Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu: "Even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
Being an entrepreneur means that, alongside the planning, practical actions must be taken to carry out the venture. Therefore, entrepreneurs are proactive people.
Proactive education can also be imparted to children; they need to understand that to achieve something, they must take action.
The entrepreneur
There are concerns before the implementation of almost any idea, but despite the concern, the entrepreneur begins to act.
Many people refrain from advancing and implementing their ideas. These inhibitions can occur for many reasons, such as low self-esteem, self-doubt, fear of failure, or a critical environment.
However, entrepreneurs must start executing. As long as they are just thinking, planning, and talking about their idea, they are not entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship expressed in action.
Anyone who is reluctant to take action yet wants to get practical is advised to follow the Japanese method known as Kaizen. This method is defined in Robert Maurer's book as a "one small step to a big change." This method is designed to achieve greater sustained success through small and consistent steps.
Starting with small steps encourages action, is less intimidating, and still takes us forward. Large organizations also study and apply the Kaizen method when implementing changes within the organization. It is similar to a situation where we are served food we have never tasted; our first thought is, 'Is it tasty?' Maybe not? And maybe yes? First, we taste it a little, and if it's delicious, we will keep eating. On the other hand, there is a possibility we won't even try to taste.
It's just like that in action taking: There is some concern, but if we start with a small step, we may experience success and move forward. If not, we may stop or explore alternative options. However, there will also be those who stagnate, so they will have no chance of experiencing success.
Example:
The well-known and successful band, The Beatles, began performing in a small nightclub in Germany. That success encouraged them to play in more clubs, and so gradually, with constant improvement, the band eventually reached its universally recognized status.
The entrepreneur
Almost all entrepreneurs experience difficulties at the beginning, but only those who persevere despite the challenges reach success. Those who raise their hands as a sign of surrender will never reach their goal.
The first actions are a lever to move forward. Like riding a bike, it's hard at first, especially without training wheels. It's easy to give up at this stage, but it is possible, despite the difficulties and the falls, to continue until you know how to ride. The same principle applies in various fields, including playing musical instruments, sports, and business.
When we see others who know how to ride a bike, play, etc., it seems to us that success comes to them easily, but they have trained and had difficulty at first, as they say, "No one was born knowing."
The Israeli song "All Beginnings Are Tough" by Eitan Masuri effectively explains this matter. Here's the chorus:
"All beginnings are tough, but later it gets better
All beginnings are tough
You should never, ever give up!"
Those who still flinch can set a goal for themselves and, every day, do at least one single act that will take them closer to that goal, such as setting up an appointment, making a phone call, sending an email, talking to someone, or writing an article. These actions drive us from the conceptual stage to the implementation stage and, finally, to actualization.
At a time when many changes are occurring, both business owners and employees need to be proactive and, occasionally, reinvent themselves.
There are entire industries that are subject to significant transformations, making businesses irrelevant unless they adjust to the changes and the changing environment. This adaptation requires an understanding of reality, the ability to plan, do, and take real action.
For example, the Best Buy chain store in the USA, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, has managed to become more efficient and adapt itself to a constantly evolving and competitive retail market.
The retail industry is one example of the need for business owners to leverage the technological efficiency and scale that characterize companies like Amazon.
Businesses that fail to evolve and adapt to technological progress, changing customer needs and preferences, and competition will ultimately disappear.
This is also true for people in any profession. If we do not work on developing a competitive advantage for ourselves and do not adapt to changes in demand for skills, we will become irrelevant. Therefore, each of us, whether an entrepreneur or an employee, must be practical, understand the environment in which we operate, and evolve accordingly.
Entrepreneurial skills are required today for almost every professional.
Acquiring a profession alone is not enough today to succeed. We all have to be active in building our personal and professional reputation, attracting clients, and making the market resort to our authoritative services.
This is one of the challenges of the academic education system. A degree alone is no longer sufficient for a graduate to successfully integrate into the job market, whether as an entrepreneur or an employee.
There are educational institutions that have learned to combine entrepreneurship studies with academic and/or professional education. For example, those who have studied acting know that, at least in the beginning, they must be proactive in contacting producers, agents, and industry professionals. Besides, sometimes they need to press on them on purpose to be in their mind and get roles since the market supply is excellent, and that's why you have to stand out above everyone else.
As an Israeli actress said, "In the fourth year, we were taught to initiate. Once a week, we made phone calls, invited people from the industry to shows - we pushed ourselves."
