The New Paradigm for Entrepreneurial
Success
by: Burak Fenercioglu
Entrepreneurship is a great magnet to deliver new ideas,
unique approaches and innovative technologies. When conducted in
a proper way, turning people into entrepreneurs improves a
country’s economic situation and aids sustainable progress.
However, transition to become an entrepreneur is not that
aspiring to all. Risks and uncertainties involved in starting a
new business coupled with stagnant economy discourage people to
step up the plate and take a swing.
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor on its January issue
supported this fact and said that entrepreneurial activity in
the U.S. declined slightly (on the order of 5%) over a year to
11.3% in 2004. Americans used to be at 16.6% level in 2000.
Surprisingly, teenagers who would be the next-generation
entrepreneurs in the U.S. are in favor of running their own
businesses. In a survey conducted by Kauffman Center for
Entrepreneurial Leadership, it was found that 67% of the youths
(aged 14-19) were interested in giving a shot to
entrepreneurship. Numbers would be likely to improve in the U.S.
over time.
Although, new generation is ready to drive the numbers up,
there are two basic problems to address before encouraging them
to lean forward.
First is the saturation of U.S. and West European markets
where both give innovations less chance to survive. David E.
Gumpert, in his article, ‘For Entrepreneurs, a Harder World’
talks about this issue. China factor and large organizations
inclination to enter even into very small, immature markets kill
the chance for entrepreneurs to find niche plays. He concludes
by saying questioning about saturated markets are no longer
unreasonable to ask and there are obvious disquieting signs on
the horizon. His points need to be taken seriously.
Second can be called as the absence of means, need and/ or
motive. A great business plan without financial support would
never achieve to aim high. Or, flushing millions of dollars to a
solution that the market is not ready for would be a failure.
Worst would be to supply all but not encouraging people to run
their own business what U.S. is facing today.
Even though, both problems may be accepted as realities of a
global economy, they should not hinder the need for a new
paradigm to take the entrepreneurship onto the next level.
The aim of the new paradigm should be all about redefining
entrepreneurship. Oddly enough, the concept of entrepreneurship
covers a lot of topics ranging from running the business to
timing the market where system hopes couple of individuals to
collaborate to bring out a new approach to the market. They are
expected to surpass all difficulties and be a success story.
However, the need is very different. Entrepreneur, as a term,
applies to someone who establishes a new entity to offer a new
or existing product or service into a new or existing market.
Responsibility begins and ends at forming and running the
entity. The idea of a product or service, the strategy and the
search for investment need to be taken of separately. However
today’s system forces entrepreneurs to do them all. Undoubtedly,
this forces them to cut themselves thin and disallows them to
assume their real roles.
First; innovator, entrepreneur and strategist are different
people so they need to be separated. Second, a new model that
prepares a ground for innovators, entrepreneurs, industry
analysts and investors need to be set that lets them discuss and
work with each other. With a clear-cut definition of everybody’s
role; innovators can be free from taking the risks of being
entrepreneurs, while entrepreneurs, by relying to research and
strategy specialists’ knowledge, can be bolder on their journey.
On top of all, investors’ assumed risks would dramatically
diminish.
Today, investors trust due diligence process before making a
decision. The problem is, in such a short period of time, say
one month, grasping all the data about the market is not
possible. Other thing is, there may be better deals out there
where investors might have better probability to make more
money.
Hence, the new ground, addressed above, will be a strong
knowledge base for everybody who is willing to transform an idea
into a profitable company. The new ground will ask people to
focus on wherever they are strong at, rather than asking them to
take responsibility of all. So, the success rate of newly formed
companies will boost and more individuals will be willing to be
a part of this process.
As soon as being an entrepreneur will not be considered as
the end but the means of delivering ideas, the moving forward on
entrepreneurship would be easier. That’s why; a ‘focus at what
you are good at’ approach needs to be taken immediately to
situate the entrepreneurship condition better for the upcoming
entrepreneurs. |