The Force of Entrepreneurial Thinking
In Transformation, a book authored by Ed Silvoso, the story was told of Jennifer Mwesigyee a young woman somewhere in Uganda who worked as a seamstress to supplement her husband’s income but ends never seemed to meet. Given a loan of $171 she bought her own sawing machine and soon she was able to hire others.
Not too long, she identified a need for affordable and reliable transportation in her small community and with her little savings decided to invest in the business. Starting with just one motorcycle and a rider, she progressively built a fleet of vehicles and as such created jobs to support other families.
Since then, Jennifer has invested in other businesses such as real estate, farming and property rental. Jennifer’s journey from a mere seamstress to landowner to farmer to investor and community leader shows…..…the force of entrepreneurial thinking when applied. Just as the law in physics that says everything remains in a state of rest until relevant force is applied. “Entrepreneurial thinking is a force that when applied can push a man from the circle of poverty into that of economic freedom. And until that force is applied man is bound to remain in that state of rest in the circle of poverty.”
As the whirlwind of news surrounding the vast economic crisis continues, causing massive job lose and an alarming increase in the rate of youth unemployment in Nigeria and around the world continues, I stopped to reflect on why providing entrepreneurship education and promoting entrepreneurial thinking is very vital to young people especially at such a time as this.
Have you ever wondered how most large economies got to where they are today? If you haven’t, well I have. Nations like US, Germany, China, Japan, South and North Korea, Malaysia, and even South Africa are typical examples of nations with developed or ‘super’ economies. How did they get there? That’s the key question. And why are some other nations not among the so called ‘super economies’?
So many thoughts could be roaming your mind right now. But please don’t dare to think it is because the so called ‘super economies’ have all the resources; human, material and finance. I bet that you are absolutely wrong if that is your answer. The Nigerian situation (economy) proofs to us that even though having the resources is necessary, it does not automatically translate to economic emancipation and growth especially when the owners of such resources are not proactive. Adequate research has also established that the growth of any economy is not, in anyway, dependent on the availability of resources at one’s disposal, but on one’s ability to first engage his mental resourcefulness before he can, in reality, transform his resources into elements for economic growth.
What I’m talking about is simply ‘entrepreneurial thinking’ which in simple translation means pro-active thinking (thinking and acting in anticipation of future problems or needs and finding possible solutions) which is what differentiates the ‘super guys’ from the ‘small guys.’
Obviously, this explains why some nations, even with meagre resources, have become super developed while others even in the midst of abundant resources are merely trying to survive.
Entrepreneurial thinking is the key to economic emancipation for every individual and nation. Nigeria and indeed Africa are practical case studies to proof to us that it is not just in the quantity or quality of one’s resources. It is the resourcefulness and creative potentials that one is able to call upon or bring to bear in order to translate those resources into tangible wealth that makes the difference.
Obviously, in the long run, this seems to be the only way out of youth unemployment. Yet interestingly enough, in spite of the prevailing unemployment among young people, most young people still do not consider entrepreneurial thinking as a vital tool and entrepreneurship as a viable career option or an important subject matter. Worse still, most schools are yet to include entrepreneurship as a core subject in their educational curriculum that will help young people start and manage their own businesses but rather teach them to be employees and to follow already laid down conventional way of thinking; go to school, graduate with a good grade, come out and get a good job with a good pay and so on.
Many schools teach subjects that are not practically relevant in our society today and will not help solve real life problems, but rarely do we see the possibility of entrepreneurship presented as a viable subject and career option for young people.
“If you look at today’s connected world, opportunities to make an impact are no longer constrained by yesterday’s barriers- where you live or how much experience you have- it’s about who can think up ideas, take their ideas and make them happen,” says Jonathan Ortmans, president of global entrepreneurship week USA. There’re a lot of young people who do not realise that yet, and i believe this blog would change that in a big way.
For young people to escape from the vicious circle caused by failing in the system, active intervention will be necessary. There’s therefore an urgent need for young people to be educated and trained in the field of entrepreneurship. In order for them to become job creators rather than job seekers, youth should learn and develop the skills needed to identify viable business opportunities and eventually start their own businesses. This is empowerment at its most basic level!
Cheers!
