The tower of Babel
“An entrepreneur is an economic agent who unites all means of production – land of one, the labour of another and the capital of yet another and thus produces a product.” – Jean-Baptiste Say
The force of necessity is the strength of entrepreneurship. Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation. Is this truly so? Entrepreneurial success occurs when opportunity meets necessity.
Genesis 11:1-6
New King James Version
“ 1 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2 And it happened, as they journeyed from the east that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” 5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of men had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.
Basically, entrepreneurship means to undertake a responsibility. According to Genesis, the Babylonians wanted to make a name for themselves by building a mighty city and a tower “with its top in the heavens.” God disrupted the work by so confusing the language of the workers that they could no longer understand one another. Apparently, the people were of one language and set to build a city and a tower (Entrepreneurship). God came down to evaluate the impact of the project (Opportunity). Unfortunately, it failed the test of Necessity! If God was to come down to grant you one thing out of your numerous requests, what would that be? “And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.” But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42 NKJV). King Solomon was wise, he asked for what was necessary and opportunity found him. Then God said to Solomon “Because this was in your heart and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life – but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king – wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.” (2 Chronicles 1:11-12 NKJV). Wisdom is the principal and primary raw material for the making of entrepreneurial leaders. The essence of knowledge is to use it to create value. The best use of creativity is to deploy it to solve societal problems and create opportunities.
At the early stage of my exposure to entrepreneurship, I only understood that entrepreneurs are creative individuals who use their ingenuity to create stuffs. So, I crafted and created things which in my own eyes were spectacular innovations. I had resources (time, money, energy, etc) at my disposal so I deployed “RAW” (resources, activities and work). I demonstrated the innovation everywhere I had the opportunity to showcase it. I went as far as getting it protected in its own right as an intellectual property (IP). What I discovered was that, the innovation was not a necessity; it was an introduction of what I perceived as a creative idea. It was later revealed to me that an innovation or invention is an idea that is borne out of consumer’s desires (necessity) and not from the producer’s discoveries (creativity). An idea may look creative and not be lucrative in the final analysis. That an IP is patentable (legally valid) does not mean that it will be able to put food on the table (economically viable). If only I knew then, the conditions for the adoption of, and demand for innovation, I would have focused my creativity and resources in the direction – necessity. If the purpose of a thing is not deep, it is not wise to deploy resources. Purpose arises from, and resonates with necessity. Necessity is consumer oriented; it is the principal factor for demand. Demand only occurs where there is “WAR” (willingness, ability and readiness).
Financial prosperity is a product of “ONE” (Opportunity + Necessity + Entrepreneurship).
Entrepreneurship is a function of the entrepreneur.
E = f (e).
Knowledge is the driver of entrepreneurship while wisdom is the driver of leadership. What vision is to leadership is what innovation is to entrepreneurship. Wisdom is when you know what to do (entrepreneurship/necessity) and doing it (leadership/productivity).
“What is the calculus of innovation? The calculus of innovation is really quite simple: Knowledge drives innovation, innovation drives productivity, productivity drives economic growth.” – William Brody. Leadership is the soul of entrepreneurship.
The City of Necessity – “Mindustry”
In this city, qualitative (innovative) entrepreneurship is practiced – from the mind to industry. It is a place where the entrepreneurial spirit (creativity) is “ONE”; a place where the language of productivity is necessity. It is an environment where demand and supply take place. It is an atmosphere of needs and desires (“needosphere”) as well as ideas and discoveries (“ideosphere”). It is a place where ideation meets implementation based on profitability and sustainability. It is an industrial region just like Silicon Valley. Electronics and big tech is the largest industry in Silicon Valley. However, it is also home to some other types of businesses, including big energy and financial services.
Entrepreneurship is about undertaking responsibilities and overtaking possibilities.
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