Understanding Entrepreneurship Basics
Understanding Entrepreneurship Basics
• The word “entrepreneur” is derived from the French verb enterprendre, which
means ‘to undertake’.
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• Entrepreneurship is a process of actions of an entrepreneur who is a person
always in search of something new and exploits such ideas into gainful
opportunities by accepting the risk and uncertainty with the enterprise.
• The innovation, creativity and risk bearing are an integral part of being an
entrepreneur. It involves the ability to create and conceptualize something new,
which can consist of anything from a new product to a new distribution system
to method for developing a new organizational structure.
The term entrepreneur, in French, if literally translated, means “go-between” and has
been used since the 12th Century. An earliest example of an entrepreneur as go-
between is Marco Polo, who attempted to establish trade routes to Far East. As a go –
between, Marco Polo would sign a common contract with a capital provider
(capitalist) to sell his goods, which provided loan to the merchant–adventurer at a high
interest rate, including insurance. The capitalist, being the passive risk bearer, and the
merchant, bearing the physical and emotional risk used to trade the goods. After the
merchant completely sold off the good, the profits were divided between both with
capitalist taking around 70-75 percent, while the merchant- adventurer getting the
remaining 25-30 percent. In the Middle ages, the feudal system dominating in
Europe hampered the development of and entrepreneurship. Feudalism was a
combination of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between
the 9th and 15th centuries.
Middle Ages:
In the Middle Age, the term entrepreneur was used to describe both an actor and a
person who managed large production projects. In such large production projects, the
individual did not take any risks, but merely managed the project using resources
provided, usually by the government of the country. A typical entrepreneur in the
Middle Ages was the cleric- the person in charge of great architectural works, such as
castles and fortifications, public buildings and cathedrals.
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17th century:
During seventeenth century, the term entrepreneur was used for a person who
entered into a contractual arrangement with the government to perform a services or
supply stipulated products since the contract price was fixed , any resulting profits or
losses belonged to the entrepreneurs, thereby assuming the risk arising out of his
expedition. Richard Cantillon, a noted French economist during 17th century,
developed one the early theories of entrepreneur and is credited as the founder
of the term. He viewed the entrepreneur as a risk taker, observing the discrepancies
between supply and demand and options for buying cheaply and selling at a higher
price. He defined an entrepreneur as a merchant or farmer “who buys at certain price
and sells at an uncertain price, and bears the operating risk”.
18TH century:
By the eighteenth century feudalism was eliminated and legal and institutional
conditions had changed with the emergence of the joint stock company. During
this period, the person with capital was differentiated from the one who needed
capital. In other words, entrepreneur was distinguished from the capital provider.
One of the reasons for this differentiation was the industrialization occurring
throughout the world. Many of the inventions developed during this time were
reactions to the changing world.
19th Century
It was only during nineteenth century, entrepreneurs were viewed from an economic
perspective. The entrepreneur organizes and operates enterprise for personal gain. He
pays current prices for the materials consumed in the business, for the use of land,
for personal services he employs and for the capital he requires. He contributes his
own initiative, skills and ingenuity in planning, organizing, and administering the
enterprises. He also assumes the chance of loss and gain consequent to unforeseen and
uncontrollable circumstances.
20th Century
In the middle of twentieth Century, the first economist, to focus on the role of
entrepreneurship in economic development through innovations was Joseph A.
Schumpeter. In his words, “The function of the entrepreneur is to reform or
revolutionize the pattern of production by exploiting an invention or, more generally,
an untried technological method of producing a new commodity or producing an old
one in a new way, opening a new source of supply of materials or new outlet for
products, by organizing a new industry (Schumpeter, 1972).
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21st century
The 21st century has changed the face of entrepreneurship and development.
Venture capital volume almost tripled since 2006 and concepts like microfinance
have emerged and spread. Spurring the creation of new technologies and new jobs,
the role of entrepreneurs now affects globalization and amplifies the dynamics of
markets and economic growth.
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1. Wealth Creation and Sharing: By establishing the business entity,
entrepreneurs invest their own resources and attract capital (in the form of debt,
equity, etc.) from investors, lenders and the public.
• This mobilizes public wealth and allows people to benefit from the success of
entrepreneurs and growing businesses.
• This kind of pooled capital that results in wealth creation and distribution is
one of the basic imperatives and goals of economic development.
Capital Formation:
• Entrepreneurs mobilize the idle savings of the public through the issues of
industrial securities. Investment of public savings in industry results in
productive utilization of national resources. Rate of capital formation increases
which is essential for rapid economic growth. Thus, an entrepreneur is the
creator of wealth.
2. Create Jobs: Entrepreneurs are by nature and definition job creators, as opposed to
job seekers.
• The simple translation is that when you become an entrepreneur, there is one
less job seeker in the economy, and then you provide employment for multiple
other job seekers.
• This kind of job creation by new and existing businesses is again is one of the
basic goals of economic development.
• This is why the Govt. of India has launched initiatives such as StartupIndia to
promote and support new startups, and also others like the Make in
India initiative to attract foreign companies and their FDI into the Indian
economy.
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• All this in turn creates a lot of job opportunities, and is helping in augmenting
our standards to a global level.
• Every new business that locates in a less developed area will create both direct
and indirect jobs, helping lift regional economies in many different ways.
• The combined spending by all the new employees of the new businesses and
the supporting jobs in other businesses adds to the local and regional economic
output.
• Both central and state governments promote this kind of regional development
by providing registered MSME businesses various benefits and concessions.
4. GDP and Per Capita Income: India’s MSME sector, comprised of 36 million
units that provide employment for more than 80 million people, now accounts for over
37% of the country’s GDP.
• Each new addition to these 36 million units makes use of even more resources
like land, labor and capital to develop products and services that add to the
national income, national product and per capita income of the country.
• This growth in GDP and per capita income is again one of the essential goals of
economic development.
• For example, automation that reduces production costs and enables faster
production will make a business unit more productive, while also providing its
customers with the same goods at lower prices.
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6. Exports: Any growing business will eventually want to get started with exports to
expand their business to foreign markets.
• Another key benefit is that this expansion that leads to more stable business
revenue during economic downturns in the local economy.
7. Community Development:
• For example, you need highly educated and skilled workers in a community to
attract new businesses. If there are educational institutions, technical training
schools and internship opportunities, that will help build the pool of educated
and skilled workers.
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➢ National Small Industries Corporation
Various institutions were set up by the central and state governments in order to fulfill
this objective.
• The small industries service institutes (SISI’s) are set-up one in each state to
provide consultancy and training to small and prospective entrepreneurs.
• In all there are 28 SISI’s and 30 Branch SISI’s set up in state capitals and other
places all over the country.
Functions of SISI
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2. Conducting EDPs all over the country;
• SIDO was established in October 1973. SIDO is an apex body at Central level
for formulating policy for the development of Small Scale Industries in the
country, headed by the Additional Secretary & Development
Commissioner(Small Scale Industries)under Ministry of Small Scale Industries
Govt. of India.
• SIDO is playing a very constructive role for strengthening this vital sector,
which has proved to be one of the strong pillars of the economy of the country.
SIDO also provides extended support through Comprehensive plan for
promotion of rural entrepreneurship.
(i) Co-ordination,
(iii) Extension.
• The SIDO covers all the small-scale industries except those falling within the
specialised boards and agencies like KVIC, Coir boards, Central Silk Board,
etc.
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Functions Relating to Co-ordination:
c. To collect data on consumer items imported and then, encourage the setting of
industrial units to produce these items by giving coordinated assistance.
d. Preparing model schemes, project reports and other technical literature for
prospective entrepreneurs;
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SIDO has been renamed as Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Development Organization.
• The Small Scale Industries Board (SSI Board) is the apex advisory body
constituted to render advise to the Government on all issues pertaining to the
small scale sector.
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• It is a society under Government of India Society Act of [Link] major
activities of institute are:
• The National Small Industries Corporation Ltd. (NSIC), an ISO 9000 certified
company, since its establishment in 1955, has been working to fulfill its
mission of promoting, aiding and fostering the growth of small-scale industries
and industry related small-scale services/businesses in the country.
Functions of NSIC
• This site will provide a platform on which MSMEs can exhibit their range of
products, get brand certification and close deals with their counterparts abroad.
• The entrepreneurs will get the opportunity to procure market information and
to participate in tenders.
• The portal will provide both B2B and B2C services. It will have call center
support and trade assistance. It will have online national and global tender
notices and alerts.
– infrastructure, markets
• The District Industries Centers programme was launched in 1978 for effective
promotion of cottage and small-scale industries widely dispersed in rural areas
and small towns.
• These centers are the focal points providing under one roof all the services and
support required by small scale and village entrepreneurs.
Structure:
• A DIC consists of one General Manager, four Functional Managers and three
Project Managers having technical background.
• Project Managers provide technical service in the area relevant to the needs of
the district concerned.
(i) Surveys:
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• It prepares techno-economic feasibility studies, identifies product lines and
work out costs. On the basis of such investigation, it provides investment
advice to entrepreneurs.
• This plan is coordinated with District Credit plan of the lead bank.
(iii) Appraisal:
(iv) Guidance:
(vii) Training:
• Functions:
Over the years, they have diversified their functions to include the
following:
(c) To identify potential entrepreneurs and provide them with technical and
management assistance.
(e) To supervise the project and where necessary, render technical and
administrative assistance.
(i) A summary view of the progress/performance of TCOs during the last two
years.
• Government of India has set up eight special economic zones in the country. A
SEZ is a specifically delineated duty free enclave with all the required
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infrastructure. Units established in a SEZ do not require license for imports.
Several other incentives and facilities are offered to such units.
• Government policy on SEZ will help to attract industries in the states wherein
such zones have been set up. Now companies in the private sector are also
allowed to set up SEZ. SEZs will help to attract industries in backward areas
because most of the SEZs are being set up in such areas.
By leveraging emerging technologies like IoT, Big Data and analytics, artificial
intelligence, blockchain and machine learning, these startups are completely
restructuring the way business is done in the country.
• Taking the lead in 2017 were ecommerce and fintech. In ecommerce, for
instance, home grown unicorn Flipkart picked up a whopping $2 Bn-$2.5 Bn
funding from Japanese investment giant SoftBank.
• Post demonetisation and the launch of IndiaStack (India Stack refers to the
ambitious project of creating a unified software platform to bring India's
population into the digital age. IndiaStack is a set of Application Programming
Interface (APIs) that allows governments, businesses, startups and developers
to utilise an unique digital Infrastructure to solve India’s hard problems
towards presence-less, paperless, and cashless service delivery.), the fintech
sector underwent a sea change, with digital payments companies reaping huge
returns.
HealthTech
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currently located in urban areas, as per a report by KPMG and the Organisation
of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI).
• In the last couple of years, a growing number of healthtech startups have come
up to bridge the gap that currently exists between healthcare providers and
patients, across urban, semi-urban and rural areas.
• However, a new breed of tech startups has emerged in the Indian startup
ecosystem in recent times, with the goal of solving issues on the root causes
such as the consumer lifestyle, mental stress, early diagnosis of genetic
disorders and even reducing the after effects of painful processes such as
chemotherapy.
Logistics
• Since the middle ages, logistics has been a determining factor in winning or
losing any war.
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• Poised to touch $307 Bn by 2020, the Indian logistics sector has always been
crucial to the country’s infrastructure and economic development.
• Within the logistics sector of the Indian startup ecosystem, there are big players
like the online marketplace for logistics transactions Blackbuck; Grey Orange,
which provides intelligent solutions for warehouse management by hi-tech
robots; Delhivery and Rivigo, both of which are potential unicorns.
Fintech
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cryptocurrency are examples of technologies aiming to make financial services
more accessible to the general public.
• Fintech now includes different sectors and industries such as education, retail
banking, fundraising and nonprofit, and investment management to name a
few.
• Since early 2015, the fintech sector has undergone massive changes, chief
among them being the move towards a cashless economy.
TravelTech
• Some forms of travel technology are flight tracking, Trip Planning journey
planner, Booking Price Tracking and more.
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Foundation) report, the online travel space will likely account for 40% to 50%
of total transactions by 2020.
• Despite this enormous potential, the Indian online hotel booking sector has a
penetration of only around 19%, according to a report by Deutsche Bank AG.
Most customers in Tier II and Tier III cities around the country still prefer to
book hotels and accommodations through offline means in the travel space.
• Then, there are hospitality companies and budget hotel chains like SoftBank-
backed OYO, Treebo, FabHotels, Wudstay Hotels, GoStays and NightStay,
among others. In recent years, majors like Taj and Hyatt are also competing
against traveltech startups by offering cheaper rates, complementary services
and loyalty points on direct booking through their website.
• The biggest round of funding in the traveltech space this year was raked up by
Ritesh Agarwal-founded OYO. This happened in September when the
startup raised $250 Mn in a Series D funding round led by SoftBank Vision
Fund with participation from existing investors Sequoia India, Lightspeed
Venture Partners and Greenoaks Capital.
Edtech
• Being the second most populous country in the world, India comes with a lot of
baggage that other nations are not subjected to. Lack of quality education is one
of the biggest shortcomings that the Indian government is still struggling to
overcome.
• However, the dynamics of the edtech sector are very different as compared to
other sectors like ecommerce. Although there is an enormous market to cater,
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edtech startups in India are currently held back due to inadequacies in
infrastructure and awareness.
• Online education in India will see approximately 8x growth in the next five
years, says a recent report by Google, KPMG. This will have a significant
impact on the edtech market that has a potential to touch $1.96 Bn by 2021
from where it stands now i.e. $247 Mn.
• As per Inc42 Datalabs, the sector this year saw a total infusion of $165.5 Mn
through 48 deals till November 2017 and the funding amount was almost
similar in 2016.
EnterpriseTech
• In 2017, the major contribution in the enterprise software sector was made by
SaaS (software-as-a-service) startups. At the top of the SaaS game are two
giants, Zoho and Freshworks, with over 4,000 total employees and a combined
revenue of over $350 Mn.
• Startups like Deskera, which develop cloud-based ERP software for accounting
and inventory have also taken a giant leap in 2017 and are effectively catering
to ecommerce sellers with warehousing facilities.
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Consumer Services
• Consumer services, as in hyperlocal food and grocery delivery, has been the
hottest ticket in the Indian startup ecosystem since 2015. However, it saw a
dramatic fall in 2016, as funding dropped almost overnight and more than 100
startups shut their shops.
• On the other, big players like Amazon, Flipkart and Paytm are now taking their
first steps into the country’s online grocery delivery and food retail market.
• Morgan Stanley expects the online food and grocery segment to become the
fastest-growing segment, expanding at a compounded annual growth rate of
141% by 2020 and contributing $15 Bn, or 12.5%, of overall online retail sales.
• The food delivery space of the Indian startup ecosystem is populated by big
names like Zomato, Swiggy, foodpanda, and others, while players in the online
grocery sector include ZopNow, Satvacart, Godrej Nature’s Basket, Grofers
and DailyNinja, among others. The newest entrant in the online grocery
segment is Quikr, the classifieds platform founded by Pranay Chulet in 2008.
Everyone is in the business of customer satisfaction in some way. The most important
activity of any entrepreneur is to clearly identify the very best customers for your
product or service, and then focus all marketing, advertising and sales efforts on this
particular type of customer.
Here are some tips to help you find your business's ideal customers:
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What does your product do for your ideal customer? What problems does your
product solve for your customer? What needs of your customer does your product
satisfy? How does your product improve your customer's life or work?
2. Define the ideal customer for what you sell. What is his or her age,
education, occupation or business? What is his or her income or financial
situation? What is his or her situation today in life or work?
3. Determine the specific benefits customer is seeking in buying the
product. Of all the benefits you offer, which are the most important to your
ideal customer? What are the most pressing needs that your product or service
satisfies? Why should your customer buy from you rather than from someone
else?
4. Determine the location of the exact customer. Where is your customer located
geographically? Where does your customer live or work? Where is your customer
when he or she buys your product or service?
6. Determine the customer's buying strategy. How does your customer buy your
product or service? How has your customer bought similar products or services in
the past? What is your customer's buying strategy? How does your customer go
about making a buying decision for your product?
Imagine placing an ad in the newspaper for your perfect customer. How would you
describe your perfect customer? What prospective customers are the most likely to
buy your product or service immediately? What are the most important qualities that
your ideal customer would have?
Your ability to clearly define and determine the very best customer for your product or
service will determine your success in business. How could you find more perfect
customers for your product? How could you create new customers for your product?
Define your unique selling proposition and communicate this key benefit in every
customer contact.
Most entrepreneurs aren't clear about their ideal customer. For this reason, they waste
a lot of time and money trying to sell their product to people who aren't good potential
customers.
Your ability to clearly define and focus in on the customers who can most rapidly buy
your product or service will be essential to your business success.
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A Mission statement talks about HOW you will get to where you want to be. Defines
the purpose and primary objectives related to your customer needs and team values.
A Vision statement outlines WHERE you want to be. Communicates both the
purpose and values of your business. A mission statement expounds the entity’s
business, its goals and approach to reach the goals. On the other hand, a vision
statement is one that tells the desired future position of the entity.
A justification statement which signifies the reasons for the existence of the company
is known as Mission Statement.
The mission statement is the organizational goals that are to be accomplished. Unlike
vision statement, mission statement reflects every aspect of the company, i.e.
employees, customers, products or services, technology, quality, position in the
market and survival. The mission statement should be drafted in such a way that it
answers the questions: What we do? Why we do? How do we do? And for Whom we
do?
The mission statement is the core purpose of the business. The statement represents
the company in front of the world. It must be clear and complete as well as it should
be such that it makes reminiscence in everybody’s mind. The statement is mainly
developed for shareholders, investors, suppliers, customers, creditors, employees,
competitors and partners.
A declarative statement that defines the company’s long-term plans for the future is
known as Vision Statement.
The vision statement specifies the company’s future goals and values. It does not
change with the passage of time i.e. it remains same. The statement must have clarity,
concreteness, conciseness, completeness, correctness and courtesy. Someone has
rightly said, “A man without eyes is blind, but a man without a vision is dead.”
This statement defines that a company without having a vision will not survive for a
long time.
A vision statement is helpful for the company to set out specific objectives. As the
whole organization works to meet out those objectives in a stipulated time. The
statement is mainly developed for the employees so that they understand the actual
aim of the company and work to achieve the aim. The planning and strategies are also
made in the similar direction by the company.
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Key Differences Between Mission Statement and Vision Statement
The following are the major differences between mission statement and vision
statement:
1. The vision statement discusses the desired position of the company in future.
On the contrary mission statement talks about the company’s business, purpose
and the approach to pursue them.
2. The Vision Statement remains same till the company survives. Conversely, the
Mission Statement may change if required by the company.
3. The Vision Statement is made to inspire. On the other hand, the Mission
Statement is made to inform.
4. The Vision Statement shows the company’s future aspirations whereas the
Mission Statement explains the company’s core purpose.
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