Monday, March 27, 2006

Me the entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship is an opportunity that I am willing to entertain as soon as I get established in my profession. Marius Venter (Business Consultant and Team builder) rekindled this interest in me again during his presentation http://www.guestspeaker.co.za. I tried being an entrepreneur several times when I was growing up. I remember selling sweets when I was in high school and ended up having no money and the sweets after confiscation because it was an “illegal activity” inside school premises. I couldn’t understand why when our teachers were doing the same. Needless to say I didn’t give up and decided to sell the sweets to members of my family. I got some satisfaction which didn’t last because my little brothers decided to “steal my business” and feigning innocence later. I was able to see the risks involved in my kind of business later. Firstly, I was supposed to operate legally and assess the business environment. I did not take all these factors into account and I ended up losing everything. Recently in 2005 I began selling electronic stuff to raise money for my education and I felt that was another opportunity to be pursued http://entrepreneurship.mit.edu (found this website quite useful in this regard). I feel that my time is just ahead and that I will be able to begin an enterprise again.

I say this because I see myself as a capable young woman who will be able to balance her professional requirements as well as the ability to be involved in a business endeavour that makes me feel empowered and at the same time empower other individuals as well. My high level of education and the confidence I have in my skills will give me certain success.As a woman I believe its necessary to be creative and find an enterprise that can be fulfilling and allow me to relax at the same time. The service industry immediately comes to mind a massage and beauty parlour maybe, or a restaurant specialising in particular foods, there are too many to consider. I will just need to sit down make a plan and see how it can be organised into a meaningful, marketable and profitable activity. At the end of the day it is also about creating employment and uplifting the economy.

My being able to keep an open mind, listen to others, my skills, innovativeness and just being a passionate person will help me mould my ideas and make them become dream come true lived realities. Entrepreneurship is based on the ability to have extraordinary vision, artistic creativity, and commitment to follow one’s dreams. I believe I have all these necessary qualities. In fact I think very individual has some or most of these qualities. The question is can one identify them? Is one willing to grip the bull by the horns and take the risk of venturing into something new?