Introduction
There is always a divide as to the question ^_ Are entrepreneurs Born or Made. However many response ae in support of the divide that Entrepreneurs are born, not made – that what leads someone to become a successful entrepreneur has more to do with their personality and innate qualities than anything learned through formal education.

Entrepreneurs Born
The biographies of several successful entrepreneurs ^_ as Richard Branson, Alan Sugar and Theo Paphitis, all of whom left school at 16 to make their own way in the world of business, add to the impression that entrepreneurs are born not made. The idea that certain entrepreneurial traits – such as being able to spot opportunities, think differently and take risks – may be inherent has even led to a whole new area of genetic research. Other stories to support the notion of entrepreneurs been born includes - Story of the Walmart, Jae Yong etc.


My View:
My view on this has largely been affected due to my Atheistic Believe that nothing is inherent/genetic; That we are products of who we work to be ^_ Everything we are, We struggle and Work for. However, recently i am beginning to drop this ideology, to the other side of the divide that entrepreneurs are born and not made.

Reason For Question:
In time past, i have always argued that if i am handed just N1 Million, i will invest and become rich to the likes of Dangote, Otedola, A. A Rano, Wale Tinubu, Bello Osaghie, Pascal Dozie, Mike Adenuga but to mention a few. Today, am in that spot (have the necessary resources) which i have always dreamt to be in other to rise to the height of Dangote etc. and have found out its not easy brainstorming or finding that right idea or been a successful entrepreneur.


All these got me thinking, are successful entrepreneurs born or made or lucky?

Note: i don't believe in luck. But couldn't help chipping this in

Cc:

Made! Entrepreneur are made. It involves enough of the right understanding among other factors. Most pple u mentioned up here started up by learning the ropes of a marketable occupation or by meeting a common need in an uncommon manner. There is also the case of bringing conventional product to relatively untapped market by an investor. Some involves technocrat who can shape and define the business' run operation and work for the Investors.
All of the above involves building the ability to manage the operation and risk of large scale of business - a skill that can be built gradually, meaning they are made.

No one is born to be anything. Your choices, experience, background and point of view(my personal favorite) aid in making you who you are supposed to be.

As regards successful entrepreneurs, you will have to agree that their stories aren't coherent. Take for instance, Mark Zuckerberg who has become a billionaire at such a young age as opposed to Ray Croc who became rich afer the age of 50. The only traits consistent with success are a never-say-die attitude, the willingness to try out new things, a clear set goal and most importantly, in my own opinion, the ability to focus entirely on finding a solution to a need amongst other things. Majority of the richest men, great inventors never worked towards becoming rich, even though they had a total disdain of poverty after experiencing it first hand, instead they were more concerned about solving problems.

Soichiro Honda made his break by inventing the motorcycle after the war in China(I don't know the particular war offhand) after observing that people needed a cheaper more efficient mode of transportation.

Even Mark Zuckerberg only wanted to create something his classmates could use to keep in touch and look at what that has turned into.

Key to becoming successful: Find a need and seek to solve it or find a niche and try to do things differently. Always learn and improve on yourself and always think outside of the box

No argument on what is clear.

100% made.

Destiny doesn't exist, you become what you want to be.



"I am the product of my yesterday." - Michael Nwanator

They are simply made!
It depends on the ability of one to find a solution to a problem and thinking of something new(outside the box).

Some people are naturally born an entrepreneur. That is, there is a gene of entrepreneurs flowing in them. They naturally possess the traits of entrepreneurship. Some of these people can either belong to a family where their fore fathers and immediate parents are entrepreneurs. So, they grow with entrepreneurship mind set. The success rates of this class of people is very high.
Entrepreneurs can also be made. The same way that no one is born a teacher, doctor or an accountant. People study to become who ever they like to become. Everybody is a product of what he/she takes in. So, in the same manner, people can learn entrepreneurship but unfortunately our school system has not allowed this to thrive.
Whether entrepreneurs are lucky, I will quote a saying from a man I respect so much. He said, "luck is when preparation meets an opportunity". Therefore, if anyone can prepare himself for an opportunity so that he can quickly make most of it when the opportunity comes, the person will be successful. But to an ordinary man, the person is just lucky. That is my contribution.
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I feel it's a combination. Entrepreneurs are both born and made. Some unlock that ability at a very young age. Others, at a later stage in their life. This is where hard work comes in. I believe that if you are adequately prepared for an opportunity, you'll turn out successful. I never wanted to be an entrepreneur as a young kid growing up, but recent events, stories and lots of reading have reshaped my thinking. Now I see opportunities in everything and everywhere I look. So I believe you've got to want it bad enough to get it. That said, there are people who are born with the ability and will always have the upper hand. After all, all fingers are not equal no matter how you look at it. There's basically no point in arguing that fact.

Boss Ymodulus, I hail you

entrepreneurs are not born, they are made. what made it seems so that entrepreneur are born is because most business men teach their children at a very tender age the rudiment of business. some of them are even recruited into the family business at a very tender age. when they grow up, all they see and think about is business. unlike the children of civil servants, they advice their children to work hard in school and get a good job with job security.
Both children think and see life differently. if u are from the second class of family, even when u have the money, making ur first transaction is like passing through the eyes of the needle.

But as Donald Trump will always say, making ur first 1 million is the hardest.

if not for the kind of job I got after School and the books I have read and still reading, nothing will have made me think of starting a business.

You have to make urself an entrepreneur.

[b]Entrepreneurs are born and made,if they are not born,then who gave birth to them?A woman conceive them and gave birth to them.Their growing up days,they decided to go into entrepreneurship,they made themselves to what they want to become while some of their peer group or school mate decide to become an employee,politician etc.So is a thing of choice and determination to be an entrepreneur.

THEY ARE BORN AND MADE.....[/b]

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Following....

Growing and managing a business professionally is impossible without the right people, and yet it is unarguable that most SMEs find it difficult to attract and retain these 'right' people?
Why is this? Well, our well-considered view (explained in detail in "Improving Human Resources" download here https://www.dropbox.com/s/mxnv5wbffbp0e2g/Improving-Human-Resources.pdf?dl=0) is that the answer is NOT primarily the usual complaints we hear from our SME clients e.g. "poor quality of graduates", "Nigerians are not hardworking enough",
Yes, there may be some truth in some of these but our research indicates that the core of the problem is that SMEs themselves do not follow a CONSISTENT RECRUITMENT PROCESS.

I think it's a mix of the two. Two entrepreneurs with the same training and resources don't succeed the same way. Some people are more inclined to spotting opportunities where someone with the same training sees nothing.

Shout out to all aspiring and developing entrepreneurs. We shall make it.

Nice thread

Bj5all:
entrepreneurs are not born, they are made. what made it seems so that entrepreneur are born is because most business men teach their children at a very tender age the rudiment of business. some of them are even recruited into the family business at a very tender age. when they grow up, all they see and think about is business. unlike the children of civil servants, they advice their children to work hard in school and get a good job with job security.
Both children think and see life differently. if u are from the second class of family, even when u have the money, making ur first transaction is like passing through the eyes of the needle.

But as Donald Trump will always say, making ur first 1 million is the hardest.

if not for the kind of job I got after School and the books I have read and still reading, nothing will have made me think of starting a business.

You have to make urself an entrepreneur.

Those books u read that changed ur thinking, were u forced to read them or drawn to read them cos u are subconciously (inherently) wired that way?

For me, just like good leaders, they are born and made. Then ability to see beyond ur eyes, work alone and sacrificed the present for the future etc is usually inate but will require training either by mentorship or by life's hard lessons. However, as with other human abilities, these traits can be learned.....

Opiosko:
Those books u read that changed ur thinking, were u forced to read them or drawn to read them cos u are subconciously (inherently) wired that way?

I grown up to see another world. I read those books to know how this new world of business is run.

Bj5all:


I grown up to see another world. I read those books to know how this new world of business is run.

Ok sir. But be reminded that there are people who does not care to know how the world biz is run, and will never read such books. There are also those that will read it and it will never change their thinking. We are often drawn to our subconcious inclinations. It's like the Bible said, that 'each man is tempted by the desires of his heart'.

I see most people are in favour of entrepreneurs been made than be born, some say they are the two while others are opposing.

Does this goes to say that, entrepreneurs been born or made or lucky, is a statement which answer cant be ascertained?

Sibrah:
Made! Entrepreneur are made. It involves enough of the right understanding among other factors. Most pple u mentioned up here started up by learning the ropes of a marketable occupation or by meeting a common need in an uncommon manner. [/b]There is also the case of bringing conventional product to relatively untapped market by an investor. Some involves technocrat who can shape and define the business' run operation and work for the Investors.
All of the above involves building the ability to manage the operation and risk of large scale of business - a skill that can be built gradually, meaning they are made.

I must confess i just fell in love with your reply. Especially the words in bold. However, i have a question, when an entrepreneur follows your outlined narration and such business fails, Dont you think he wasn't destined for it?

hahn:

Find a need and seek to solve it or find a niche and try to do things differently. Always learn and improve on yourself and always [b]think outside of the box

Do you think its that easy?
Now lets be little bit pessimistic, what if after working and solving, you still never succeeded?

barry40:
Some people are naturally born an entrepreneur. That is, there is a gene of entrepreneurs flowing in them. They naturally possess the traits of entrepreneurship. Some of these people can either belong to a family where their fore fathers and immediate parents are entrepreneurs. So, they grow with entrepreneurship mind set. The success rates of this class of people is very high.
Entrepreneurs can also be made. The same way that no one is born a teacher, doctor or an accountant. People study to become who ever they like to become. Everybody is a product of what he/she takes in. So, in the same manner, people can learn entrepreneurship but unfortunately our school system has not allowed this to thrive.
Whether entrepreneurs are lucky, I will quote a saying from a man I respect so much. He said, "luck is when preparation meets an opportunity". Therefore, if anyone can prepare himself for an opportunity so that he can quickly make most of it when the opportunity comes, the person will be successful. But to an ordinary man, the person is just lucky.

LOL!. So entrepreneurs can be made, lucky or born?

If i may ask is there a scientific proof to entrepreneurs been born? Or a link to an article with scientific proofs.

Opiosko:
For me, just like good leaders, they are born and made. Then ability to see beyond ur eyes, work alone and sacrificed the present for the future etc is usually inate but will require training either by mentorship or by life's hard lessons. However, as with other human abilities, these traits can be learned.....

I really do not agree that people are born genius or good readers, for the following reasons:

1. Nature: Even Savants who many belief are born genius, science has disagree and proved this sect of people to have one brain malfunction or the other.
2. Improvement: Also you know you can improve on been a good reader, but can you do this with entrepreneurship?
3. Risk: Its relatively easy to try improve on your reading even if you will not comprehend, however this is not the case for entrepreneurship as the risk is no small deal.

Adebayolove:
I think it's a mix of the two. Two entrepreneurs with the same training and resources don't succeed the same way. Some people are more inclined to spotting opportunities where someone with the same training sees nothing.

Shout out to all aspiring and developing entrepreneurs. We shall make it.

shout out to you too bro

Ymodulus:



Do you think its that easy?
Now lets be little bit pessimistic, what if after working and solving, you still never succeeded?

That's not possible. I believe that by doing the same things that successful people do OR by applying the basic principles of success its impossible not to succeed.

If you don't succeed then you're definitely doing something wrong

hahn:


That's not possible. I believe that by doing the same things that successful people do OR by applying the basic principles of success its impossible not to succeed.

If you don't succeed then you're definitely doing something wrong

nice one. Thanks learnt something.

Ymodulus:

nice one. Thanks learnt something.

Same here

a wonderful thread, learnt a lot

a wonderful thread, learnt a lot. Nice one @ OP

Entrepreneur are Made. I've been to a lot of convention and seminars and also met a lot of successful people. Most of them are there at the event with their children. So what do you expect to become those children when they grow up? "Not all of them will make it either" And listening to there stories , you will know they are not born as Entrepreneur, most people get sick and tired of what life is doing to them and right there , at a point in life they began to do extraordinary things. Most of them that look like they are born as Entrepreneur are not but only had an opportunity to grow with Entrepreneur mindset based on their parents personalities and exposure to life. You have to position yourself right in life to throughly experience success. So, Entrepreneur are made.

Before you can find yourself on the land of paradise,''Land that is filled with milk ,prosperity and honey'' you will have to first past through the jungle, dessert and encounter some wide animals,'' your experience, challenges, failure and breakdown''. Then by the time you get to the other side, you will be bold, have a thick skin and proud of yourself. One way all the other every Entrepreneur pass through all this, but the spirit is never to Quit.

Opiosko:
Those books u read that changed ur thinking, were u forced to read them or drawn to read them cos u are subconciously (inherently) wired that way?

I believe the environment u find urself coupled with the circumstances in which u are in will bring out the ruggedness in you. In other words, entrepreneurs are made. Take the Ibo's for instance, u see them learning a trade and then establishing their own businesses.

Pinocchioo:
a wonderful thread, learnt a lot. Nice one @ OP

Could you add me up for a healthy conversation? 7EE64D04

thnx

Personally, i don't think there's a clear-cut response to this question. Some entrepreneurs are made, some are born and there's got to be a balance of both worlds in some other entrepreneurs. And when we say an entrepreneur is born, we do not mean that he was born with an inscription on his forehead saying "this baby will become a successful entrepreneur". No! Rather, some persons are both with such gift that there'll consistently be a nagging desire in their heart to chase a path of creating solutions and perhaps profiting from these solutions, if they want. Modern capitalism has assured anyone who can solve a dire need of making wealth from his solution. While some insist on collecting this wealth, others, like Salk, give it out for free.

It's almost true that most entrepreneurs don't start out to make money. Instead, they want to provide solutions. Expectedly though, this solution makes them money.

So, no doubt, some people are born with that desperate desire to invent in order to satisfy the needs of their neighbors. In that respect at least it can be said that entrepreneurs are born.

Then, there's also something to be said for those who have successfully made themselves into entrepreneurs. Perhaps by accident, perhaps by sheer will. Somehow, they saw an opportunity and latched onto it on their way to becoming as successful as they are today.

Examples? I'd say McLaren, Edison, Tesla, Musk, Gates fall into a class of entrepreneurs who are born, for from very little they always demonstrated a desire to solve problems and provide solutions. This will eventually bring them the giant corporations they created.

Folks like Otedola, Dangote, Oprah, Trump, Akon look to me they saw opportunities and grabbed them becoming successfully eventually. Akon, for example, might be a great singer, but certainly didn't become successful from being one. There are a thousand more people around the world with great voices and awesome lyrics who haven't come across such opportunities as Akon had.

Ymodulus:


I really do not agree that people are born genius or good readers, for the following reasons:

1. Nature: Even Savants who many belief are born genius, science has disagree and proved this sect of people to have one brain malfunction or the other.
2. Improvement: Also you know you can improve on been a good reader, but can you do this with entrepreneurship?
3. Risk: Its relatively easy to try improve on your reading even if you will not comprehend, however this is not the case for entrepreneurship as the risk is no small deal.

Some people are really born geniuses. It's a scientific fact.

goofyone:
Personally, i don't think there's a clear-cut response to this question. Some entrepreneurs are made, some are born and there's got to be a balance of both worlds in some other entrepreneurs. And when we say an entrepreneur is born, we do not mean that he was born with an inscription on his forehead saying "this baby will become a successful entrepreneur". No! Rather, some persons are both with such gift that there'll consistently be a nagging desire in their heart to chase a path of creating solutions and perhaps profiting from these solutions, if they want. Modern capitalism has assured anyone who can solve a dire need of making wealth from his solution. While some insist on collecting this wealth, others, like Salk, give it out for free.

It's almost true that most entrepreneurs don't start out to make money. Instead, they want to provide solutions. Expectedly though, this solution makes them money.

So, no doubt, some people are born with that desperate desire to invent in order to satisfy the needs of their neighbors. In that respect at least it can be said that entrepreneurs are born.

Then, there's also something to be said for those who have successfully made themselves into entrepreneurs. Perhaps by accident, perhaps by sheer will. Somehow, they saw an opportunity and latched onto it on their way to becoming as successful as they are today.

Examples? I'd say McLaren, Edison, Tesla, Musk, Gates fall into a class of entrepreneurs who are born, for from very little they always demonstrated a desire to solve problems and provide solutions. This will eventually bring them the giant corporations they created.

Folks like Otedola, Dangote, Oprah, Trump, Akon look to me they saw opportunities and grabbed them becoming successfully eventually. Akon, for example, might be a great singer, but certainly didn't become successful from being one. There are a thousand more people around the world with great voices and awesome lyrics who haven't come across such opportunities as Akon had.

Dude you nailed it. No one can explain it better than this.