Accidental businesses

Out of the Netherlands and back in the US for a week, working and reprovisioning.   Along the way, I caught a radio program that was describing the beneficial rise in “unintentional entrepreneurship” caused by the economic downturn.  The rise in unemployment has put lots of skilled people on the streets.  Without prospects, they start businesses.  These businesses, in turn, drive innovation, create jobs, and restore self-esteem.

If only…

As The Atlantic recently noted, 2/3 of people would like to start new businesses, but few actually do.  Of these, only  1/3 of all new startups actually create a sustained new business.  And only 19% of all new businesses employ someone other than the founder.

In short, Consultancy is not Entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship is not unintentional, reluctant, or necessity-driven.  If it is to succeed, it needs vision and dream, passion and hard work, more hours than almost any corporate job.  It needs enough confidence and passion  to drive you through the personal doubts, experimental failures, and investors that say “We have considered your proposal and determined that it is not of interest to us.”