Are Entrepreneurs Born, Or Can They Be Made?
Published by Ryan Healy on February 28th, 2010 in Work | 7 Comments“(Most entrepreneurs) simply got tired of working for others, had a great idea they wanted to commercialize, or woke up one day with an urgent desire to build wealth before they retired. So they took the big leap.”
Vivek Wadhwa, an entrepreneur turned academic, claims that despite the common misconception that entrepreneurs are a certain “type” of person, most entrepreneurs are not simply born with the ability to start and build businesses, they learn how to do this over time. It’s the classic nature vs. nurture argument, and many well respected people including the likes of Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures and Jason Calacanis of Mahalo, are bullish on nature.
However, Wadwha’s survey of 549 successful entrepreneurs proves otherwise. More than 50% of these entrepreneurs were the first in their family to start a business, only a quarter caught the entrepreneurial bug when in college, and very few were running lemonade stand businesses when they were in diapers.
Personally, I didn’t know I wanted to be an entrepreneur until late in college when an entrepreneur friend of mine told me he thought I’d make a good one. My parents were very interested in their jobs and often dinner conversation turned to work, but they did not run their own businesses. And sure, I may have sold Gatorade that my mother bought for a huge mark up one time when I was 8 years old, but I certainly wasn’t running a lemonade stand monopoly.
I guess I’m a lot like the people Wadhwa refers to above. One day I woke up and knew I had no interest in working for someone for the rest of my life. I needed excitement, I needed passion and I needed to do something that mattered. Now, I can’t see myself ever doing something else.
As long as you have a great idea and you’re willing to work harder than you can possibly imagine, anyone can be an entrepreneur.
What do you guys think? Are entrepreneurs born or can they be made?
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Leave your thoughts here. (7 responses)
This article´s comments All Employee Evolution commentsRoss Simmonds
Mar 1st, 2010 at 3:00 pmI'd say that Entrepreneurs can be born but they can also be made. Personally, I would put myself into the "born" category as I ran little businesses ever since I was in elementary school. From selling pogs to the older kids to selling pokemon cards – Ive always had the itch. With that said however, several of my friends have jumped on board the entrepreneurship train after working years in the corporate world.
It all comes down to two things (1) having an idea and (2) executing it. Last week I gave a presentation to a group of kids and asked them what they thought an entrepreneur was. Some said "Risk Taker", "Runs their own Business", "Business Owner", etc…But one answer stood out – "They Make Things Happen."
At the end of the day the one thing entrepreneurs all have in common is the ability to make things happen. From selling Gatorade to selling Pogs; Born or Made – It all comes back to the drive and ambition required to make things happen.
Ryan Healy
Mar 1st, 2010 at 11:59 pmGreat points, Ross. I especially like the point about having the ability to make things happen. This is why you hear so often that having an idea really isn't worth much, being able to execute on that idea is invaluable. You're probably right, it's a little bit of both!
Christopher mahan
Mar 2nd, 2010 at 3:36 amI read a book on ADD/ADHD in which the author states: nearly all entrepreneurs I have met have ADD/ADHD.
And since ADD/ADHD is genetic, you are either born with the entrepreneurial trait, or you aren't.
The book is 'ADHD Secrets of Success" by Thom Hartmann.
Christopher mahan
Mar 2nd, 2010 at 3:41 amHey Ryan, be nice to Penelope. (you can delete this after reading
Sue Miley
Mar 2nd, 2010 at 10:59 pmI want to believe that entrepreneurs can be made but in my isolated sampling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (the entrepreneurial capital of the world) it seems that there is a specific gene that creates the entrepreneur. All of my clients are entrepreneurs. The one's that are no longer clients weren't really entrepreneurs. They were trying to be entrepreneurs but they lacked a comfort level with:
*starting out with nothing; if they worked in the corporate world and don't have the gene, they are not able to shift their scale to doing things without capital, without people, without having done it before.
*being the one who has to come up with all of the ideas. A true entrepreneur drives everyone crazy around them with the new idea du jour.
*being responsible for "everything that happens". There is really no one to blame as an entrepreneur.
I think some people need to learn to become successful at being an entrepreneur, but bottom-line they still have the entrepreneurial gene.
Sid Savara
Mar 9th, 2010 at 1:41 amHey Ryan,
I'd say entrepreneurs are made – but I do think a lot of that drive has to come from inside. I don't think you could take someone, stick them in "Entrepreneur Bootcamp" and teach hunger, drive and innovation.
I think you can teach a lot of entrepreneurial skills and analysis, but that x-factor that makes some entrepreneurs such visionaries, I don't know where you can get that =)
BTW I see some weirdness in your RSS feed, a bunch of links to casinos. Not sure what is going on, just wanted to let you know.
Brandy Brown
Mar 13th, 2010 at 9:08 pmRyan…. let me start by saying this – I like and respect you. I like and respect your blog. I haven't been subscribed long – but that's only because I just found it.
However – I hate parts of this post. I dislike them so much I wrote a post about it on my own blog. But that wasn't really about YOU or what you said – it was more because I feel like many entrepreneurs say things like "I just didn't want to work for someone else because I wanted my life to have meaning" and they say it in such a way where those who do feel their job is sucking the soul out of them may think it's an easy path to meaning in your life. It isn't, which is why I have so much respect for those who succeed at it.
So I'll save more of my rant for my own blog – and I thank you for inspiring it – it was a good thought process and an even better reminder of why I am getting the degree I am getting – so hopefully I can help those who don't want to be entrepreneurs to find more meaning in the jobs they do have.
I want to finish by getting back to what you were really talking about here – I think that entrepreneurs can be both products of circumstance (made) and can be the kind of person who just WANTS that life (born). I really like the points others have made here in response to that better than anything I have to say.