It surely is an art you learn with time and the most crucial role is played by FAITH N PATIENCE…Again something I truly believe in…Like Sai says: shradha( not ur wife) or Saburi…

I wish you all the best in all your new ventures…!!!

TC, Keep smiling, keep creating jobs as we survive because you create them…lol

Actually – there are a few educational institutions – not in India though – that have led to successful startups.

One noteworthy college is: Babson college in USA. They have a course for entrepreneurship. They help students set up for-profit ventures: planning, launching, managing and liquidating – students have to do it all. The profits are given to a non-profit agency in the locality.

The IIT business plan competitions held once a year in India are also good. They help guide a lot of students. But its not as comprehensive as the Babson college course.

Thank you for contributing your thoughts.

Though I agree that several capabilities (or hats) that an entrepreneur need to wear can be taught, but they are not all you need to “have” to be an entrepreneur. These skills are required in managers as well. By having a good understanding of these subjects can make someone a top-tier manager, but not necessarily a top-class entrepreneur.

However, in my opinion, it is very difficult to teach someone to take financial and career risk based on their knowledge of the above mentioned subject. There will remain issues such as teaching someone to lead, dream, innovate, rought-it-out and fight back. You can surely inspire someone to do so and if he does so, it will be entirely due to a change in his perspective and attitude which is a by-product of the “state of mind” that I tried to explain in my post.

I might be wrong. But I think time will have the last say. If we start seeing new successful companies coming from entrepreneurs coming our of institutes which claim to teach entrepreneurship, I will be very happy – even if I have lost the debate.

Abhishek

The hats an entrepreneur has to wear: management / marketing / finance / innovation / production / supply chain and distribution. All of these topics can be taught.

The x factor is: the ability of a person to think and calculate and take risks. There aren’t many people who like taking risks even if the payoffs may be better than what they currently enjoy. But you can train someone to move out of their comfort zones and take more risks too (improv acting classes and public speaking classes achieve that – but towards another goal.)

To take your objection:

>Can you teach someone to lead, dream, continuously innovate, rough-it-out and fight back.

* Leadership can be taught. It stems from expectations.
* Dreaming is teachable. Its improving ones imagination. The best way to teach about dreaming is by teaching history (yes its true. Glorify the past and people will want to make their futures better. Thats how a small island of Britain conquered the world – when their king read the tale of King Arthur).
* Innovation can be taught. In fact, there are systems like TRIZ that lets you innovate at your will.
* Rough-it-out and fight back are both personality characteristics. And imho can be taught too. Just like you can motivate someone to keep on playing a game that he sucks at – until he becomes better.

So in short – entrepreneurship is teachable imo. But some people will be better at it than others.