Entrepreneurs keep the world going, but breaking out of your comfort zone and taking the entrepreneurial leap isn’t commonly recommended. Becoming an entrepreneur is much more than starting a business, as it allows you to take a chance on yourself. In a 2017 Ted Talk, Satish Kanwar gave a phenomenal talk about why entrepreneurship is the future of work. Kanwar addresses how times are changing, entrepreneurship is a mindset, and taking chances. All things considered, Kanwar provided a new perspective on achieving entrepreneurial success.
A New Age
Go to school, get good grades, get a good job with a big company. Kanwar mentions these things as he talks about how we were taught to become successful. I was thrilled to hear him talk about this specific topic. Kindergarten all the way to high school, we take classes that will prepare us for college and then college classes that prepare us for a job with that big company. What is it that we don’t do? Prepare to be entrepreneurs.
From a young age, we are taught the three aforementioned things, but never how to think outside the box or how to take that leap of faith. Kanwar talks about how he himself, “Buried every entrepreneurial bone in his body” so that he could become successful the traditional way. Kanwar makes an interesting point, as he talks about how if you go back to 6000 B.C. everyone was an entreprenur. Basically everything we have on this earth is because someone took an entrepreneurial leap of faith. Focusing minimal amount of time on the idea of betting on yourself doesn’t make sense to me because thinking outside of the box is what’s gotten us this far. Entrepreneurial success will never be “easy” to achieve, but preparing for it like we prepare for exams and jobs will certainly help. Breaking away from traditional values is the only way we will be able to achieve entrepreneurial success.
Mind Over Matter
Don’t have to start a business, you have to develop a mindset
– Satish Kanwar
Kanwar asks his audience to think of entrepreneurs and proceeds to name Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill Gates. He talks about how big names and companies are overshadowing the smaller entrepreneurs and I really liked the direction he was going with this subject. A lot of people, including myself, struggle to fully develop our entrepreneurial mindsets as these big names make our dreams and ideas seem so little. Kanwar compares entrepreneurship to creativity, as we can’t say someone isn’t creative, in the same way that we can’t say someone isn’t an entrepreneur. I like this idea, as it transfers back to developing the mindset. Anyone can go and open a business, but that doesn’t make them an entrepreneur. To truly become an entrepreneur you have to develop the entrepreneurial mindset and think outside the box, just as the Elon Musks of the world do.
Taking Chances
In the Ted Talk, Kanwar offers three pieces of advice, first one being “say yes to more”. Everyone should do this, as you never know what new connections you may make or journeys you’ll get to travel. He goes on to say “A life changing yes got me a lot further than a usual no”. This quote is brilliant as saying yes to a simple lunch could lead to a million dollar business agreement. His second piece of advice is “Don’t wait for they”. In saying this he means be your own person and don’t do what everyone else is doing, take that entrepreneurial mindset and be free. His final piece of advice is “find the small wins”. I agree with this, as in a world full of negativity, it’s important to sit back and reflect on the good things we’ve accomplished. Sulking in the negative things will only hold us back on our journey to achieving entrepreneurial success.
Overall, this Ted Talk provided me with a new outlook on entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial mindset. Moving forward, I plan on using this valuable information, especially his tip on saying yes to more, as it could open a door to endless possibilities. This talk has showed me the uncut path to achieving entrepreneurial success.