By Subhankar Dhar Choudhury
Life Coach & Director, Eduseas Services Pvt Ltd
In the debate whether entrepreneurs are taught in classrooms, we come across two opposing views. One advocating entrepreneurs are ‘natural’ or born and another stressing entrepreneur learn in classrooms of business schools. The first group points out that a Henry Ford was neither made nor taught to be an entrepreneur or a business leader. He was a born entrepreneur, a visionary with a dream of doing things which others, could neither dream nor do.
An entrepreneur is not necessarily the finer product of a business school, just as artists, painters, waiters and singers are not products of formal schools. They are born or naturals and succeed in pursuing and achieving their goals. Jamshedji Tata was a visionary and he pioneered the business of production and distribution of steel in the country. The list of entrepreneurs or business leaders may be enlarged to include those who are considered ‘naturals’ and not class room products.
The advocates of ‘natural’ or born talents for entrepreneurship are obviously overlooking other features which shape entrepreneurs. Had Henry Ford been forced to live in an isolated island, could he have achieved his dreams? A visionary learns, either in classrooms or in actual jobs they do or even when he is walking down the lane. Jamshedji Tata thought of seizing the opportunity offered by ‘rejection of British goods’ during freedom struggle.
His vision was indeed shaped by the freedom movement spirit. It will be naive to argue that entrepreneurs can move to exploit their ideas in disregard of environment around him, or that individual ‘natural’ aptitude alone make up an entrepreneur. It is again futile to argue that many successful entrepreneurs across the world never studied entrepreneurship in classrooms of Business Schools. It is also not correct that anybody with an idea can push through and build up a business empire.
Running a business or guiding a start up to grow up requires in depth knowledge of marketing, recruiting employees, market analyses, financing policies and practices of Government and Society, insuring risk, distinguish risk and uncertainty and so on. It is known that many start ups face closure simply because, the founders could not visualize legal challenges, timeline in balances, cash flow problem etc. it is important to visualize and draw up a business plan along with alternatives. Any entrepreneur must know the rules of business, learn the art of crossing rules and above all, if he tumbles, how to get up & get going again.
It is indeed true that personality traits like resilience and analytical mindset cannot be taught in class as these are somewhat ‘natural’ but a budding entrepreneur can learn the art of analysis, practicalities of managing finances, selling a product and so on. Viewed thus, entrepreneurship like any other skill can be taught. Business schools teach one how to raise money, manage floor operations and look for talents who can deliver differently.
The fact that one is a MBA makes him sale-able and accessible to companies, banks and other competitors. One learns the techniques of passing risk to others, generating revenue and minimizing losses in difficult situations. While concluding I will like to give my own example of the importance of mindset. Struck down by the rare disease of cardiomyopathy for the past four years. I have faced ‘death’ literally and yet have fought bravely, supported by my family to re-live my dream. When I was left to die in a hospital, a doctor was located in another hospital at midnight that could bring me back to life by implanting a medical device costing a fortune to take over the function of mine end stage of heart failure.
This was in addition to ICD which was already embedded above the heart region. Unfortunately the life saving device failed working after about 2 years due to thumbrosis and after a desperate hunt a suitable heart was found at Jaipur and transported to the hospital in Delhi and the heart transplantation was done. In the process my liver, kidney and some other vital organs got damaged.
Eventually after suffering and struggling for about 6 months I am on the road to recover. During the whole period of about 4 years struggle I never gave-up and all the learning that I gained over past years and all the conviction that I had helped me in overcoming the physical and mental set-backs and pursue my dream of setting up a start up venture in education services.
I have set up a private limited organization in the name of Eduseas. The objectives of the organization is to bring students, teachers and parents on a platform and explain to them the need for specialized studies in a business school which will help them gain knowledge and skill to start there own business apart from enhancing their scope for accessibility to job market. We help students choosing right career based on their API assessment.
