Enterprise – a result of inspiration or desperation?!
January 20th, 2009 by Nadine Hill - The Dream PAToday whilst collecting my 6 year old daughter from school, I thought about this question and whether the most enterprising ideas come from a ‘Eureka’ moment or gritted teeth?
To fill you in, I’m up in beautiful Yorkshire – well it usually is beautiful but today it’s raining and snowing! This was the reason for my gritted teeth but it did give me an enterprising idea…
When the weather is like this the school car park gets water logged and I can guarantee that someone will end up with wet feet. The puddles are everywhere and it’s not much fun trying to navigate around them with a wonky buggy. My one year old son is in the buggy, fresh from his nap which I had to wake him from to come to school. I felt awful really, especially as his little body was so warm. I just wanted to climb onto the sofa with him, pop on a good DVD and break out the choccies but with my ‘mini me’ needing collection it just wasn’t an option!
Anyway we got to school, the boy in the buggy all wrapped up in a raincoat, hat, blanket and mittens that he kept pulling off and me in my biggest deer-stalker hat to keep the rain off my hair. (I don’t care if I look like I’m channelling John McCririck when it’s chucking it down. I just can’t have the damp making my blow dry frizzy!) and we braved the downpour to stand outside Class 4 in the cold with about 20 or so other poor sods who were pulling up their collars and wrapping their coats around them like duvets. But it made me think – why can’t the school have a drive through?
It’s not as crazy as it sounds. It would alleviate the car parking problem outside school and save the mums with younger kids from dragging their babies out of their warm car seats – happiness all round! Plus I could listen to Mamma Mia whilst I waited for my McChild to be delivered to the car door and we’d be on our way quicker!
It was a thought of desperation but still – I might see if the school has a suggestion box! Schools are run a lot more like businesses these days and our Head Teacher is very forward thinking so let’s see!
I think a lot of initiatives have come from a desperate situation. I remember reading about a lady called Mandy Haberman who invented the ‘Anywayup Cup’ after she saw a child running round a living room decorated with a cream carpet, dripping blackcurrant juice everywhere!
However I have to admit that when I started my business, this was pure inspiration. I’d spotted a gap in the market and quickly acted to fill it!
So what does everyone think – is enterprise a result of inspiration or desperation? I’d love to hear your thoughts (and of my drive through idea!)
Nadine:)
Nadine Hill runs a boutique Virtual Assistance business based in Yorkshire, serving small businesses across the world!
January 20th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Nadine, it can be a mix of both… it depends on what drives the person, or motivates them. I think often it’s desperation, but then I have times when an inspiration is a great catalyst, there it is the catalyst, figure out what it is for you and then go for it…
January 21st, 2009 at 12:55 pm
good point Steve!
Once you have a catalyst the solution becomes clear!
February 8th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Many people get pulled into entrepreneurial activity because they recognise an opportunity (inspiration or desperation), others are pushed through unemployment or redundancy. In the current economic climate I hope more people will take the risk to believe in their ideas and go for it!!
April 24th, 2009 at 9:53 am
Another driving force is the sobering thought of a lifetime working for someone else…