Are we all cut out to be entrepreneurs?

In my last post I mentioned that NESTA and the BVCA have asked a handful of successful entrepreneurs to reveal 'what they wished they'd known' when starting up their business. We'll be publishing their responses each week. First up is Peter Denyer from Vision Group.

I liked Peter's point of view that successful entrepreneurs must have the ability to adapt and solve problems. But I would go a step further and draw out a lesson that says if you are not the sort of person who likes change, and if you would rather avoid being faced by problems every single day - then entrepreneurship is probably not for you. This isn't a bad thing; it just means that we're not all cut out to be entrepreneurs.

I think a lot of first-time entrepreneurs struggle to grasp that fundamental to their job is managing change...constantly. So, if you don't want to think about reorganising your company 'about once every 12 months' and coping with 'continual stress' then perhaps it's time to pass the baton to someone who thrives in that environment...?

Read Peter's full response.

Comments

[david dimoes-brown]

Interesting question. I have often thought that having great ideas is a different skill set from running a successful business and maybe this confirms it. Pareto the Italian sociologist classified people into 'Rentiers' (the stocksholder, steady-going, conservative) and 'Speculators' (innovative, constantly preoccupied with new combinations which is an oversimplification but with a ring of truth about it.

[Roy Nyberg]

Well,

my personal experience is that as a person who has plenty of ideas of how things could be done better, either in a business context or public policy, I am not the optimal entrepreneur. starting and running a small business by yourself or with friends is about doing a lot of ordinary, daily things. I have noticed that to be somewhat boring to me, thus am doing other things in this life.... certainly I agree that one must be able to put up with uncertainty and the need to change, learn, look for new ways, etc. but sales work, organising and ordering logistics, production, marketing, website, and all of that other stuff does not require genious. ability to learn is usually enough.