Revital Handler
The next generation of entrepreneurship will be extremely different from what we are familiar with today. The prevailing assumption today is that being an entrepreneur is a ‘profession’ – just like being a cook, a teacher, a driver, a doctor, or a programmer. Seemingly a domain that you need to study and needs to be chosen from the endless list of professions. In a few years, entrepreneurship will be established as a mindset, a consciousness, a language, and it will become a language we all must be familiar with – no matter what our profession is.
Entrepreneurial Mindset for all
The term “Startup” became synonymous with Entrepreneurship. We tend to think that it's all about technology and about unicorn businesses that 5% of us will build and the rest of us will read about them in economic newspapers. But in today’s life, technology is emerging in all markets and soon it will be clear that ‘change’ is the most constant thing in today’s reality for all of us.
The world has changed
Repetitive actions that have been carefully studied and even with honors will no longer be enough to make a decent living. Any repetitive action will be replaced with technology. Are you a gifted math teacher today? Tomorrow there will be a company that will take you and 10 other gifted teachers' recipes and compile them into a complex video-rich media virtual reality teaching software, with threedimensional
moving diagrams. All the technology already exists and it’s only a matter of time before a team of entrepreneurs will come together to launch this startup.
So now the question will be if you, as this gifted math teacher, will know how to jump up to the next level? Are you able to see the change in the world, accept it and find the passion to make the next necessary change? This empathic view of needs and problems is something that technology can't bring. You will need to learn how to connect with the right team, research needs, think creatively of solutions, test them, harness resources and people to help you, make tough decisions, and learn how to market and sell your idea to the right audience. These are the skills, attitudes and knowledge you and your children will need for tomorrow’s world.
The most significant barrier?
Some of the researchers agree that the most significant barrier to entrepreneurial mindset growth is based upon psychological or motivational factors. If there is not a strong commitment by the entrepreneur, then it is unlikely to happen of its own accord. This is exactly why the OECD recommends teaching entrepreneurial mindset from preschool through High-school and work-life education - Practice makes perfect. Entrepreneurial mindset provides benefits in terms of social and economic growth, but it also offers benefits in terms of individual fulfillment and it has the potential of breaking through the barriers of class, age, gender, sexual orientation, and race.
"Entrepreneurship education is essential for any country that wants to survive in a world whose natural resources are rapidly evolving." Professor Dan Shechtman, Winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Were we all born entrepreneurs?
Many of you now think "...but I am not an entrepreneur...", or "not everyone should be an entrepreneur" - this is a misconception. In fact, we were all born entrepreneurs, otherwise, we would not even walk... Take any baby that wants to get to a toy. He must persevere and practice for a long time, try endless creative ways, continue to be stubborn even when he falls - and eventually, all the babies will get to the toy. Make no mistake - this is an entrepreneurial mindset that simply needs to continue to flourish.
So how do you grow an entrepreneurial mindset?
Let’s start with how you don’t: entrepreneurship has become an overused buzzword that many organizations often throw to the air to feel innovative: Hackathons, inspiring entrepreneurs ‘on the bar’,entrepreneurship centers, mentors, demo days etc - it’s everywhere! All these efforts will rarely establish an entrepreneurial mindset you’ll be able to thrive from.
Entrepreneurial mindset - A game all must win
The “must-have” elements to a proper learning of entrepreneurial mindset are learning by doing, with a step-by-step methodology that won't be overwhelming, alongside a fun and easy-going attitude and the feeling of a real impact on your community while launching your real venture.
Personally, it became my goal to support first-time entrepreneurs with their personal journies, one which is filled with potential mistakes, fears, and doubts. It is our mission as industry experts to help building an instructive way to teach entrepreneurial mindset for all, so we could all enjoy and succeed in the uncertainty of the new world we’re up against.
Revital Hendler is a serial tech entrepreneur. In 2005 she founded AllJobs, a disruptive startup for job-searches that became the leading job portal in Israel, and was aquired by for $18 million worth. In 2013, she cofounded BreezoMeter.com, a leading provider of health-focused environmental intelligence with clients like Apple, Volvo and others. The United Nations named Breezometer one of six high-tech companies changing the world for the better. In 2015 she was chosen to be one of the most influential women in Israel by Globes. In 2020 she founded GameChangerZ.org, SaaS gaming solution for entrepreneurial mindset education.