From the Editor's Desk

The Age of the Entrepreneur

By Peter Mitchell

“Nobody talks of entrepreneurship as survival, but that's exactly what it is and what nurtures creative thinking.”

Anita Roddick, Founder, The Body Shop

The rise of the corporate emperors in the latter half of the 20th Century shaped our reality with our unquestioning faith in the myths that surrounded them. Like London beckoning to Dick Whittington with its promise of fame and fortune, we were led to believe the path to success and stability is paved with gold. Work hard –for us- and we will reward you. Think positive –for the company’s sake- and all will be well. Join the corporate ‘family’ and you will be looked after until the end of your days. We happily wore the rose-coloured glasses they supplied and blindly followed these Pied Pipers down the yellow brick road.

Then the 21st Century came along and revealed the man behind the curtain. To our horror the economic crisis made us realize that the emperors were wearing no clothes, and the truth behind their fairy tales proved grim as they showed their true colours in their self-preservation; casting employees, investors and stock-holders aside as fodder for the wolves. The gloves and glasses came off as the global economy descended into nightmare.

But no matter how much they make us toss and turn in the hours of darkness, nightmares always come to an end. The sun always rises, and the fears that once seemed so overwhelming gradually fade away like wisps in the morning mist. Our businesses, our region, our country and our world are now truly at the cusp of a new day. We are at the dawning of the Era of the Entrepreneur –and it’s a glorious day.

The true entrepreneur knows the path to prosperity is rocky, overgrown and fraught with fear,. There is no knight in shining armour charging in to save the day. You must pick up the sword yourself and slay the dragons that threaten to slay you. To achieve happily ever after you must fight for it; you must work for it; you must forge your own path. And the tools to navigate that journey come from within.

Necessity, long lauded as the mother of invention is proving to be the father of the entrepreneur as well. Unleashed from the shackles of the corporate emperors –the bureaucracy, the office politics, the back-stabbing and egos– today’s entrepreneur is free to be a trail-blazer; to apply the innovation, creativity and ‘outside the box’ thinking that had been locked away for far too long. The Era of the Entrepreneur is an age of adventure, and the rewards are there for the taking. It’s no longer just about dreams of success; it’s a matter of survival.

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Business Niagara is published by Niagara Magazine Group