This column is all about encouraging entrepreneurship. There have been seven concepts discussed here. I would like to recap them; Risk, Enjoyment, Aspiration, Service, Outstanding, Navigation and Society. In a nutshell, the aspiring entrepreneur must be aware of the risks and be willing to risk, must enjoy the business so he can be passionate about it. He should aspire to be the best, and commit to rendering the service required to do so. He must perpetually look for ways for the business to stand out, to seek to become outstanding. He must have a plan, a goal and a destination. He must understand that the road is not straight but full of pitfalls and dangers, so he must have a navigation map. Lastly, he must ensure that the business is relevant to or is for the good of society.

If you place all the first letters of the concepts together, they form the word REASONS. The concepts of reasons is essential in order for an individual to understand the motivations needed to become an aspiring entrepreneur.

But how does one begin to be an aspiring entrepreneur?

All businesses are borne of an idea. Do not be afraid of ideas. The aspiring entrepreneur needs to develop and discuss ideas. Do not be afraid of discussion. Because the more you discuss it, the more the idea gets formed.

Steve Jobs of Apple is the rock star of the digital age. He has acquired a reputation of turning whatever he touches into gold. But it wasn’t always like that. He likes to tell the story of when he and his partner Steve Wozniak started out. They went to Atari, which was the hottest company then. They offered their ideas for their personal computer. They offered to give the idea for free in exchange for funding to develop it further. They also offered to work for Atari just to see the idea become a product. Atari said no.

They went to Hewlett-Packard with same idea. The manager basically told them in not so many words, to go back to school.

So don’t be afraid of the idea. Seek out intelligent feedback. Go outside your comfort zone.

The second most important thing is the attitude. One must have the right or winning attitude to make the business work. Victor Frankl said, “The last of our human freedoms is to choose our attitude in any given circumstance. “ The ordinary layman will get surprised to find out that attitude is the little thing that determines large outcomes for a lot of successful entrepreneurs.

For those that want to know more about attitude, we are inviting you to a One Step Up seminar entitled, “Winning Attitude for Success with Francis Kong.” Francis is an international speaker, trainer, consultant, broadcaster, columnist and entrepreneur. The seminar aims to equip the participant with winning attitude through practical and inspiring stories, anecdotes and exercises that he or she can apply in their lives. This will be on May 7,2008 at the Sinulog Grand Ballroom of the City Sports Club , Cebu. This is a start of a series of seminars designed to arm and equip aspiring entrepreneurs, professionals, or even students with the necessary foundation and tools to go one step up.

Henry Ford had a saying, “If you think you can, you can. If you think you can’t, your right.” So lets look for the idea and find the attitude so we can begin to create our entrepreneurship story. Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.
For comments, suggestions or stories that you want to share, email me at stirspecialist@gmail.com , or visit http://www.stirspecialist.blogspot.com/ .