Member-only story

Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught?

Spoiler: 2/3’s of it can, 1/3 cannot.

Joel Cannon
6 min readApr 5, 2019
Photo by Franck V.

I am frequently asked this question, so let’s settle it.

More people today are looking for ways to take charge of their own work destiny. I believe that’s a good thing.

Because of this, many different types of programs have arisen to train aspiring entrepreneurs. Is that also a good thing?

Yes, if we take the time to understand what they can and cannot teach.

Defining an entrepreneur.

The label ‘entrepreneur’ was not always considered flattering. That has changed. In the past couple of decades, the badge of entrepreneur has become a sought-after credential. It’s a life goal, it’s a college major, it has its own magazine.

And the popular meaning of the word is pretty loose, so it gets applied to people with vastly different skills and experience.

But we all know a real entrepreneur when we meet one. They are few, often with little in common. Perhaps that is what makes us skeptical that entrepreneurship can be taught.

The dictionary definition of an entrepreneur is: ‘One who organizes, manages and assumes the risk for a business enterprise.’

--

--

Joel Cannon
Joel Cannon

Written by Joel Cannon

Business formation & development | Servant leadership | Energy tech | Curious nerd

Responses (5)