“Give a person a fish, and you feed them for a day. Teach a person how to fish, and you feed them for a lifetime.”
One of the questions I keep asking is, what skills do we need to survive or thrive in our new world? It’s a world where you can’t count on a corporation for your job. It’s a world where change happens faster than ever before. It’s a world of global competition, where somebody, somewhere, with a lower cost of living can do your job for a fraction of the cost. What kind of skills do we need to adapt and respond? What skills do we need to teach our children?
There is a pattern and a way out. It’s entrepreneurship. If you look to the people that consistently bounce back, and if you look to the people that find a way out of poverty, and if you look to the people that get laid off, but then create a prosperous business, a common pattern is entrepreneurship.
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The Story of Paul in Kenya
Marshall and Todd write:
“But the epiphany occurs when I meet a fellow named Paul Mungai, who runs a cobbler shop. Paul, ironically, is crippled, but he knows how to make and fix shoes. And he knows how to run a business. He started with just $50.00 of see money and now has, by Kenyan standards, a sound business. He’s feeding his family, he’s paying his rent, his kids have uniforms to wear at school, and everyone in his care has enough to live on.”
I’ve heard similar stories like this before. People can turn their lives around, and sustain themselves, when they can find a way to make a living.
Entrepreneurship is the Path Out
Marshall and Todd write:
“We exchange a few words and share our mutual understanding: There is one and only one path out of poverty. The one and only path out of poverty is entrepreneurship and business success.”
Well put. Time and again, I’ve seen business create opportunity, growth, and new jobs.
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