Entrepreneurship, as a word, is often falsely labelled. Placed high on a pedestal, it appears to be seemingly out of reach, unachievable and unattainable to the common man; other times it is used as a buzzword to lure naïve victims into Ponzi schemes.
Many think that entrepreneurship requires great privilege in the form of affluence, wealth and networks to materialise.
The CERI Entrepreneurial Mindset Bootcamp seeks to dismantle these false assumptions and provide participants with a deeper understanding of entrepreneurship, its universal application and the unlimited opportunities the entrepreneurial mindset can provide.
In the pursuit of this entrepreneurial mindset, a few Mannkal scholars and I recently attended the Bootcamp earlier last month.
To develop this mindset, we were forced to look introspectively and define our values, guiding principles and vision. A vision we drew out and shared with the cohort, taking the first steps of speaking it into existence.
Regular insights from both Charlie Bass and Anna Abelha, helped us to understand the importance of defining our “why” and how it was applicable in the context of the real world. The cohort of participants was incredibly diverse, from university and research level students to established small business owners – this allowed for rich and meaningful discussion.
The Bootcamp culminated in a shark-tank style event where groups of participants brainstormed, developed and then pitched business ideas. All groups were able to effectively use the knowledge and skills gained over the two days, as was evidenced by the quality of the pitches and the variety of topics, which ranged from financial literacy to attempting to solve the age-old problem of the lack of parking spaces.
All participants left with the understanding that regardless of race, gender or creed we had the choice to embrace the entrepreneurial mindset – to see problems not as hindrances, but rather as opportunities.
Sagar Badve
