Overview of Success
"I was working hard in
a successful company with an excellent reputation but a lot of political
bureaucracy. Then they offered me ownership, and I asked myself, did
I really want to spend my time in meetings with owners bickering and
fighting over meaningless things that created no value for the customer?
I declined the offer and ventured out on my own. It was one of the
best decisions I ever made."
This story of a very successful
North Dakota entrepreneur, is being repeated in multiple ways across
the country. Fortune magazine, February 20,1995, reported that corporate
America, with its rigid way of doing things, it's distaste for new
ideas and stifling work environments, is at great risk due to the
inability to attract and retain talented people.
Michael Driver, a professor
of management at the University of Southern California, who has been
tracking graduates for decades says, "More energized, motivated people
are going elsewhere, and organizations are not going to make it unless
they stop the flow."
And exactly where are they
going? Many of them are joining the ranks of the self-employed entrepreneur.
More Than Discontent...
Disillusion with corporate
work environments is not the only reason for the entrepreneurial boom.
Easier to use and easier to afford technology is allowing individuals
and small groups to create products and run a business in ways which
were only possible at larger companies just a few years ago. Desire
for more flexibility and family time, a changing marketplace and greater
access to information and data, all contribute to the current increase
of entrepreneurs. In this series we have explored all of these reasons
and more for the current entrepreneurial boom. While opportunities
for new businesses continue to expand, the question still remains,
"What does it take to succeed?".
Next
Chapter...
