I recently ran into him again. Who? The young entrepreneur from back then, who was mad at me because I hadn't told him to keep the profit from his best year in the company. He was so happy back then, as he had the chance to serve a major client right at the beginning of his self-employment and – quite unusually for a beginner – had made a hefty profit from it. One could have thought it was beginner's luck and that money should have been handled carefully. The man had just gotten married, bought a little house and a nice car. Then he went on vacation with his chosen one. Why not!? We work to eventually afford something, that's just normal. When the happy man returned from vacation back then, his ship was already rocking. Weak orders, unpaid invoices, nasty letters from the bank... And then? Car gone, two out of five employees laid off, and as a result, he had to start knocking on doors. But the guy was tough and turned things around! Clearly! Now, years later, a man stood in front of me who looked at me with a more serious gaze. My advice back then had been: "Invest the money wisely"! And that's what the man did. He really had to make an effort. He had to rebuild his plumbing business. The bank trusted him, he had a marketing agency improve his online presence, and he kept going. This time, with much smaller steps. Entrepreneurs are not trained.
You can study business administration and have planned the organizational structure of your company in advance... and still not be a good entrepreneur. On the other hand, you can have a completely different education, no specialized training, and still be a successful entrepreneur. Is there a trick here? Yes, of course! Like everywhere success is sought. The trick lies in the calling! The entrepreneur type loves his idea, no – he is obsessed with it – and forgets everything around him. Impatience, willingness to take risks, determination radiate from his gaze. He often becomes uncomfortable for those around him, as more ideas sprout from the initial one, and he now has to guide these into the flow as well. Ah, friends are already complaining, where are the old topics of conversation? It's all about his company now... But don't worry, it doesn't last forever! The entrepreneur is also a human being. With time, he learns to handle responsibility and comes back to himself. Time passes, he continues to grow: professionally and socially. And with him, those who have participated and contributed also grow. His work is not only carried by his ideas, it bears the marks of all those who have participated in the joy of creating and building, even though they are not entrepreneurs. But now back to my friend, the young entrepreneur who is no longer a young entrepreneur. He has become a real entrepreneur because he learned from bitter mistakes. He has grown and has not stumbled. Mistakes, failures, and even disasters are part of our lives as entrepreneurs. And if we manage to maintain our initial feeling of enthusiasm despite everything, then we can say: "To be an entrepreneur. That is my calling!"
