jeffnuttalx: The spirit of a 21st century entrepreneur

In 1998 I apparently became an entrepreneur! I had an idea, found the resources and then set out to make a difference and build a company.

In 1998 I was a small business owner, not an entrepreneur. Several years later I became an entrepreneur.

Like many of you, building a business as an owner is done as much through passon and commitment to creating change and making a difference as it is through skills and ability. IN 1998 I didn't have the skills but I had the passion, drive, tenacity and a vision.

My vision was that the world could now be connected, in real-time, on demand, through personal choice. It was a new world where individuals could build personal brands and personal networks. A world where the 'good' rise to the top, not those who manipulate, lie, abuse, focus on monopolistic behaviour and greed.

A distributed world, where ideas are shared, innovation saves companies and behaviour changes because the connectivity of the world highlights those who are not good to be in business with and highlights the integrity, values and ethics of people. Through online search, we can see what is written and share about others and decide if that person suits our own values. What an amazing revolution in business to be part of.. and we are all part of it, together.

So, the spirit of a 21st century 'connected' entrepreneur must be a different. they must have different values and drivers, or do they?

Have you seen a change in the types of ways people are growing their businesses because of the connected world? Are you different. Would you have been an entrepreneur now if the Internat did not exist.

Did Sir Tim Berners-Lee actually give birth to a new form of business when he gave birth to the world wide web?

I suggest he did, yet, outside of the connected world, when I step into the offline world, the cold, 20th century offices of large organisations that are hierarchical, challenged by time, managed, controlled, task focused and greedy, I sense we have so so far to go.

We are now needing a leadership change, the technology is here, its presence is known, #tags are common place, FaceBook pages are everywhere, Agencies are making their squillions o campaigns, but does it make us trust brands, want to do business with large brands, do they step into the B2B world and enjoy engaging with the small guys.

I have never been prouder of being an entrepreneur as I am now, all around me, everyday on Ecademy I witness the spiri of 21st Century Entrepreneurialism, focused on sharing, collaborating, working together on shared visions. Ensuring that values are central to leadership and communication.

Last night as I watched the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics I saw the history of UK wealth and progress, my father was in awe of the world class show, sitting next to me and as the Industrial Revolution was depicted with the tall Mills coming out of the ground my dad turned to me and said 'the dark satanic mills", it made me shudder, I thought about how hard those days were for those who were not part of the shift, the loss of air, the loss of green fields. That was progress then. progress now is that we can return to being in control of our own lives, work for ourselves, share our success with others rather than control them, sit in our homes if we wish and work via the Internet, not be judged on how many staff we control or the size of our wealth. Wealth can be discreet and can be created to make a difference to many more than just ourselves.

I feel it is a good time to be an entrepreneur. When I meet people just entering the self employed world following redundancy, or young people, who cannot find jobs I say grab the opportunity to build your brand and your future, enjoy it, drive it and lets ensure the values you hold, knowing that being Open, Random and Supportive with others is actually more fundamental to business growth than many have yet discovered. Those people still in those 'dark satanic mills' of the 20th Century ways of business, when they wake up and see the air we are breathing, oh boy, their respect and desire to learn from all of us will be wonderful.

Do you feel like this? Am I talking sense or am I an idealist who senses more than the reality is proving... will this shift take a whole generation?

warm regards
Penny Power
Founder of Ecademy, Digital Youth Academy and Frontier Digital Coaching
Helping you build social capital in your business and life

Follow @pennypower

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