{"id":1191,"date":"2010-07-02T08:56:11","date_gmt":"2010-07-02T08:56:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localenterprise.wordpress.com\/?p=1191"},"modified":"2010-07-02T08:56:11","modified_gmt":"2010-07-02T08:56:11","slug":"dad-i-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-will-you-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/2010\/07\/02\/dad-i-want-to-be-an-entrepreneur-will-you-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Dad, I Want to be an Entrepreneur! Will You Help?"},"content":{"rendered":"

These are not words I am expecting to hear anytime soon – but who knows?<\/p>\n

If David Cameron gets his way and he finds an army of entrepreneurs to go into local schools to promote the ‘joy’ of entrepreneurship<\/a> and the job market continues to go west – it could well happen.<\/p>\n

How would I respond?<\/p>\n

Well, if they say they\u00a0want <\/span><\/em><\/strong>to be an entrepreneur and ask for my help, then I will refuse it, and do all I can to persuade them away from the idea.<\/p>\n

If they say they have <\/em><\/span><\/strong>to be an entrepreneur – because it is the only way they can do the work that they feel they have to do then I will roll up my sleeves and help with enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

Why the distinction?<\/p>\n

Because however you wrap it up, in spite of what people like Cameron say, entrepreneurship is hard. \u00a0Especially if you do not have a large bank account to bale you out when things go wrong. \u00a0I don’t think I have met a single entrepreneur in my work who would describe the experience as joyful. \u00a0Dramatic, yes. \u00a0Full of highs and lows, yes. \u00a0Scary, yes. \u00a0But joyful…not so much.<\/p>\n

So why promote the lie? \u00a0Why continue the enterprise fairytale?<\/p>\n

It doesn’t even help to build an enterprise culture as with increased start-ups come increased failures and more bad experiences of entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n

It couldn’t be to do with an obsession with outputs over social impact could it?<\/p>\n

I will leave the last word to Noel Coward:<\/p>\n

Some years ago when I was returning from the Far East on a very large ship, I was pursued around the decks every day by a very large lady. She showed me some photographs of her daughter \u2013 a repellant-looking girl and seemed convinced that she was destined for a great stage career. Finally, in sheer self-preservation, I locked myself in my cabin and wrote this song \u2013 \u201cDon\u2019t Put Your Daughter On The Stage, Mrs. Worthington\u201d.)<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t put your daughter on the stage, Mrs. Worthington<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t put your daughter on the stage<\/p>\n

The profession is overcrowded<\/p>\n

The struggle\u2019s pretty tough<\/p>\n

And admitting the fact she\u2019s burning to act<\/p>\n

That isn\u2019t quite enough<\/p>\n

She\u2019s a nice girl and though her teeth are fairly good<\/p>\n

She\u2019s not the type I ever would be eager to engage<\/p>\n

I repeat, Mrs. Worthington, sweet Mrs. Worthington<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t put your daughter on the stage<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So Em amd Meg – unless it is something that you have to do, ignore Messrs Cameron, Brown (remember him – architect of much enterprise policy) and their army of enterprise evangelists and give entrepreneurship a miss – at least until you have some real knowhow under your belt.<\/p>\n

On the other hand if this is the only way that yo can do good work, and you are prepared for the journey that lies ahead, then, and only then, let’s go for it…<\/p>\n

<\/blockquote>\n