Promoting Entrepreneurship : The ultimate step for Value Creation

Indian Government’s Start-up India programme has set the initial enthusiasm and the entrepreneurial culture in India (supported by changing reforms and experiencing improvement in the rankings of ease of doing business) is taking its shape. This does bring in a revival hope and enthusiasm for positive growth in the economy.

Its entrepreneurship, which has propelled every economy & it is the entrepreneurs who play an important role and to a large extent form the basis for: (a) building-up the nation, and; (b) for bringing prosperity & social change to the world at large… Be it …

• the East India Company which formed the basis for the colonial rule of the British;
• Henry Ford who replaced horse carriages with motor driven cars & made them affordable for the masses with the concept of an assembly line and further, Mr. Ratan Tata, who made available the cheapest car to the world -- Tata Nano.
• The concept of internet (APRANET) got developed in the 1960’s and was extensively used for communication by the US Defence during its cold war with the USSR. It was Tim – Berners Lee who invented the World Wide Web in the 1980’s. It was Bill Gates (with the advent of Microsoft Network – MSN and web browser Netscape) who took the concept of internet to the world, in the year 1995.
• It was Captain Gopinath with his no-frills business model, that made air-travel cheap, affordable and accessible for the common man in India.

Examples of great contributions made by entrepreneurs for the society are a-plenty and often times; Governments' reach out to the entrepreneurs for social development and for meeting-up with the economic goals of the nation.

Entrepreneurs in a sense are like magicians, who through their ideas and vision manifest & create something new and in this process of their creation -- do a lot of good things viz. explore their own potential, create wealth, create employment for other people, contribute positively to the world, innovate, solve problems, create possibilities, exemplify greatness, lead and yes, become role models.

Entrepreneurs are the people who believe things can happen –who believe, they are the ones who can make things happen and in turn -- direct & motivate others to make things happen.

Great ideas have their place….. Scientists have their place…. PhDs’… Engineers… Accountants… Sociologists… Psychologists…. MBA's....Philosophers… Professors… Lawyers all have their place….. and rightly so….

However, in order to manifest the great ideas into reality and to take them to the masses… it requires:

an entrepreneurial mindset & spirit …. so as to --- take the all important risk… to execute… & to be patient enough with the outcomes.

A single entrepreneur has the ability to change lives of thousands of people. It is an entrepreneur, who influences & shapes the belief systems of people……

• If an entrepreneur fails – it discourages so many other people, never to get into business.
• A corrupt yet successful entrepreneur, encourages so many people to be corrupt.
• An upright, ethical, successful entrepreneur inspires so many others – to be successful using ethical means, to contribute to the society and to the world at large, in a positive way.

Further, the business creates value for all its internal stakeholders as well (viz. employees, shareholders, vendors, partners, associates); 
through a collaborative approach and inter-dependency amongst all the stakeholders (formation of common values & an amicable organisational culture) -- responding to the prevailing business environment; thereby achieving the set vision and creating profits.

And, to answer the all important question going on these days –

What do the PE’s / VC’s / Angels / Funders / Donors look for in a business?

   Simply put, it’s the vision, conviction, ability & the execution of an entrepreneur (along with his team) & his business idea, for Sustainable Value Creation (commensurate with the price paid).

Thus,

Think Entrepreneurship!!! Think Value Creation!!!