Читать книгу Ageless Entrepreneur - Fred Dawkins - Страница 10

My Request Gets Deferred

Apparently I was the only one in a hurry. It was time for questions and there were more than I expected, some coming from surprising sources. An old acquaintance of mine, going all the way back to our school days together, a woman named Doris Roberts, reached the microphone before anyone else. She was a couple of years younger than I, so almost sixty. Doris was an unlikely candidate for entrepreneur school. She’d worked her entire life as a receptionist, most of that time at a local real estate office. I knew her boss, and from time to time I ran into her around town. Why would she be interested in entrepreneurship?

“Hello, Sam. Doris Roberts, maybe you remember me. Very interesting talk. I’ve wanted to start something of my own but I’ve been kind of afraid. I guess I thought you had to have it in you. So are entrepreneurs born into it or can this economic wonder drug of yours really be taught?”

Doris quickly sat down having used up all the courage she could summon.

“I do remember you, Doris, and your older sister Susan.”

There were a few chuckles around the room because a few of us remembered Sam dating Susan and Doris tagging along.

“It’s an age-old dilemma Doris, but the answer is both born and made, like almost any other talent. But the main point is that entrepreneurship can be taught! It needs to be taught and fortunately it is being taught. If you can embrace the mindset and dig deep for determination you’ll be on your way. Stop thinking about why you can’t do something and find ways to do it. Start in your personal life. Keep looking for real opportunities and you will do it! Most people are so busy living their lives that they don’t see opportunity when it’s right in their face. Remember, every problem is an opportunity. The solution doesn’t have to be earth shattering to be meaningful.”

The next question was asked by a young fellow that I didn’t recognize. He looked like he was a student.

“Well, sir, thank you for coming today. Do you believe that it’s possible to become an entrepreneur right out of school?”

Sam was smiling at the boy, encouraging him through his demeanour, pleased to see his interest.

“The short answer is yes. The broader answer is that it’s more difficult when you’re right out of school. What’s your name and how far have you gone in school?”

The boy was staring at the floor, reluctant to answer.

“Dominic, sir. I just finished high school, but I can’t see going to college or university. I have to borrow money to do it. My sister just graduated from Guelph and she can’t get a job. I don’t want to waste four years piling up debt for nothing like she has.”

Sam looked concerned.

“Well you’re not alone. Youth unemployment is a critical issue right now. This is the exact point where managing your career starts. If you research trends in the work force you’ll find areas where we need more talent. Then if you choose your courses carefully you’ll have a better chance of getting a job after college or university. That’s why it’s an advantage to think like an entrepreneur and start making strategic decisions early. Never start a business that can’t be viable. Never take courses that don’t provide a path to a future. That’s common sense that most ignore. Education is never a waste. With it your opportunities increase. Getting it develops determination. It takes commitment to graduate.

“But, if you don’t feel you should commit to school or just can’t afford it, here are a couple of ideas for you. Consider apprenticing for a skilled trade. You will probably still have to go to school, but if you get started with a tradesman, even in an unskilled role, you might get some financial help from your employer. That will depend on your determination and attitude. Once you have the skill it can often lead to your own business, and the trades are pretty much China proof because these jobs have to be done here.

“Another option is select the jobs you apply for carefully. Work on that entrepreneurial mindset and look for young growing companies that need flexible, resilient people. In other words, find a job where you can hang out and learn from entrepreneurs that are already in the game. If you can develop that positive attitude, these companies will see you as more employable. All of this is about making strategic decisions from the day you start preparing to enter the work force. For you that’s today.

“One last point: if anyone is serious about going the entrepreneurial route, no matter what age, they have to do a pretty frank assessment of their personal strengths and weaknesses. Lack of experience is a limitation. But every problem, including being young, is an opportunity. Enthusiasm can carry you far in an open learning environment. Avoid prison thinking. That’s something I say often. Those that prejudge limit themselves gratuitously. We face enough barriers without creating more. Young people can get work. Find your strengths, whatever they are, and build on them. Remember the term ‘SWOT Analysis.’ Constantly reassess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that exist in your business and your personal life. They’re dynamic and like the world we live in they’ll constantly be changing.”

Dominic sat down smiling, encouraged for the moment.

The next question came from another surprising source. Martin Goetz was the managing director of a large local company, which was, like my old employer, a subsidiary of an American firm. He had the reputation for being a demanding, hardnosed manager, very old school. He wasn’t really a local but had been transferred into the area by the company almost twenty years ago.

“My name is Martin Goetz. I enjoyed your talk but I’m not sure I agree with you on much of it. Do you really believe that large organizations will embrace entrepreneurship from within?”

Sam had no idea who was asking or what his background was, but he had a strong opinion.

“Well, Martin, there is an old expression I mentioned earlier about necessity being the mother of invention. I like to expand on that by saying if necessity is the mother of invention then opportunity is the father of entrepreneurship. I believe we will see more intrapreneurs and disruptors in large companies because they’re already needed. We’re approaching a tipping point after which the management culture will be forced to change. Need will create the adjustment. That’s the opportunity. Necessity and opportunity will dictate less rigidity and greater adaptability within every organization — large and small. Of course it won’t happen quickly because many current managers will resist.”

Sam had a pretty good read on Martin, who sat down shaking his head in disbelief. The implication was that he was one of those current managers resistant to change. At least that’s what I thought. Not many people in the room were sympathetic. No doubt some felt Sam was idealistic and maybe a little overzealous, but no one really liked Martin. Sam didn’t leave it quite there.

“Don’t assume that I think everyone can be a full-scale entrepreneur. That would be a pipe dream. Besides, I know that large organizations can never become as flexible or as proactive as small independent businesses. However, business methods inevitably reflect the times. That will mean welcoming more entrepreneurs into the big stage environment and taking a major step toward entrepreneurial thinking across the breadth of these organizations. Business is a war game, very competitive with high stakes. Competition plus a growing source of entrepreneurial graduates will make this change in culture happen. You can ride the crest of the wave or get smashed on the beach resisting it. Frankly, once companies recognize this need they will expand the horizons for those ‘in between’ people who have ideas and initiative but suppress them to conform because they can’t or won’t make the leap of faith into an independent business. As Doris suggested, entrepreneurship is being viewed by many as an economic wonder drug for the twenty-first century, and it may well be just that. If we can shift the average masses of talent in the middle away from craving stability and toward embracing the reality of dynamic change, who knows what will be possible. Remember, we need to trade in stability for agility.”

Martin was still shaking his head while muttering something under his breath but the rest of the room was quiet, even subdued, reflecting on what they had heard.

There were a ton of questions after that. An old colleague of mine, Paul Groves, asked one that had been plaguing me.

“At what age are you too old to start?”

That proved to be my personal favourite and the short answer augured well for my talk with Sam later.

“It’s never too late! If I can become a published author at my age anything is possible.”

The next question related to one of Sam’s favourite doubts, one that dissuaded many potential entrepreneurs. I didn’t recognize the guy who asked it.

“Based on the books I’ve read a lot of people think you’re limiting your upside if you never fail because you haven’t taken enough risk. That terrifies me. I can’t stand the thought or the humiliation of failing. Is failure really an essential part of succeeding as an entrepreneur?”

I knew this was a sore point with Sam. I had seen his reaction to the same question during one of his webinars.

“Fear of failure’s a great motivator. Let’s face it, no one likes to fail. But the idea that you have to fail to succeed is more than rationalization, it’s a crock. Worse than that, it’s one of the myths about being an entrepreneur that scares people like you off. Risk is part of the process, but you have to manage it. Much of the downside is within your control through the decisions that you make. If you make reckless choices failure is more likely. My best advice is to avoid failure if you can and learn from it if you must. We all learn more from failure. That’s human nature. When we succeed good results mask our faults and bad habits become ingrained in our methods. When we fail we know we have to change so we analyze what happened, looking for reasons. On the other hand, when we succeed we develop a sense of infallibility. Believe me, ‘entrepreneurial infallibility’ is a real phenomenon, one that’s taken some successful people down the second time around.”

Still the questions kept on coming plus there was going to be a book signing. I was concerned there’d be no time to talk to Sam before he left. A twenty-something girl brought up an issue that should have been significant for everyone.

“You mentioned decline in upward mobility. What did you mean by the historical norm for the middle class?”

Sam grimaced before answering that one. How to be frank but not practice fear mongering?

“The thriving middle class as we know it pretty much parallels my life, which means the last seventy years. Before that, capital got the rewards and the rest of us subsisted, trapped in our lower-class lifestyle. There were always exceptions, but they were few. Between technology and education the last seventy years have opened up opportunity for the great unwashed. Thanks to technology the quality of life changed dramatically after the Second World War, and that’s continued. Thanks to education, upward mobility for large numbers became a reality, swelling the ranks of the middle class. As opportunity increased entrepreneurs found ways to capitalize. However, with the demand for labour in decline and the supply of labour on the rise, labour as a resource has lost its leverage and capital is already reasserting itself to claim the higher rewards that traditionally accrue to investors. Entrepreneurship depends on opportunity. Determination on its own is not enough unless you’re one of exceptionally few. Returning to the historical norm means a decline in opportunity, more barriers to upward mobility, and much greater discrepancy in wealth between the super rich and the rest of us. It’s already happening, and fast. Just ask Dominic.”

The next question came from the mayor, Margaret Castlefield, who had actually been invited to thank Sam but for some reason had become more engaged than anyone expected. Sam did not know her before, but they’d been introduced when we arrived.

“What is the proper role for government in promoting entrepreneurship?”

Sam laughed at that one.

“Thanks for asking, Madame Mayor. It’s a critical concern for both the private and public sectors but the full answer will take much more time than we have today. Without going into the details of how, the challenge for governments at all levels is to work in conjunction with social entrepreneurs to deal with societal issues that create barriers to opportunity. The answer does not lie in making value judgements and investing public funds in a whole range of misguided incentives to get individuals to do what governments want. That removes the test of viability. So first governments need to remove barriers and then get out of the way. The second area where governments can make a contribution is to help create supporting environments or ecosystems that enable entrepreneurs to build successful businesses. The best example of this is what Silicon Valley has become for the tech sector. No other environment in the world creates as much opportunity for the tech industry as the Valley. The experience provides a model for what needs to be done in a whole basket of industries. I would love to discuss this with you later if you want my opinion.”

The mayor nodded her head. She seemed genuinely interested.

The next question came from a middle-aged fellow who I’d seen before but couldn’t place.

“Given that globalization is likely here to stay, can small companies capitalize on global opportunities?”

Now I remembered. His name was Morgan Davis. He ran a small furniture company that manufactured wooden furniture primarily for Canadian embassies. He shipped around the world but only to Canadian government locations. Sam was encouraging.

“Of course they can. There are like-minded small companies around the world eager to do business. With social media you can find them and you can also research foreign markets for your products.”

Sam didn’t have time to expand on his answer before Jim Hammond interrupted.

“Sorry Sam, but we have to start winding things up so you can sign some books. We can take three more questions, but I’ll ask everyone to keep the questions brief.”

There were at least ten more people lined up at the microphones so a few disappointed individuals sat down. The next question came from one of our secondary school principals, David Mills.

“Doesn’t something have to give? Can humans really sustain the degree of change you’re describing? Can we keep embracing the 24/7 work ethic that is being demanded by employers? I personally don’t think so.”

Oh boy, that was going to require a longer answer.

“I can’t answer that, sir. You’re bringing up a serious social issue. As a race we’re in danger of becoming victims of our own success. How do we slow things down? I don’t have the answer for that. On an individual basis Big Data may well overwhelm us. The prospect of trying to keep pace is certainly becoming more alarming.”

Two questions to go. A pregnant woman in her mid-thirties came to the mic.

“Can solopreneurs survive for any length of time, or are they really just a means for transitioning between the real opportunities?”

I was pretty sure that I knew how Sam would answer that one.

“As long as outsourcing is an important option for companies, solopreners will thrive. Too many organizations prefer contracting out to increasing employment, and that’s actually a win-win situation. As a solopreneur you can have three or more employers all paying you a higher hourly rate than they would if you worked exclusively for them but none of them paying for all of your time. They each pay less but the sum of the parts leaves you with significantly more.”

Finally the last question was about to be asked by another teenager, this time a girl.

“I read recently that the federal government has implemented a fast track visa to bring entrepreneurs into Canada. Is this a good idea? We don’t have enough jobs for young people as it is. And since I’m last I’ll ask a quick follow-up: what makes your book different? Why should I read it?”

Sam laughed at the follow up but patiently addressed both issues.

“Yes, it’s a good idea. Entrepreneurs create jobs. More than a hundred countries have policies designed to keep and attract entrepreneurs. There’s a worldwide competition for talent going on. I think that I mentioned how many Canadians live and work in Silicon Valley, it’s close to 400,000. That’s over 1 percent of our population and a much greater percentage of our intellectual capital. We have to find ways to keep our best and most brilliant here and to bring more talent here from other areas. Given the context of our multicultural society we have advantages that will help us attract others. We have both the need and the means to do it, so we must create policies that match.

“As far as the book goes, it’s intentionally an easy read. I wrote it as a narrative. We all love stories. It gave me the chance to offer shared experiences to the readers. Experts still argue that there is no replacement for experience in becoming an entrepreneur, but I believe we can prepare people by giving them the benefit of our experiences in a meaningful way. Readers seem to identify with the characters and relate to their problems. The story provides incidental and painless learning. I am a student of business but I don’t like business texts. I think the approach works but time will tell. The challenge for me was to write about a complex subject that’s becoming much more critical in a way that almost anyone can understand. Basically a common sense guide to changing your life by taking charge of it.”

Finally we were done. The thanks given by the mayor was glowing but brief. We were almost on our way. Except of course Sam spent the next forty-five minutes patiently signing books while I paced back and forth, anxious to just get out of there and present my idea.