Call of the Entrepreneur
Posted on March 17, 2008 - Filed Under Business |
It is still a mystery to me why I was watching PBS the other night. I just was. This show “Call of the Entrepreneur” came on.
If it can’t be ascertained from the title, “The Call of the Entrepreneur” follows three very different entrepreneurs through their stories, their beliefs. To me, the persons belief system is important in adding a three dimensional quality not only to the individual but also to their accomplishment. This is the main reason why biographies such as “Henry Ford” are more interesting than “The History of the Ford Company”. It’s the person, their belief system, their paradigm which is fascinating.
Three points from this hour-long special:
• Dairy farmer losing money on his farm. He decides he needs a new product, readily available. The only thing he seems to have in mass quantities is cow poop. Three years later, he is projected to make $1.5M selling this cow poop.
• Merchant banker who taught me the phrase “Financial Engineering”: the concept of multiple people, pooling resources to make multiple loans. History of this concept via “Lloyds of London” which helped develop the New World.
• How a chocolate candy bar motivated a 12 year old boy to escape communist China to Hong Kong and become one of it’s largest media magnates. His story, which is very touching, makes him cry a lot.
Listening to these stories, one realizes these people are filled and overflowing with one quality which escapes many to this day: heart. Their unshakable belief that what they are doing is correct, is for the greater good. They listen not only to their instincts but also to the market into which they are entering.
An interesting spin is the number of commentators who were of the cloth. No, not loin-cloth as in Tarzan but rather religious figures. Pastors, reverends, Fathers of various faiths. When first seeing the “Reverend” appear, my first impulse was “Oh no. Here comes the religious bashing of capitalism”. But to my surprise, it was anything but that. At any moment, I expected him to say “And the 11th commandment: Thou Shalt be an Entrepreneur”. Granted a few ministers railed against capitalists being greedy, eroding moral centers, and throwing small kittens under lawn-mowers. But in the end, the argument for entrepreneurialship was loud and clear.
If provided the opportunity, my recommendation is to watch this show. It’s worth it. Definitely positive and uplifting. Unless you don’t like that kind of stuff.
The Call of the Entrepreneur
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