Editor's View

Fostering enterprise

Dec 09/Jan 10 issue

The myth of the entrepreneur is of a maverick. A rule breaker who probably left school early, couldn’t stand being told what to do, but felt a burning passion inside to prove themselves to the world.

In terms of psychological profile, based on this view, there probably isn’t that much of a difference between the entrepreneur and a lone assassin in the mould of Lee Harvey Oswald. Entrepreneurs like to live up to the outsider stereotype (perpetuated by the press) and, to be fair, it’s an improvement on the older cliché in this country of seeing an entrepreneur as someone who was, well, a little bit dodgy.

To mark November’s Global Entrepreneurship Week 2009, there was a debate at the British Library where luminaries gathered to discuss innovation and beating the recession. The talk quickly turned to how to encourage entrepreneurship in the UK. A good, old-fashioned nature versus nurture debate ensued.

David Wei, the colourful CEO of online trading platform Alibaba.com, a company headquartered in China, was adamant that success depended solely on the triumph of the will. ‘Your A-levels and university degrees won’t be of use. Entrepreneurs will always find their own way,’ he said, adding that boardrooms are the enemy of innovation. It was gung-ho, stirring stuff and Wei received the biggest round of applause of the morning’s speakers.

School’s in

According to serial entrepreneur Peter Jones, who set up the National Enterprise Academy to foster business skills among 16- to 19-year-olds, there is a bigger problem that needs to be addressed. Basic enterprise skills are still not taught in schools, and for Jones, unless that is rectified the UK ‘will continue to have slow economic growth’.

For the short term, Jones, like Wei, struck the libertarian’s pose and said that we should not be relying on anyone but ourselves to solve this economic mess. ‘It always seems to come back to the government. But I say: “What has this got to do with the government?” We have the power, not government, to make the necessary changes,’ he said.

As in any nature versus nurture debate, the answer is somewhere in between. Entrepreneurship, in the sense of the mechanics of enterprise, can and should be taught because such skills are useful. That isn’t to say there will be a conveyor belt of Richard Bransons rolling out of schools across the country, but young people need to understand that there are other ways to earn a living than entering the public sector or the financial services.

Those who can create and make things happen will be vital for the nation’s prosperity in the years ahead.


Editor's View Business Bulletin Trailblazers Business Tools Finance Expansion Strategy Leadership Flotation Exits Columns Enterprise News Deal Listings Backchat	Editor's View Fostering enterprise Dec 09/Jan 10 issue The myth of the entrepreneur is of a maverick. A rule breaker who probably left school early, couldn’t stand being told what to do, but felt a burning passion inside to prove themselves to the world. In terms of psychological profile, based on this view, there probably isn’t that much of a difference between the entrepreneur and a lone assassin in the mould of Lee Harvey Oswald. Entrepreneurs like to live up to the outsider stereotype (perpetuated by the press) and, to be fair, it’s an improvement on the older cliché in this country of seeing an entrepreneur as someone who was, well, a little bit dodgy. To mark November’s Global Entrepreneurship Week 2009, there was a debate at the British Library where luminaries gathered to discuss innovation and beating the recession. The talk quickly turned to how to encourage entrepreneurship in the UK. A good, old-fashioned nature versus nurture debate ensued. David Wei, the colourful CEO of online trading platform Alibaba.com, a company headquartered in China, was adamant that success depended solely on the triumph of the will. ‘Your A-levels and university degrees won’t be of use. Entrepreneurs will always find their own way,’ he said, adding that boardrooms are the enemy of innovation. It was gung-ho, stirring stuff and Wei received the biggest round of applause of the morning’s speakers. School’s in According to serial entrepreneur Peter Jones, who set up the National Enterprise Academy to foster business skills among 16- to 19-year-olds, there is a bigger problem that needs to be addressed. Basic enterprise skills are still not taught in schools, and for Jones, unless that is rectified the UK ‘will continue to have slow economic growth’. For the short term, Jones, like Wei, struck the libertarian’s pose and said that we should not be relying on anyone but ourselves to solve this economic mess. ‘It always seems to come back to the government. But I say: “What has this got to do with the government?” We have the power, not government, to make the necessary changes,’ he said. As in any nature versus nurture debate, the answer is somewhere in between. Entrepreneurship, in the sense of the mechanics of enterprise, can and should be taught because such skills are useful. That isn’t to say there will be a conveyor belt of Richard Bransons rolling out of schools across the country, but young people need to understand that there are other ways to earn a living than entering the public sector or the financial services. Those who can create and make things happen will be vital for the nation’s prosperity in the years ahead.