Growing An Entrepreneur

Recently, I've been attending a few events related to my businesses - events related to IT to film, music, books and tourism.

These events allow me to meet many people in the related industries... listening to their visions & ideas, understanding their struggles, but most of all getting advise and expanding the mindset.

One of the many things I've learnt (through one of the forums) is:
To Differentiate Being Entrepreneur & Enterprise

The gist is basically that an entrepreneur needs to think big enough to be able to grow the company so that his presence is not needed 101% in everything. In other words, the company should be distinct from the entrepreneur eventually.

Opening The Mind
Though this is not entirely new to me, but there was one thing that caught my attention. And though I very much believe in achieving the idea of 4 Hour Work Week, but, I've also included this in my vision for the business... and do believe these 2 ideas work hand-in-hand.


The Interesting Part
The interesting part about this is actually the idea on how a company can grow bigger & faster... and to eventually distinct itself from the founder.

The answer - to pool huge resources from others (eg. from VCs - venture capitalists, or to being listed).


What Makes This Idea Seem New
My company has taken things on a more conservative approach to growth... moving from project to project on a slower pace to reduce the risks involve, only moving forward (with confidence) once a project is in the black.

And I believe many other young entrepreneurs (and even many SMEs) do the same... & in a way, do not really expand much/ fast.

But if this is to change (ie by having more resources), there is much more room for trials, tests... and eventually even success!

Take an example that I've highlighted to some friends - many listed companies who seem 'big' from their names actually have many divisions which are not yet making profits.

They have entered in many deals, or created many new divisions, some of which are test beds. But they manage to do so in a big and a branded way because of the deeper pockets, while the idea (compared to others) remains roughly the same.

So really, what sets them apart is the huge backing they have.

The Learning Points
Well, what I've learned & I think fellow SMEs and entrepreneurs (and even some big corporations) should take note is: rather than focusing purely on the short term bottom line for each project which can be a hindrance to growth, instead, look at the bigger picture and try to build a steadier ground. This may not make profit at the start, but when it does, it will reap far greater rewards & the pace of expansion faster.

This brings us back to how to grow big - that we (especially the entrepreneurs) should have an open mindset in seeking VCs & other possible means to see our ideas through - and making sure that costs for R&D and other operating costs are 'in good hands'.

Basically, we need to move fast(er) to grow, learning to 'let go', and to pool resources.

And with a responsible entrepreneurial spirit, I'm certain that our ideas will come to birth eventually - in a big way, serving more people globally... the way we vision all the while :)

*Entrepreneurs in this article refers to visionaries who want to see a global outreach for their businesses.