History is replete with stories of life changing innovations and discoveries that have shaped the world as we know it. In recent times, man’s ability to create has waxed even stronger. Age is no barrier. In fact, in recent times, the most successful businesses have been established by young people. That means that the most successful entrepreneurs can been found among the young. An entrepreneur is a person who starts, organizes and manages a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk. Entrepreneurs drive global economic growth by creating wealth and a significant amount of jobs. Entrepreneurs find a way to thrive in the midst of hardship, in the midst of great odds.

The strategic importance of job creation through youth entrepreneurship cannot be overemphasized. As Victor Sedov, President, Center for Entrepreneurship (Russia), and Chairman G20 Young Entrepreneurs' Alliance, said at a recent Pre-G20 Summit, young entrepreneurs create very dynamic and high growth businesses especially if the enabling environment of adequate education, both for themselves and for the employees, usually also young people, are in place.

What is required is boldness and vision. The ability to think out of the box, courage, perseverance and hard work. Do you have all these and more? Do you have what it takes? If you do, then this article and our next series of posts are for you.

For many would-be entrepreneurs, the failure to launch isn’t because of the lack of money, but the fear of failure or the fear of the unknown. Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon once said, “I knew that if I failed I wouldn’t regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying.” Richard Branson (founder, Virgin Group) said: “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and falling over.” The fear of failure shouldn’t stop you from starting. Beginning is half the victory in any enterprise.

Becoming an entrepreneur starts with an idea, one with the potential to solve a problem, with a potential to be turned into a business. What is a good business idea and how do you know whether you have a business idea that could work?

Join us in the next issue as we explore this further.