Letting entrepreneurial spirit thrive

What really drives us? Whenever we seek to pursue something, we, as human beings, automatically calculate the reward that comes along with it. As a matter of fact, our attention tends to pour into the shiniest cup on the table arranged in an array that sends you the smoky invitation to have a sip of its finest flavoured coffee. And when you are done with all the imagination where you have wandered a thousand times already, you are stuck with the reality. You are scratching your head with your fingernail and wondering how to reach there where you have already travelled back and forth numerous times; only in your imagination.
Let me tell you a story. There was a time when a bunch of students would talk about ideas strolling around or sitting on their garage. They would dream big. They would put their faith on their ideas, the idea to change the world as it was. Back then nobody but them would think of the changes they have brought in the world already. What really drove them? They did not even have any idea where their business would stand after several years of operation. A bunch of engineers or mechanics would work on their machines focusing on the parts they could maneuver a little bit. They would sketch their machines, bring out various designs, and dream on innovation. They had a simple idea, a generous belief, and massive entrepreneurial spirit that drove them towards making the finest flavored coffee; not just taking a sip.
If you are not following, I am talking about Silicon Valley revolution which gave birth to many high tech giants like apple, Google, Adobe systems, and many more. What really excites Larry Page, the cofounder of Google to get up in the morning is the idea that he is doing an important thing by changing the world every minute. It never was the billion dollar valuation of a company that excited the founders of high tech companies. How could it be? They did not even predict the billion dollar valuation before they started their operation.
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, the cofounders of Apple, started changing the idea of how people used to use machines. A machine called Blue Box created by Steve Wozniak and marketed by Steve Jobs (only for a short time) which was used to make long distance calls through a simple manipulation of telephone operator's dialing console was a clear revelation of their idea or thought. These stories provide us with one simple lesson: entrepreneurial spirit does not just show out of the blue, it gives birth to itself. Platform, entrepreneurial environment, nourishment of entrepreneurs, space and accommodation for implementation can create their own combination in flourishing the entrepreneurial spirit.
As a young student of any university you may have seen advertisements, banners, posters of celebrated business competitions offering lucrative prizes to the winners. There is a simple idea behind all these. The business competitions want your ideas to flourish in the real world. Recently in Bangladesh, it has been observed that many startup businesses have come up with their products and they are working on their product development, research, innovation. Startups are growing rapidly and these are the signs of entrepreneurial spirit Bangladesh is thriving on. As a growing economy Bangladesh must rely on the small businesses that are adding value. As the Silicon Valley story goes, Bangladesh seems to flourish with same ideologies. Let the entrepreneurial spirit thrive and let us have a sip of our own flavoured coffee.
The writer is a third year BBA student at Faculty of Business Studies (FBS), University of Dhaka,
nazmussakib88@gmail.com