What does it actually mean to be an entrepreneur?
When we think of an entrepreneur, a lot of us would immediately think of someone who starts a business and is willing to risk loss to make money. This definition, albeit apt, doesn’t portray the characteristics, the essence, the passion, of what it actually means to be an entrepreneur.
Our guest Brook McCarthy from Hustle and Heart, thinks that there is more to it than starting a business, growing the business quickly and making money.
“Entrepreneurship is a collection of different skills. Skills that apply to, or that can apply to anyone and that are fantastic life skills in and of themselves. They include resilience, resourcefulness, creativity, communication, persuasion, being able to spot an opportunity, energy and energy management.”
Brook McCarthy is a business coach and marketing trainer, as well as a speaker and facilitator. With 10 years’ experience in coaching, 14 years in business and 17 years’ experience in communications, Brook loves to equip and empower people to say something worth listening to, and do something worth talking about.
Brook’s idea of entrepreneurship, the collection of skills that she helps to teach and cultivate in her career, can transcend business ownership. People can embody the entrepreneurial spirit, and possess and learn these skills without owning a business.
The traditional view is one that is steeped in affluent, western privilege. Brook’s view, however, has been guided by a somewhat unorthodox history. When Brook was in her early 20s, she was a tour guide in South-East Asia through countries like Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
She tells the story of her guiding her group of 12 tourists through these countries and witnessing first-hand these skills of entrepreneurship in the local street vendors. One particular local saw the tour group approaching, identified Brook as the leader and beckoned them into his small establishment. The food was excellent, the service was personalised and the experience left Brook thinking, ‘Maybe I’ll take my next tour group here.’
For the local vendor, getting the patronage of the tour group wasn’t a matter of making money for the sake of money. It was making money to survive.
To hear the full conversation with Brook McCarthy, listen to this episode of It’s Never About Money.
FIND OUT MORE:
- About Brook: https://brookmccarthy.com/
- Connect with Brook: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brookmccarthy/
- About the Hustle & Heart Masterclass: https://www.hustleandheart.com.au/masterclass/
