You can't put a price on an Entrepreneur

The word is abound. Not too long ago the French-bred term was consigned to the ranks of The Dragons Den and The Apprentice. Bold characters with hefty bank balances wheeled out to perform for the viewing public who marvelled at the seemingly strange creature.

No longer however. Apparently Entrepreneurs are now all around us. Dragon Peter Jones (@dragonjones as he likes to tweet) recently wrote that "50% of the population want to start a Business but only 5.8% ever do". So, do we have a veritable army of future dragons in our midst, poised on the brink of unleashing their innate Business ability and smashing revenue targets like plates at a Hellenic wedding? Well the sobering reality of only 5.8% who actually get off their behind might quash this idea but even so it gives me a mildly warming sensation in the pit of my stomach. I don't get romantic about many things so this must be significant.

The great thing about the rising profile of Enterprise and personal endeavour means it stops becoming a black art or a dirty word. With the Government pushing through Startup Britain and sticking to their guns in times of stark financial uncertainty and high-profile Entrepreneurs like Peter Jones furthering their vision vicariously through schemes like the "Tenner Tycoon" (which I think is a great idea) the walls are being broken down.

So what could be the best possible outcome of all this cash and effort going towards getting us up and out of our pension-clad comfort zones? Well personally I feel that starting a Business in your own image is actually the most natural thing in the world. Every gripe of every employee, every frustration with an inefficient system, every cog that needs oiling, and every manager who bumbles through a day. These are all screaming invitations for dogged Entrepreneurship (or at the very least Intrapreneurship) in order to improve a situation which you as an individual can see is not optimal. The best outcome is therefore that next time someone in this country feels a pent-up frustration at their working environment, they take their issues by the scruff of the neck and have a stern word in the form of getting out and doing it a damn sight better on their own.

However, there is a downside to the rising profile of individual Enterprise. It is an alluringly vacuous topic in the wrong hands. Unfortunately the remaining 44.2% who never start their Business will spend that energy just talking about it instead. I am a little concerned that cash and credance sometimes goes to the hollow vessel of an ostensible Entrepreneur who makes the most noise. The more you sit around and talk about endeavour, the further you get from its true application, much like chasing a lilly across a pond with frantic splashing only pushing it further away. My mentor Mike Southon will tell you the same. Armed with nothing more than a beermat he has a great strategy for getting up and on with your Business without getting bogged down in unnecessary committees and hot air.

Another peril is the bizarre trend of attempting to quantify how Entrepreneurial an individual is. Last time I checked it wasn't a competition (that would be something you have once you actually start your Business..). As far as I am aware there is also no convenient and cast iron 'top trumps' scale for employers or peers to measure your spirit of endeavour, and until there is, I say follow your gut, make sure you take all the advice you can get, and then disregard most of it. That's what this game is really about.

Good luck to you.

Boy scout business

I often think of starting a Business like starting a fire. Not much need for two sharpened sticks but perhaps there is a lot to be learnt from our faithful outside-dwelling Ray Mears wannabees.

Any good woggle wearer will tell you that to start a fire is all about the preparation. Choose your campsite, gather your tinder and collect your starting twigs. Not much different from choosing a starting office (or bedroom) and gathering up some scraps of money and human resource at the start of a venture.

Next our boy scout will tell us to stack up the twigs into a little shelter and drop the tinder inside. Then time to spark up. Be it from old fashioned flint or from flashy gas powered lighter the spark of your idea needs to be carefully nestled into the shelter.

Regardless of fire lighting badges on your arm or businesses under your belt this is the point of baited breath which requires a good deal of blowing and even more hoping for the best. With any luck the spark takes light and the shelter will roar away nicely. (Alternatively it all goes wrong in which case it might be time to join the rest of society and get a patio heater)

Time for a bit more wood to keep the fire going. Tough choice here as any self-respecting woodsmans will tell you. Unless you have an army of scout subordinates scratching around for more firewood your capital for feeding the fire will be limited. Put on too much and you will be very hot, very fast, but are unlikely to be able to enjoy the marshmellow roasting potential for long. Too little and the fire will be over before it has begun with serial disappointment all round.

The hope is you get a cosy rising warmth from your little project which lasts you through the night. Just don't be too preoccupied staring into the flames otherwise chances are even the most stalwart guitar playing accomplice will make a break for a warmer or more interesting spot.

One thing even Mr Mear's himself will tell you is that eventually you will be left with a few glowing embers, at which point you will either be nursing a pleasant satiation with success, or something a little more chilly.