Dear Motivational Speakers, Not Everyone Can Be An Entrepreneur

There is a popular call for people to enter entrepreneurship—a call which many people see to be in the right direction, especially in our part of the world where there is a higher level of unemployment. Entrepreneurship goes beyond entering a venture or having the means to start up something.

Entrepreneurs identify challenges in society and work towards providing solutions. Entrepreneurs are basically problem solvers. Successful entrepreneurs in the world like Bill Gates, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Dangote, Osei Kwame Despite, and a host of others all saw challenges and decided to work towards providing solutions.

Let us take Osei Kwame Despite as a classic example. When Despite realized Ghanaians in Europe and America were struggling to get their favorite dishes, he developed the idea to produce neat fufu, neat kokonte, neat hausa koko, and a host of others.

To enter entrepreneurship, one should be moved by a certain drive to want to impact society or solve a problem. If the desire is to make instant money instead of solving a problem, then trust me, entrepreneurship is not your thing. The advocacy for people to enter entrepreneurship or start their own business won't work with everyone.

Most people have failed at entrepreneurship because they did not have the strength to take risks. It is worth noting that entrepreneurs are big-time risk takers, and not everyone has the heart to take risks.

Motivational speakers have in recent times made efforts to inspire people who seek "side gigs" or are totally unemployed to venture into entrepreneurship—an area which most of them feel is suitable for the unemployed and those who seek extra income. But here is the catch: entrepreneurship is not for everyone. If we should all become CEOs and owners, who will be our customers?

Most people who tried a start-up failed, not because they are not good, but as suggested earlier, entrepreneurship is not cut out for everyone.

Instead of motivational speakers focusing their attention on people starting up their own businesses, they can help people to identify and grow their skills. Again, people can be encouraged to improve themselves academically or learn new skills. The more we learn, the more knowledge we acquire, and the better we become.

I have read stories about people who resigned from their work as top managers to start farming, buying, and selling but failed woefully. Yes, there are countless people who also resigned from their work to venture into entrepreneurship but have succeeded and are making gains. Before anyone enters entrepreneurship, he or she should assess himself or herself well and should not rely strictly on what motivational speakers say.

Motivational speakers exist to inspire us to take steps we wouldn't have ordinarily taken, and they obviously mean well for everyone. But the campaign to use entrepreneurship as a substitute for unemployment or another source of income generation is clearly in bad faith and should be avoided.

The author, Alpha Osei Amoako is a social commentator and an educationist with a special interest in educational leadership.

Email: kwamealpha@gmail.com

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