From a traditional concept, such as the creation of companies, and the figure of the entrepreneur who does so, the name of entrepreneur gains prominence in the 21st century. But what is an entrepreneur ? An entrepreneur is a person who, based on their own or another’s idea, is capable of creating a business opportunity, in the form of a company (also called a startup, for what it means to be novelty or the start of something new), assuming in many sometimes a financial risk in doing so. The profile of this type of person includes traits such as total confidence in the idea, capacity for conviction, clear search for results, intensive dedication and great ability to sell ideas.
Although entrepreneurs , with that or another name, have always existed, in recent years their number has multiplied, the importance of the phenomenon and the proliferation of activities of this nature in many countries due to the negative situation of the labor market, which has fact that many people see in the creation of companies their best or almost their only chance of having a job. In addition, other people want to have a job to their liking or to their needs or they want to be their own bosses. These are other reasons to undertake, in addition to the main one, which is to have a brilliant idea.
From the point of view of the Governments, one of their main challenges at the moment is to boost growth and job creation, and one of the ways to do this is by supporting innovation through entrepreneurs. This profile is very valuable because it brings new ideas to the economy and society that can help create new markets or revitalize existing ones, stimulating economic growth and job creation in the process. To this end, the public authorities must establish the appropriate policies and actions to make this entrepreneurial system work that favors innovation, economic growth and employment. One of the ways is by enacting laws to support entrepreneurs, which usually include fiscal, financial and hiring support. Also,support for entrepreneurs , as befits a highly topical issue. Large technological or non-technological companies, banks, business schools, etc. They offer economic support, training, premises, advice and administrative, accounting, legal or labor support, networking with other projects and entities, etc. to new business adventures, to the search for disruptive projects that give rise to profitable and sustainable organizations.
Normally the concept of entrepreneur is associated with young people and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Young people, who are often in the search phase for their first job, currently have a much higher unemployment rate than other age groups. This situation, together with their greater capacity for innovation and willingness to embark on all kinds of adventures, including business ones, means that the average age of entrepreneurs between 25 and 34 years old, according to different studies. These figures depend in part on the region of the world in question and it is also possible to find entrepreneurs over 50 years of age. For example, in China the average age of entrepreneurs is lower than that indicated and in Latin America somewhat higher.
The relationship between entrepreneurs and technology is very close, especially in the case of young people. These have been born and lived in a totally technological era, surrounded by mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.), applications, game consoles, laptops or social networks. They are digital natives and if they undertake it is logical that they do so on a large number of occasions in technology issues and, more specifically, in ICT issues. All this without forgetting other very significant fields to create startups, such as biotechnology, energy, food or the environment. Finally, we must not forget the social entrepreneurs , who also undertake but their objectives are more idealistic and humanitarian than economic.
Although the work of entrepreneurs is initially individual or restricted to small teams, it must be taken into account that in many parts of the world initiatives arise or are grouped around ecosystems that support the development and success of startups. Silicon Valley is one of the best examples of this type of ecosystem, although there are other very important ones such as Tel Aviv, New York, Los Angeles, London or Sao Paulo. Another phenomenon to consider is the relationship that exists in some countries between immigrants and startups. An example is the United States, where technology companies created by immigrants account for a significant percentage of the total and present a high level of innovation.
In short, the combination of the need to create jobs autonomously, the possibilities offered by ICTs to develop new methodologies, applications and services, and the desire for fulfillment of a part of the population dissatisfied with the way of life and with traditional business operations has led to an explosion of entrepreneurship, which has a logical basis but may also have a certain component of a temporary phenomenon. However, it is a reality led by young people that is producing very interesting results, some of which may be capable of radically modifying, in the short and medium term, many aspects of the world we know today.
Passion for continuous learning
Being an entrepreneur requires constant updating in order to obtain new ideas and improve the activities, services and products of your business more and more.
Thus, the professional must be curious and always want to learn, since it is essential to study hard to understand the market, know the pains and needs of the public and offer the best solution to these problems.
Especially today, when everything changes and evolves very quickly, it is essential to be prepared to adapt and incorporate new ways of facing reality within business.
Resilience in the face of adversity
It is rare to find professionals who have never made a mistake on the job. If you can’t think of someone, surely either you didn’t notice the mistake or that person is just repeating what already exists out there.
Remember that we are talking about a professional who defends and stimulates innovation, creativity and constant improvement at work, which is almost impossible to happen without failure.
The entrepreneur must be prepared to face mistakes and learn from them, to achieve improvements in the next attempts.
