Today, I was invited to give a talk about the meaning of entrepreneurship. My kids Gabriel and Daniela, and some of their schoolmates have created a club called "Future Entrepreneurs", a club dedicated to promote leadership, independence and courage by being an entrepreneur. A great club where I was to be the first "acclaimed speaker"; In the invitation I was promoted as a "serial entrepreneur".
I was determined to make my kids look good and make them proud of their father. I woke up early, shaved my bald head, reviewed my notes and even wrote an essay for the event; I was all pumped-up and ready to go!
Before leaving the house, I emailed a copy to my son, who is the president of the club, so he can have a better understanding of what I was going to cover.
−What does it mean to be an entrepreneur?
By Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld
The dictionary defines entrepreneur as a person who organizes and operates businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so.
Well, this definition is partly right, yet to be an entrepreneur is a lot more than Webster’s definition.
An entrepreneur is someone that constantly recognizes opportunities to improve people’s life, one that has the ability to create propositions around these opportunities, and has the willingness to continually experiment to prove these assumptions.
An entrepreneur is someone that has the courage to take action and believes in change, someone that is willing to embrace challenges, accept failure and have the ability to bounce back.
An entrepreneur is like a magician, creates something out of nothing; is someone that conceives an idea and makes it happen.
An entrepreneur is someone that practices entrepreneurship as a lifestyle. It is a mindset that allows seeing opportunities, always looking for solutions. It means to be committed to an idea, to have the creativity to question and the courage to move.
An entrepreneur is a person who looks at failures completely different than the rest; failures are just outlines that constantly need to be redrawn until he or she gets it right.
An entrepreneur is someone that is excited about life! −
−While driving to school, I got a text message from my son:
“Pops, I don’t think that you need to come”
“What?” I thought, “What is he talking about?”
−Immediately, I got a phone call:
“Mauchy (my nickname), I already got your essay, I think I can read it on your behalf…
I was thinking that a lot of new members are coming for the first time to today’s meeting, and you may be a little too intense for them…
They might get a little scared”
−I laughed in my head “son of a gun, he got my presentation and now he doesn’t need me anymore…”
“No problem, I agree with you” I said.
We talked for 5 minutes about how he was going to handle the meeting and that was it! I was booted out just like that!
So, what did I learn from this episode?
First, I am pleased to see that my son has the guts to stand up for what he believes is right, he is not afraid to speak up, and the best part, is that he could rearrange his life in a moment’s notice; the sign of a true entrepreneur.
Then, this anecdote reminded me that I should not take life too seriously... so I laughed at myself.
I was determined to make my kids look good and make them proud of their father. I woke up early, shaved my bald head, reviewed my notes and even wrote an essay for the event; I was all pumped-up and ready to go!
Before leaving the house, I emailed a copy to my son, who is the president of the club, so he can have a better understanding of what I was going to cover.
−What does it mean to be an entrepreneur?
By Mauricio Fraga-Rosenfeld
The dictionary defines entrepreneur as a person who organizes and operates businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so.
Well, this definition is partly right, yet to be an entrepreneur is a lot more than Webster’s definition.
An entrepreneur is someone that constantly recognizes opportunities to improve people’s life, one that has the ability to create propositions around these opportunities, and has the willingness to continually experiment to prove these assumptions.
An entrepreneur is someone that has the courage to take action and believes in change, someone that is willing to embrace challenges, accept failure and have the ability to bounce back.
An entrepreneur is like a magician, creates something out of nothing; is someone that conceives an idea and makes it happen.
An entrepreneur is someone that practices entrepreneurship as a lifestyle. It is a mindset that allows seeing opportunities, always looking for solutions. It means to be committed to an idea, to have the creativity to question and the courage to move.
An entrepreneur is a person who looks at failures completely different than the rest; failures are just outlines that constantly need to be redrawn until he or she gets it right.
An entrepreneur is someone that is excited about life! −
−While driving to school, I got a text message from my son:
“Pops, I don’t think that you need to come”
“What?” I thought, “What is he talking about?”
−Immediately, I got a phone call:
“Mauchy (my nickname), I already got your essay, I think I can read it on your behalf…
I was thinking that a lot of new members are coming for the first time to today’s meeting, and you may be a little too intense for them…
They might get a little scared”
−I laughed in my head “son of a gun, he got my presentation and now he doesn’t need me anymore…”
“No problem, I agree with you” I said.
We talked for 5 minutes about how he was going to handle the meeting and that was it! I was booted out just like that!
So, what did I learn from this episode?
First, I am pleased to see that my son has the guts to stand up for what he believes is right, he is not afraid to speak up, and the best part, is that he could rearrange his life in a moment’s notice; the sign of a true entrepreneur.
Then, this anecdote reminded me that I should not take life too seriously... so I laughed at myself.
