I think we need entrepreneurs now more than ever.This applies to Kenya and the world in general. I shall share my thoughts on this subject and my hope is that it will not only bring you profits but help make the world a better place.Keep in mind,we have to try and start living sustainably because time is running out.

We Do Not Inherit the Earth from Our Ancestors; We Borrow It from Our Children.

by

Amish Saying? Ralph Waldo Emerson? Native American Proverb? Chief Seattle? Moses Henry Cass? Dennis J. Hall? Helen Caldicott? Lester Brown? David R. Brower? Taghi Farvar? Anonymous?Who knows.

Lets get started.

Having covered what an entrepreneur does,lets discuss who an entrepreneur is. There are many templates by which we can use to describe one and even more practical examples we can utilize,but that's not how I will approach this.

To understand successful entrepreneurs we have to look at their environments. They all face an unpredictable future with a myriad of challenges stemming from the political arena,social,economical and so on.

Below are the five essential attributes that I believe all entrepreneurs have and utilize to conquer this daunting task called entrepreneurship.

1.Passion
Passion is one of the most important things in an entrepreneur and his/her passion should exceed the desire for monetary gratification. Everyone has a passion for something but successful entrepreneurs have learnt to leverage their passions to achieve success. It is their engine,burning hot and ever pushing them forward.The quest for you is to find out your passion.

2.Resilience
It's not about winning every battle you face.Its about facing the outcome(whatever it may be) and moving forward.Roll with the punches but take time to deal with situations your own way.As an entrepreneur you are not in control of a lot of things but you can learn to be in control of yourself.

3.Adaptive
Change is the only constant in the world!To believe otherwise is detrimental not only to your personal growth and but to your success.When you set out to achieve something always remember this.

As an entrepreneur you will face many a things that will challenge you and your venture.Take time to reflect and you will be surprised at how much you will learn about yourself.Understand your priorities,guiding principles and values.Then evaluate,refine and strengthen your goals towards what you want to achieve.Even if your venture doesn't succeed,you will still come out a better person!

4.Solution Oriented
The mind is a muscle.It becomes good at what you expose it to.The world is filled with problems and very few people want to solve them.Entrepreneurs don't see opportunities,they see solutions.When you focus on solutions you will soon discover opportunities aren't that far behind.Ask yourself this,are you busy seeing problems or pondering solutions?

5.Focus
If passion is the engine then focus is the steering wheel.Build upon your passion with an objective(even if your objective is to find an objective),be resilient when you encounter roadblocks,adapt to the terrain and keep your eyes open.You might be closer to destination than you think.

"A traveler in ancient Greece had lost his way and, seeking to find it, asked directions of a man by the roadside who turned out to be Socrates. "How can I reach Mt. Olympus?" asked the traveler. To this Socrates is said to have replied, "Just make every step you take go in that direction."

So you think you've got what it takes to be an entrepreneur and your wondering where to start? Well that depends on you and your situation. I will guide you on how to use a SWOT analysis to chart your way forward.This is a critical stage and the concepts herein will be a guide for you through all the stages of your venture.

SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. The aim is to identify you and your ventures strengths and weakness and the opportunities and threats that your environment presents.

The ideal situation is when you utilize your strengthens to take advantage of the opportunities present.You should also try use your strengths to subdue threats while also trying to work on your weaknesses. Strengths and weakness are internal factors(within your control) while opportunities and threats are external factors.

Starting with strengths and weaknesses can be misleading,so we will start with opportunities and threats. The reason for this is because you might not be really sure if what you have are really strengths/weaknesses till you have a grasp of the environment.

For this we shall use two time tested frameworks.One for the macro-environment(the bigger picture) and the other for micro-environment(the industry view).We shall use PESTEL analysis for the macro-environment and Porter's five forces for the micro-environment.

@Chessmaster
Which would be the way forward/easier? To delete the current mindset then paste a new one... or just paste the new one on top of the old?

The way we were/are educated influence who we are. Ours is a generation of zombies, whose dream is employment and a happily-ever-after! 'Thinking' here can be translated to finding the best method of implementing instructions. These I would call 'noise'. Maybe you should seek to get rid of this 'noise', before you endeavor to impart wisdom, otherwise it may be an exercise in futility.