Can entrepreneurship be taught?

[DanMartin]

Over recent years, there has been a increase in courses promising to teach people entrepreneurship. But do you think becoming a successful business owner can really be taught?

Vocational awards body NCFE revealed this week that 62% of training providers and colleges believe it can but do you disagree and think that the skills to achieve success in business are innate in particular people and cannot be learnt in the classroom?

Let us know your views by voting in the poll above and adding any comments below.

 

[Matt Quinn]

Up to a point it can.

It's a bit like a musical instrument. You can teach people the 'mechanics' of playing. And, with practice, there's a good chance of becoming competent. To be outstanding in the field though 'something' is required, something they haven't been able to bottle or put in a book yet...

 

[stephendoyle]

i believe we all have it in us - we are all caught up in our daily lives and sometimes too scared to try - too much to lose.

we just need to dig deep, clear the weeds of negativity for clairty and then learn as much as we can and action our plans!

 

[Cornish Steve]

It can be taught, and it should be taught. In fact, it should be treated with the same importance as maths or English.

Is everyone going to be an entrepreneur? No, but not everyone will become a mathematician either. It's important, though, to know and understand the basics.

 

[Fit To Defend]

Mabey, but I am not 100% convinced.. Its not just the theory, it takes a certain type of person and attitued to be successful. So yes you could be taught to be an entrepreneur, but to be a good one is a different story.

 

[John Stokdyk]

I think Matt nailed it here. I went on a start-your-own-business course and got a lot out of it - even from the man from the Inland Revenue. While my own entrepeneurial efforts have been lacklustre, I definitely picked up some weak spots in my planning and admin.

But putting the ideas into practice is how you really learn and develop.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

There's a difference between something being taught and someone taking that knowledge and being able to use it. It's like saying someone could teach you do be a premiership footballer. Yes someone could teach you all the tactics, tricks, kicks and dribbles but none of this affects dedication, natural skill and passion.

In logical perspective it can because you could teach someone how to go and make $10 online - then they could possibly go and do that quite easily, in effect becoming an entrepreneur (albeit without risk).

Getting into a situation where you can proudly call yourself an Entrepreneur requires quite a large amount of success (as you make something from nothing through innovation) and this cannot be taught.

 

[miketombs]

The various technical skills an entrepreneur needs can be taught - sales, marketing, time-management, negotiation skills whatever. What I don't believe can be taught are the attributes - risk-taking, goal orientation, focus, sacrifice etc. Business schools can turn out technocrats who may indeed turn out to be brilliant entrepreneurs, but then they would have been anyway.

 

[Cornish Steve]

Business schools can turn out technocrats who may indeed turn out to be brilliant entrepreneurs, but then they would have been anyway.

I'm not sure this is true. If we never taught the sciences in schools, we'd have far fewer engineers. They wouldn't just become engineers anyway. While the analogy is not perfect, I think the point holds true: The more we educate, the more become aware of the opportunities and learn the fundamental skills, then the more young people will start their own business venture.

It needs far more than education, though. It needs a government that's prepared to lift the ever-increasing burden of unnecessary and stifling regulation. Let's make it easier for entrepreneurs to succeed.

 

[cjd]

It's just a definition thing - of course we can and we should teach business and it's a crime that we don't do more of it. (And a miracle that, despite it, we have almost 4 million small businesses in the UK).

But entrepreneurship is quite different. People tend to think because they run their own business they are entrepreneurs; they're not, they're just people who run their own businesses.

By far the majority of them are very low risk ordinary businesses. (I'm not putting them down, they are responsible for 50% of the UK's GDP - we really are a nation of shopkeepers.)

The thing we call real entrepreneurship requires fairly extreme risk taking which is a character trait and can't be taught.

btw - I don't necessarily think that that kind of extremism is a good thing - we only hear of the successes; by definition most entrepreneurs must crash and burn - permanently.

 

[RayB]

I always respect views here and learn accordingly, but "learn" to be an entrepreneur? No, no and no!

I always liken business to sport as an analogy - you can teach anyone to play football - but to become "Wayne Rooney" NEVER - that you are born with and cannot be taught (equally the talent needs to be identified early and nurtured so not to be wasted)

Sure you can become successful in business through hard work - and I'm all for encouraging that - but - becoming the next Richard Branson/ Donald Trump/ Rupert Murdoch/ Anita Roddick by training - NEVER

Simple rule of "survivial of the fittest"

That said, I persoanally believe that everybody is born with a talent, however obscure, the trick is finding, nuturing and exploiting it

PS - the report Dan mentioned is from academics - WTF do they know about business let alone being an entrepreneur ????

 

[Peter Bowen]

I think one can teach someone to run their own business - whether that counts as being an entrepreneur is dependent on the definition of the word.

Under the hood all businesses are the same. You've got to have a lead generation or marketing system that brings customers to the door, a sales process, a way of getting the money from them etc etc. If you teach people how to build and run these systems there is no reason that they can't run their own businesses.

I think franchisors are in the business of teaching people how to manage a series of processes and procedures.

The real challenge is the we are all taught how to do the work (in my case I'm an ex civil engineer) and not how to run the business.

 

I think there are natural entrepreneurs and they have certain traits that are inherent and cannot be acquired. I think it is also possible to acquire business skills and become business savvy but this is separate from being an entrepreneur.

 

This is the definition

An individual who, rather than working as an employee, runs a small business and assumes all the risk and reward of a given business venture, idea, or good or service offered for sale. The entrepreneur is commonly seen as a business leader and innovator of new ideas and business processes.

So I would say yes it can be taught.

but the really successfull ones have an abnormal interest in making money to the exclusion of almost all normal forms of human activity including sublimated emotional response as shown by the likes of "Bill Gates" and others.

Earl

 

[Matt Quinn]

It can be taught, and it should be taught. In fact, it should be treated with the same importance as maths or English.

There was an HN unit I taught last year called 'Entrepreneurial Skills' as part of the HN Multimedia Creation course we ran at Stow. The intent was to get the students thinking about self-employment and start them off learning the 'mechanics' of it....

It has to be said many submissions were 'lacklustre'. And surprisingly some of the worst came from the sons of business people....

I think there are natural entrepreneurs and they have certain traits that are inherent and cannot be acquired.

Quite so...

 

[telemax]

I think partly it can but it also comes down to character.

When times are bad, you have no money coming in, things are looking bleak, bills need paying, will you fall apart or can you focus on trading your way out of a bad situation?. You need a special kind of personality to deal with that. Especially when you are on your own, and there is no one to give you encouragement!!

Jonathan

 

I think it can be taught, if it was not for fear ( fear of failing, fear of financial ruin ) we would probably have so many more.

 

[Rob Holmes]

Over recent years, there has been a increase in courses promising to teach people entrepreneurship. But do you think becoming a successful business owner can really be taught?

Your thread topic is "Can entrepreneurship be taught?" but the question in the first post is "do you think becoming a successful business owner can really be taught?"

I think the two are totally different.

See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneur

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_owner

Running a business well can be learnt if people are willing to learn. But I would say that I don't think people stop learning - maybe they just slow down or at least think they've learnt it all - but IMHO people never stop learning even if they think they have.

Can entrepreneurship be taught?

I'll say yes so not so seem as if I'm being difficult, but follow up with saying not in the conventional way - I would say entrepreneurship is more encouraged and 'released' - the main barrier IMHO to entrepreneurship is not lack of learning, it's fear of the consequences of a perceived high risk. Educating someone in risk analysis and general business skills will help but still lacks the intangible ingredient of having the guts to step out.

Rob

 

Your thread topic is "Can entrepreneurship be taught?" but the question in the first post is "do you think becoming a successful business owner can really be taught?"

I think the two are totally different.

I totally agree Rob that the two are totally different.

In terms of Ebonybailey's post, I would say that is what helps distinguish an entrepreneur from others - they are risk takers and that is part of their make up and cannot be acquired.

 

[ken_uk]

As quite a few 'top' entrepreneurs have performed 'dodgy' deeds at some point in order to become in the position they are in, I would find it hard to imagine how you could legally train anyone to break the law, or operate in a less than professional manner... Unless part of the course is about legal issues, such as how far you can push or break the law, and when the results from breaking the law are greater in the long term than any possible punishment or bad press.

Its possible to teach pretty much any subject, but the problem is some people just learn what they are taught and take it no further, they dont have the inquisitive, competetive nature, so wont get as far as someone who does, assuming they both had the same resources and training available.

 

[quikshop]

There's a difference between something being taught and someone taking that knowledge and being able to use it.

Couldn't agree more, we all have the capacity to sit there and be taught the seven golden rules of being an entrepreneur, but I think it requires a certain amount of drive, motivation and a lot of hard work to put your ideas into action.

A good friend of mine comes out with an endless stream of really good ideas for businesses (usually over a few beers) but by his own admission he's zero motivation to ever do anything with them

 

[Matt Quinn]

Its possible to teach pretty much any subject, but the problem is some people just learn what they are taught and take it no further, they dont have the inquisitive, competetive nature, so wont get as far as someone who does, assuming they both had the same resources and training available.

You raise an interesting point there Ken. I've spent almost my entire working life in TV. And thus I've 'always' been surrounded and mixed with creative people. Around seven years ago I was invited to lecture at Stow college. There I joined a department staffed by fellow creatives; musicians (some quite well known), producers, sound engineers, graphics artists etc. Desite coming from different disciplines we all share a common 'hunger' and passion for our respective subject....

A constant source of 'bafflement' and frustration is the stream of students who don't have a creative bone in their body. They sign up for video production courses or music management courses 'in love' with the notion of joining what is perceived to be a 'glamorous' profession. (if only they knew ) Yet seem unprepared to have to go beyond the basic 'mechanistic' processes required to evidence their completing the course.

They lack the 'hunger' required to master the discipline and the imagination to progress it.

I see parallels in other fields. I have an elderly uncle who arrived here from Hong Kong in the mid-50's. He's been in the restaurant trade all his life. Ran a chain of 'high end' restaurants and still, at the age of 81, actively runs two. He's had interests in all sorts of other businesses, from garages, shops ..even a Vet's surgery! A trip into town with him is an education. He still ferrets about looking for empty shops and flats 'going cheap'.... And for 'sport' he buys, sells and 'collects' expensive watches and pens; as well as amassing a rather valuable collection of these things reckons he makes around £7K a year on his activities (more than many people of his age have to live on).

My cousin (his son) is a feckless woose who has ran every business he had into the ground!

Thing is my Uncle is 'still hungry', still enthusiastic and still sharp. He 'learned' from growing up in a penniless family to work out what the value of things are before the price of them. My cousin never learned that that lesson... Certainly he had it taught to him; but at the end of the day always 'knew' he'd have a roof over his head.

Is it nature? Is it nurture?

 

[Lisette]

In terms of this thread I think we may be mixing up entrepreneurs with business owners - I wonder if there is a difference. The use of entrepreneur is quite widespread and I often find myself asking if it is a tad over used. Or do we think that running your own business automatically makes you an entrepreneur? or do you need to create the equivalent of Virgin?- hmmmm

I thought I would take the opportunity of pasting in a blog I wrote back in January on this topic - it would be good to get some builds on the list of behaviours and other thoughts that I jotted down at the time.

Are entrepreneurs born or made?
This is an ongoing debate. Do you subscribe to the theory that certain people are born with the personality traits that make a good entrepreneur? Or do you favour the idea that Entrepreneur emerge out of a combination of entrepreneurial opportunities and people who are well positioned to take advantage of them?

I did a check on google and the word entrepreneur had 53,600,000 hits. Is this more or less than you might have expected?

As a people and organisation person I am more interested in entrepreneurial behaviour and how these can be developed and harnessed for the good of the individual and the organisation. There is much literature on this topic and many lists and descriptions of entrepreneurial behaviour. I believe the following list covers the key elements:

• High need for achievement
• A belief in the ability to control the environment through your own actions (internal locus of control)
• Risk Taking – a comfort with, and enjoyment of risk
• Innovativeness and problem solving capabilities
• Acceptance of responsibility
• Organization – personally well organised and able to bring together components of a venture (including people)
• Hard Work and Energy
• Optimism – the belief that anything is possible
• Orientation to Excellence
• Profit orientation (serving as a meter to gauge success and achievement)
• Reward orientation (recognition and respect as much as money)
• Charismatic, compelling, driven

When you look at a list like this it is possible to identify those elements that appear to be more learnable than others. Also, those which can be easily ‘nurtured’ or ‘destroyed’. Good leaders can create environments where entrepreneurial behaviours flourish in even the largest of organisations. Individuals so minded can develop themselves and achieve capability in these areas.

 

[little_stork]

I think alot depends on personality. I would argue that to become an entrepreneur you have to take certain "risks" and therefore this is in your make up.

That's my take on it.

 

[RayB]

This thread fascinates me, as it contributed to by SME business owners, ranging from those who earn a crust to the closet millionaires who reside here.

IMO opinion an entrepreneur is born with an abilty to takes risks, make money and think out of the box, all whilst having the best looking woman (or man) on his her/arm without breaking into a sweat.

It cannot be taught - you are born with it - and very few get there.

The rest of us rely on hard work, savvy and experience to deliver success - but that alone will not make us the next Donald Trump or whatever.

These people are a select breed and anyone who says otherwise is a bit daft IMO

 

[estwig]

To be an entrepreneur the first thing you need is an idea or a series of ideas.

How can you teach someone to..........'have an idea'

You cannot teach originality.

You can only teach business skills.

 

[Cornish Steve]

Putting aside for a moment the difference between being an entrepreneur and being a small business owner, there's an easy way to prove whether or not entrepreneurism can be taught.

1) Teach some classes related to entrepreneurism in one part of the country and not in another.

2) After ten years, see if the one region has a higher percentage of new small businesses versus the other.

3) After 20 years, see if the success rate for small businesses is greater in one region than in the other.

Maybe this analysis can be performed already. Are children in NI, for example, taught a different set of courses from children in GB?

 

[RayB]

Putting aside for a moment the difference between being an entrepreneur and being a small business owner, there's an easy way to prove whether or not entrepreneurism can be taught.

There sure is: take a bunch of promising teenagers, then see who is a billionaire by the age of 40.

That should nail it.

 

[An Oasis]

You can teach anyone anything but it does not mean they they will either be good at it, have the ability to succeed when those vital holes that that have not been taught appear, want to do it, have the strength to carry on through adversity and as importantly know when to quit when a project turns out to be a lame duck!

Teach the theory sure but that's as far as it goes. Education is about short cuts nothing more, otherwise we could all read books and bypass the system.

 

The rest of us rely on hard work, savvy and experience to deliver success - but that alone will not make us the next Donald Trump or whatever.

I think you will find young Donald had a bit of a leg up as did many wealthy people.

my experience of life so far :| is that money makes money ,not ability or talent,having the first million in cash is the doorway ,with of course the rare exceptions.

I believe it can be taught,as everything else in life is and there will be good and bad ,

so put me down as Mr Dim with the odd flicker now and then


Donald Trump was born in New York on the 14th of June 1946. His father Fred Trump was a successful property developer that helped form the young Donald's business sense. Donald acknowledged his father's influence by stating that “My father was my mentor, and I learned a tremendous amount about every aspect of the construction industry from him.”.

 

[RedEvo]

Entrepreneurs usually don't succeed with their first idea. They usually make mistakes, try different things and also use any luck that comes along.

If you accept this then it's clear they learn. If they learn then some how they are being taught either by themselves or the people and businesses they interact with.


d

 

[ChrisMono]

it comes naturally in my opinion... or the way you were brought up. When i first saw the course being offered at universities I was pretty shocked!

 

[Cornish Steve]

Why were you shocked? It's been part of most business degrees in the US for years. Courses cover all kinds of issues around strategy, financing, etc, plus they often include a simulation game that is very revealing. I participated in this nationwide game as part of my MBA program. It's incredibly valuable. More than anything, it teaches you to have a clear strategy and then to focus, focus, and focus - adapting the strategy if it's clear it's not working.

As I wrote earlier, we're all taught maths, but we're not all mathematicians. Our young people should all be taught entrepreneurism, but they won't all become entrepreneurs. In that sense, the topic does inspire some personality types more than others. Without the subject being taught, however, some brilliant potential entrepreneurs may never find their calling.

 

[dagr]

I put down YES. I'm surprised so many people here think it can't be taught.

 

[RayB]

I put down YES. I'm surprised so many people here think it can't be taught.

Boxing Lessons = Ricky Hatton
Driving Lessons = Lewis Hamilton
Writing Lessons = William Shakespeare
Football Lessons = Wayne Rooney
Singing Lessons = Elvis Presley
Acting Lessons = Sir Ben Kingsley
Physics Lessons = Albert Einstein
Flying lessons = Buz Aldrin
Religious Studies = The Pope
Business Lessons = Entrepreneur.............. NOT

I really dont get this thread!

 

[hiryzer]

Knowledge can be learned from any book or course.
Application of knowledge, the imagination to apply that knowledge in a different way is the key reason why you CANNOT be taught to be an entrepeneur.

 

[dagr]

Well, all I can say is that many people here don't seem to have any experience of teaching, mentoring, coaching, motivating, whatever. I'm constantly surprised how people that seem to be "no-hopers", in whatever domain or mindset, suddenly get the trigger and take off like a rocket. I don't see being an entrepreneur as something special. Sure, reading about business doesn't make you an entrepreneur, but you can switch people onto it who you would never, ever have categorized as such previously.

The biggest key is motivation. Of course, some people will "get it" without any knowledge or training, others will come to it by plodding along or stumbling into it. And some people will be better at it than others. Only those that definitely do not want to do it, for whatever reason, will not get there.

The nearest analogy I have come across is art. I used to think you could either do art or couldn't. Boy, was I wrong. That's not to say that everyone "converted" to do art will be a Picasso, but they can become proficient in it.

Again, I'm just surprised that a group of entrepreneurs, a mixed bag if ever there was one, should overwhelmingly see their like as being special, somehow blessed at birth with a skill set not attainable by the average Joe Bloggs. It's a response that I thought would be reserved for more academic groups like doctors, lawyers, etc. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I'm not surprised entrepreneurial awareness at school and uni hasn't evolved much if the "you've either got it or not got it, mate" type mentality prevails.

 

Excellent post David as a stumbler I agree 100%.

Elitist load of twits


Earl

 

[An Oasis]

I wish the definition of this bloody thread had been made before I started reading.

My definition seems to be "different". It is certainly not someone who...

"An individual who starts his/her own business."

More like

"An innovator of business enterprise who recognizes opportunities to introduce a new product, a new process or an improved organization, and who raises the necessary money, assembles the factors for production and organizes an operation to exploit the opportunity."

The key word is recognizes (even thought the Yanks can't spell). Any plonker can start a business but recognising/seeing the opportunity is one of the key points.

 

[RayB]

The key word is recognizes (even thought the Yanks can't spell). Any plonker can start a business but recognising/seeing the opportunity is one of the key points.

Richard - you are spot on - yes anyone can learn to be a competent and successful busines person - but to me an entrepreneur would be the likes of Richard Branson or Alan Sugar - and these are people who are BORN with that extra INSTINCT and GUTS that cannot be taught IMO

The nearest analogy I have come across is art. I used to think you could either do art or couldn't. Boy, was I wrong. That's not to say that everyone "converted" to do art will be a Picasso, but they can become proficient in it.

David - good post - but surely this just confirms what I am saying the keyword here is PROFICIENT - well you need to be more than proficient in business to be an entrepreneur.

I am not being negative - just realistic