in business”.

Undeterred the young man promptly resigned and started his own venture. He founded a company based on ethical business practices that is today a leader in our line of business. Today his company, Infosys Technologies, is an inspiration for the rest of the world and the young man, NR Narayanamurthy continues to remain a sign of courage and entrepreneurship for many young people. But it was not easy for him. During the starting years his wife Sudha had to pawn her jewellery to see them off through time times and at times they were just having curd rice for meals.

But is it necessary to start a venture on your own to be called an entrepreneur? Jack Welch the former CEO of GE, an employee, is considered an entrepreneur—because he gave a 100 year old company like GE new direction in the 21st century. He introduced new paradigms in GE like boundary less behavior, hived off the appliances division made sure in the existing businesses they were No1 or No2 or they were shut down.

When I was 21 years old, I started a dental clinic in Delhi. Over 5 years it grew to three clinics with a 20 thousand strong patient base. What made me to do that? Was it necessity? Maybe ….. Chance? Definitely not.

I loved the idea of being my own boss and taking initiatives. It was risky because no one in my family had ever tried their hand at business. It was uncertain as I was not so sure what to do; I learnt by hit and trial. And at that time it seemed ambiguous because I followed a patient-centric pattern of running the clinic while other clinics did not.

It was not always smooth sailing. In 2002 the economy slowed down. Things went from bad to worse. I was worried how I would pay my bills at the end of the month. That is when I decided to recruit students as part time staff at the clinics. It reduced the cost and helped some students.

When I look back at those years I believe I made a difference to my patients and my employees. I feel proud of my achievement because I chose to avoid the beaten path and trace a new course for myself.

So how long do you want to keep doing what you are already good at? Take a break. Challenge your self. Dream new islands and seek new goals. There is an adage that says, “Those who dream of the islands in the distant horizon should not be afraid of the sea.”

What ever you want to do, whether it is being a good parent or climbing the corporate ladder, apply the entrepreneurship way of life.

Before we seek solutions from outside let us first look inside us.

There is an entrepreneur in all of us, awaken him. What India now needs is innovation. All problems can be solved by the entrepreneurial spirit inside us.

I am reminded of a poem by William Blake.
‘Bring me my bow of burning gold; bring me my arrows of desire
Bring me my spear O’ clouds unfold; bring me my chariots of fire’


There is an entrepreneur ……….. IN …. All …. of us. Awaken him.