Independence - Is it the key to being an Entrepreneur?

It’s common knowledge that both the environment we grow up in and the way that we are raised have strong effects on the person that we become and the path that we choose. But in a world where the job market is saturating, entrepreneurialism is on the rise and the pioneers are becoming younger and younger. It leaves some people asking; what is the secret ingredient in order to be an Entrepreneur?

Co-founder of the London School of Economics, George Bernard Shaw once said, “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself; therefore all the progress depends on the unreasonable man.” Shaw knew too well that everyone is born in an equal playing field with the ability to succeed, however some lack independence where others thrive and some choose to rebel where others conform. Therefore the independent who don’t want to conform to typical life, will be most likely to progress.

Many of us will remember having an adolescent rebellious streak as a child and parents come across it every day, usually seeing it as a negative sign they try to put a stop to it. What has not been present till recently however is research which suggests that male entrepreneurs, when compared to male non-entrepreneurs, go through a somewhat stronger rebellious and non-conformist phase in adolescence.

Study by the National Bureau of Economic Research

Research published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) in affiliation with the Haas School of Business and the London School of Economics has been looking into the traits, personality and activities that entrepreneurial figures have shown during teenage years. The study has managed to develop a relationship between a strong rebellious phase in adolescence and entrepreneurial success in later life. This suggests that rebellion can develop into independence and a willingness to take risks and opportunities in the right situation. They found that:

“The incorporated self-employed have a distinct combination of cognitive, non-cognitive, and family traits. …The combination of ‘smarts’ and ‘aggressive/illicit/risk-taking’ tendencies as a youth accounts for both entry into entrepreneurship and the comparative earnings of entrepreneurs.”

The risk taking activities which many entrepreneurs indulged in during their youth included skipping school, use of alcohol and marijuana, vandalism, shoplifting, drug dealing, robbery, assault, and gambling. The results showed that people who demonstrate both above-average aptitude and experience with illicit activities have an almost 60% greater probability of becoming self-employed and that entrepreneurs are also 44% more likely to have been stopped by the police.

They continued to conclude that “It is the high-ability person who tends to ‘break-the-rules’ who is especially likely to become a successful entrepreneur,” and that “misbehaviour is very strongly correlated with and responsible for creative thought”. The results relied on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, an on-going study which started in 1979 monitoring more than 12,000 people from a young age.

Is Independence the Secret Ingredient?

This study and others have provided a strong link, however this doesn’t necessarily mean you had to have been a rebellious child in order to be an entrepreneur; simply that have to develop your independence and exercise your decision making abilities. This rebellious stage is just an early sign that in the future they will try to be independent, as they are refusing to conform to the everyday rules, wanting to be completely in charge of their own life. If the independent, aggressive and risk taking tendencies are redirected in a positive direction, it can be precisely what’s needed in order to make a success out of a new business, profession or challenge of any sort.

Some entrepreneurs had a different experience from the norm however and didn’t need to lash out during adolescence in order to exercise their independent side; they were thrown in at the deep end. Sir Richard Branson, Entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin Group has always been independent and thanks his parents for giving him the push that he needed. “My mother was determined to make us independent. When I was four years old, she stopped the car a few miles from our house and made me find my own way home across the fields. I got hopelessly lost.”

Another well-known entrepreneur, Sir Alan Sugar, had a similar upbringing. Although he wasn’t left in a field and told to find his way home, he was very much given the chance to be independent at a young age.

Alan’s father was a thrifty man and used to make his son’s school uniform, which was quite hilarious to the other children. Lord Sugar did not approve of this so set out to pay for his own. By the time he was 13 he had a milk round, paper round, brewed homemade ginger beer for the neighbours, sold factory discards to the rag-and-bone man and did all of that whilst working shifts at the local Baker’s and Greengrocers. 53 years later and now he is worth an estimated £770million.

Arguably two of the best business men in the UK, Lord Sugar and Sir Branson have had one thing in common consistently from a young age, independence. Back in 2011 a study by Panasonic revealed that 90% of entrepreneurs questioned said that decision making freedom and the need to be independent was key to being an entrepreneur, but it isn’t gathered overnight, it takes time, effort and most importantly perseverance. 

What we can do to inspire the next generation?

Although taking a back seat at times is vital in order to inspire independence from others. However if you’re in a position of power and have the opportunity to influence others, you can do the following:

Don't be a buzz kill – The worst thing you can do to a person who has aspirations is put doubt in their mind. Although it may seem like an unreasonable ambition for you, “all the progress depends on the unreasonable man.” Someone who truly wants to follow their aspirations will come across enough obstacles on their own, don’t be another.

• Encourage them to follow their dreams – Everything and anything is possible. You should encourage those to think outside of what’s possible, because that’s progress.
• Encourage exercise and fitness – The same principles of keeping healthy and fit apply to being a success in life. You have to make good decisions on what’s best for you, put the effort in and keep going till you see good results. Getting exercise and participating in outdoor activities has also been proven to have positive effects on mental health, whilst team sports are thought to be great for a mental development.
• Push them to be problem solvers – There may be a time when someone comes to you and asks you to solve a problem, don’t solve it. Help them solve it, so that next time they can do it independently by themselves.