Can entrepreneurship be taught?
- Sep 27, 2011
Can entrepreneurship be taught? Can an aspiring business leader learn to choose the right plan, take the right risks, select the right team and then navigate all the turbulence that follows?
In my experience, success as an entrepreneur depends upon a fairly unusual combination of personality traits and instinctive skills, most of which can only be honed on the job. Formal coursework is not enough. Most novice entrepreneurs need the kind of guidance only a trusted mentor can provide.
Through our foundation Virgin Unite and with the sponsorship of Virgin businesses and local companies, our team has set up two Branson Centres of Entrepreneurship, non-profit organisations where entrepreneurs, mentors, community members and investors can gather to discuss projects, learn practical skills and spread the word about their ideas.
In a recent New York Times Syndicate blog I named six things you should keep in mind when acting as a mentor, from telling it straight to making the introductions.
Go to BusinessDay to read the whole post on an enterprising education.
