The three pilars of entrepreneurship

I took a trip to Halls Creek, a small town in a remote location. My idea was to fund a business plan competition at the local high school to promote entrepreneurship. By the way, this picture was taken by an 8 yrs old girl who was wandering around with friends.

I came back thinking that I will make it a priority to get involved as the foundations for "life" there is much different and there is a lot of work to do to establish a basic structure... mmmm like there is no bank.

Despite everybody's pessimism I was determined to find the local entrepreneurs… Once we got into it, they started popping up like stars on a clear sky. I had the fortune of meeting amazing people and sharing our experiences in social entrepreneurship around the world.

Coming back I reflected on what makes an entrepreneur special and wanted to share my thoughts with you. A lot has been studied about entrepreneur’s way of thinking, but I think we are yet to find some commonalities. I hope these three pillars shed some light into the mystery.

Entrepreneurship is NOT about learning but about developing skills in three key areas, I’ve called them the three pillars of entrepreneurship: self-expression, self-determination, and self-accountability.

Self – expression nurtures our sense of contribution and importance. Entrepreneurs feel that they have something to offer to the world, and they need to find a way to express it, to share it with others. Not so much because they need feedback but more because they believe it is useful. That feeling provides a sense of self esteem that feeds onto the second pillar.

Self-determination allows us to believe that we can manage our destiny. That it is through our choices, successes and failures that we create the life we live in. It makes the switch from victim to hero, and feeds into the third pillar.

Self-accountability gives us courage to accept that we are not perfect but that, regardless of any circumstances, we still chose. It helps us nurture our wisdom. When we accept accountability, we can transform the world. We switch from being part of the problem to being part of the solution.

Whatever we do either in our home, with our family, friends, coworkers or our extended community, we will always win if we support these skills. Nowadays when many people are concern about the crisis, I think knowing about these pillars can come handy to all of us. Because every single one of us can do something about it.

here is to your success,
Alicia

Surprise me

A surprise provokes fascinating emotions. This wealth drop is dedicated to those who find ways to add a spark to our lives by doing the unexpected. By the way, thanks Carlos for the postcard from South Africa. Quite a surprise!

It was Lynda Dorrington, CEO of Form, an Australian Organization, who inspired me to develop the theme. Ever since I came to Perth, Lynda has relentlessly foster a discussion to make the city more vibrant. She has pushed the envelope bringing experts from overseas and has engaged top notch research to understand what it takes to transform Perth into the Creative Capital of the world. www.form.com.au.

So, where is Perth? It claims to be the most isolated city in the world, yet I’ve been to other isolated places. It is one of the most beautiful and cleanest cities I’ve ever seen; with lakes, parks, soft hills, the bluest sky you can only imagine, a fresh smell of Eucalyptus and plenty of birds and bike ways. It is the only city that I know where you can literally go for swim from downtown, or fish and actually eat what you catch, right there on the steps of the city centre. There is a certain ‘nostalgie’ of the past, with plenty of houses keeping the traditional tuckpointed walls and tile roofs.

Lynda seeks more participation to her discussion, yet being a global citizen myself, I don’t think we should limit the conversation to our residents. What creates a vibrant city? I like a city that has surprises… but I generally like surprises, it keeps us alert and alive. When was the last time you surprised someone?

Well, I’m just about to try to do so. Just read on…

I don’t know what creates a vibrant city but having been to 13 airports in the last 3 months across four continents I can tell you that the world is becoming boring, or well, how can I say it? Predictable! Q’l horror as the Swiss would say.
Yeah… we like predictability so we can feel secure and plan accordingly, then something kicks in. An external change or the need for chaos. Yes, I know, I’ve also been hit by the financial crisis… even so, we can only take so much predictability, it kills our creativity and innovation.

So, we need to revert to something unusual. I like a city where I can be surprised, just like I like surprises. When you send me a note it is fantastic. I don’t expect it, and I love it, whether it is a positive or a negative comment.

Surprises keep us agile and alert. Companies that surprise us capture a space in our minds. They raise above the rest, they treat us in unusual ways, either as customers, employees, suppliers or as part of their community. We need to add more of that. Both on our businesses and at our personal level.

When was the last time you surprised someone? When did you develop a product or a service that would surprise your customers?

Well, I am just about to release two books and a DVD… on three completely different topics I’ve been working on for years: the 10 unwealthy habits, Falling in love with your life, and How to fund your million dollar idea. Now, if you want to get a deal on any of them, preorder now at $10 each, pls postage, on any number or combinations you might want to add. Just drop us a note and we’ll keep you on file and send you a paypal request when it is ready to ship.

I would love to surprise you even more running a contest… and here is the thing, next week I’m going to a place called Halls Creek, to explore ways that we can transform the lives of some of these kids… and we are going to need A LOT of help. I want to find a way to convince them to switch from living from well fare to paying taxes.

What can I do to surprise these kids, so used to arrogant white fellows telling them what to do?

Bring that on!

Alicia

PD: whether you are in the part of the world that is living on crisis or not, give someone a surprise.. and if you want to surprise Lynda at www.form.com.au leave them a note on what makes a city creative? There is an interactive button on the site.