Become an entrepreneur

“Entrepreneurship is not just about making money… Think of an entrepreneur as someone who hungers to see transformation, and goes out to do something about it in an innovative and sustainable way…” – Strive Masiyiwa   The concept of who an entrepreneur is, most often than not, referred to a person who owns a business. […]

“Entrepreneurship is not just about making money… Think of an entrepreneur as someone who hungers to see transformation, and goes out to do something about it in an innovative and sustainable way…” – Strive Masiyiwa

 

The concept of who an entrepreneur is, most often than not, referred to a person who owns a business. To most Nigerians, a person must have resources and establish a business/company, be the chief executive officer, the boss, the one running the show, and all that to be an entrepreneur. While this is true to a particular perspective of the concept, it is not the only meaning of being an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurship when looked at in another perspective can be the attitude to work, meaning; a person can be an employee of another and still act as an entrepreneur, running the affairs of the business on a daily basis as if he/she owns the business. In the words of businessdictionary.com, an entrepreneur is “someone who exercises initiative by organizing a venture to take benefit of an opportunity and, as the decision maker, decides what, how, and how much of a good or service will be produced”.

An entrepreneur under the employ of another is one who goes to work daily looking for creative ways to grow the business, like it is his/her own, while an employee who is only concerned with the monthly income and nothing more, is a staff with nothing more. Which begs the question, of what benefit is it to an employee to handle the affairs of a law firm as his personal business? In addition, how does a legal professional act as an entrepreneur to a boss or principal partner that does not encourage such efforts?

Firstly, an employee who acts as an entrepreneur has already begun to learn the ropes of being a boss. He/she will understand and make better decisions about the business, than an employee who pays no attention to the growth of the firm. In the future, when an entrepreneur is no longer under the employ of another and decides to establish his/her own firm, such person would be better prepared for the challenges than the ordinary staff whose only interest is the monthly salary.

If one can contribute to the success of another man’s business, imagine what he/she would do when running his/her own personal business.

To answer the second question, this writer will borrow the words of Strive Masiyiwa in his article titled ‘It’s time you become an entrepreneur’, if your boss or principal partner in the case of a law firm, does not encourage employees coming up with ideas or express his/herself as an entrepreneur, that is the opportunity to start thinking about how to change that. Begin to act as an entrepreneur, and work towards changing that situation to fit your purpose in the legal profession.

Every individual has his/her own peculiar challenges that require different approaches. As such, each legal practitioner has different entrepreneurial decisions to make things better.

In reference to the legal profession, a legal practitioner ought to go to work daily with the mindset of an entrepreneur. Take the job as your own, arrange appointments and cases in your diary according to your productivity level, do research on cases as you would do yours; arrange your time and schedule in a manner that will provide optimal result. The idea is to work like a boss while under the employ of another. To be a good leader in the future, one must be a good follower today, and the best way to follow, is to be a team player that can be depended upon for result.

Acting as an entrepreneur does not only benefit the legal practitioner, but also the law firm in general. A law firm that pays attention to the efforts of its staff cannot overlook a resourceful legal professional; he/she would be better placed in affairs of the law firm than the casual worker who just warms his/her office desk from 8am – 5pm.

In sum, for improved personal development, and a better, independent future in the legal profession, a legal professional ought to be an entrepreneur in approach and attitude to work.

 

Godspeed!

Do send your comment(s), observation(s) and recommendation(s) to [email protected] or like us on www.facebook.com/theadvocatewithdanielbulusson