Entrepreneurial Success
Based on our discussion last lecture and some follow-on discussions that I have been having throughout the week, I have been thinking further on what makes an entrepreneurial enterprise sucsessful. One thing that I have been thinking about is the vision - not just what can be achieved immediately, but what the enterprise has potential to become. There was some talk along this line last week when we were discussing Bo Matthews and it brought to mind something from the Bornstein book. In researching Ashoka and Drayton’s methodology, Bornstein interviewed Peter Lenny, who worked for Drayton. Lenny told the story of a stonemason in Brazil who developed a way to convert low-class housing into a “reasonable neighborhood.” Although his idea was novel, he lacked the vision to grow it - as Lenny said, “He didn’t have the awareness of the potential of his own idea.” Ultimately, the stonemason was not selected by Ashoka as a fellow.
The truly great ideas have scalability - they don’t just address an immediate need, but have potential to change mindset.
