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Are creative entrepreneurs born or bred? Critically discuss by using one to three relevant
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In the realm of social sciences, the question whether creative entrepreneurs are born or bred has

been important to find out what makes certain individuals standout from the crowd. The question

is whether nature or nurture plays a role in shaping up the individual’s outlook on life. There

have been confronting propositions that are supported by theories and research that lay out

extensive data on the matter. Many claim that an entrepreneur is born, that is there genes play an

important role in how they think. Then there is a school of thought that argues that experiences

play an important role in forming an entrepreneur because they have to go through hurdles that

shapes their strategy. However, none of the key debates have been able to render a solid answer

to the question. The result is that while one group pronounces how individual’s genetics play a

part in developing their entrepreneurial thinking, there is another that talks about how the

environment is a major determining factor-both can be true. There are varying definitions to

entrepreneurs but the gist of it is that they are innovative individuals who can think of new ideas

and take risks to transform their ideas into opportunities that lead to big accomplishments. These

individuals identify opportunities and then set up long-term goals with achievable short-term

targets that lead to accomplishing extraordinary tasks at hand. Entrepreneurs take risk and are

highly optimistic in the face of adversity (Stokes, Wilson and Mador, 2010).

The essay aims to discuss how entrepreneurship is not a result of one factor that is either being

born with a gifted mind or the result of environmental factors but a mix of both. The two

elements interplay to bring about an individual who is able to identify opportunities of growth or

gap and then find ways to provide solutions to either bridge that gap or add value to the existing

model of how things are working. The ability to identify opportunities takes a gifted and critical

mind but at the same time, the person has to be brought up in an environment where norms are

questioned and creative thinking is applauded so that they feel comfortable identifying structures
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that can be improved (Siringi and Madhu, 2014). If an individual is shunned from creative

thinking then there is little room for their innovative mind to blossom. If a person is born with a

creative and critical mind then it takes education to groom it and bring about the best of what

they have to offer. Without proper environment there is no use of a creative mind and it might

wither away. The ability to spot and innovate existing structures or issues requires knowledge

about it firstly which can only be brought about through proper education. In this regard, formal

and informal education plays a vital role in the grooming of the individual and refinement of

their talents (McLuskey, 1999).

Nature and nurture both come to play in shaping up an entrepreneur and it is unjust to give credit

to one element while dismissing the other. Life experiences are just as important when it comes

to shaping up the innate abilities of an individual. If we look at passionate entrepreneurs who

decided to change the world for the better, they have all faced some sort of resistance in the

structures in place so that they could not fully implement their ideas. They are individuals who

are gifted but have faced roadblocks and hurdles that led them to devise better strategies to reach

their goals. Knowledge expands their horizons and they find better solutions to existing problems

but then the perseverance and the desire to overcome are things that individuals are born with-

this shows how the two factors are at interplay here to bring about the best in creative problem

solving within the person to reach their goals. If they did not face any adversity in life then there

is little possibility for them to reform or innovate the existing ideals in place (Herbut, 2018).

Passion is one of the most important things that many entrepreneurs have talked about when it

comes to subject itself. There have been numerous studies that talk about how the vital formula

to success lies in being driven to achieve your goals by putting in proper work and having strong

resilience. Many people when they initially pitch their ideas are met with rejection but then the
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ability to overcome that tiny hurdle and persisting in the face of all odds is what makes for true

entrepreneur spirit. Being an entrepreneur means that you are able to identify growth

opportunities and run a successful business. The business instinct is what people are born with

and then life experiences are meant to bring those instincts out so that your idea can thrive and

lead to revenue generation. Good common sense is also one of the prominent features of an

entrepreneurial brain because not many people will exercise that in the first place when making

business decisions. Personality is one important factor therefore that brings out the true

entrepreneurial spirit and people are better able to excel in their chosen field. The experience is

one thing that brings about what is already present in the innate qualities of the person (Landrum,

2004).

Steve Jobs is one famous entrepreneur that revolutionized the way society looks at technology.

He made one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Steve Jobs was the co-founder of

Apple Technologies and gave the world some of its most memorable technologies and opening

up new pathways for the future generation to experiment with. The man had a passion for

electronics and computers but identified the problem that it wasn’t accessible to the general

population. He turned his passion into his work and decided to make machines that were more

compact and small by using cheaper alternatives. This identification of the problem and then

using the resources available to fix it is what makes Steve Jobs one of the most prominent

creative entrepreneurs in the world. In his life, Jobs did a very wonderful job initially when it

came to selling Apple products but then was later kicked out of his own company. He started

Pixar Animation Studios, which then again goes to point out his entrepreneurial brain identifying

gaps in the existing animation space and then using the means available to innovate a new

product. Pixar animation studios have made some memorable movies. Jobs being kicked out of
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Apple led to experiencing circumstances that gave birth to Pixar. In the later part of his life, Jobs

joined Apple again and that is when the “golden period of the company started which led to a

brand that is recognized all over the world. He was a minimalist at heart and that was defined in

his products as well (Isaacson, 2013).

This only strengthens the point that while Steve Jobs had the genius of mind to innovate

products, a change in circumstances really brought about his methodology to deal with things.

He had the passion to make computers accessible to the general population but this was because

he had a love for computers in the first place. He put his creative genius in terms that could be

aptly defined.

Successful entrepreneurs are able to turn their passion into a viable business that not only serves

the world but also is able to generate income. The vision needs to be translated into figures so

that there is something to show for the struggle an entrepreneur has undertaken to reach their

goals. Business schools do not churn out entrepreneurs but it takes a level of determination and

persistence coupled with a mind that is out to innovate already existing things. The idea behind

every entrepreneurial venture is to turn passion into profitable income and that is what may

business schools fail to teach young minds (Kiesner, 2009).

Walt Disney is a name recognized all over the world. He is known as the creator of the famous

Disneyland theme parks and movies. Walter Elias Disney started out by taking formal classes in

drawing and photography so that he can refine his passion of drawing and painting pictures. He

would sell them to the locals in Chicago, Illinois. He contributed as a cartoonist for a local

newspaper and made commercials using cutout animations. Initially he set up a small animation

studio but soon enough it declared bankruptcy but he did not give up and moved to Hollywood.
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In Hollywood he set up Disney Brothers’ Studio and after a while produced Mickey Mouse that

led to the beginning of everything. Disney became one of the first studios to produce color

animations and won an Oscar award. It should be noted that Walt Disney was a deprived youth

and came from a family of immense poverty and struggle. He was not handed down the

resources to start a business but build everything up from scratch (Gabler, 2008). While it can be

said that genetic sequences plays an important role in how people think and reach to issues, like

how Walt Disney declared bankruptcy and the moved to Hollywood to start another studio,

circumstances play an important role in bringing out this way of risk taking. An important se in

point is the biological temperament which means that some individuals are more prone to take

entrepreneurial activities, such as optimism, self-confidence and a motivating vision to strive and

attain their goals (Fisher and Koch, 2008).

Some of the defining traits when it comes to entrepreneurs is that they are different that the rest

of the population in many ways. They show prominent ability to take risks and manage

ambiguity. A whole lot of them rely on their intuition and exhibit a mercurial nature. Many are

strong willed and do not accept defeat that gracefully, which leads them to be very defiant of the

societal structures in place. All of these are personality traits and as per psychologist are defined

by the genetic sequence of the individual. The way a person’s brain is wires is important when it

comes to how their personality will be like and entrepreneurs show a marked difference from the

general population when it comes to personality analysis (Chell, 2013). However, when nature

bestows one with something then it requires the right set of conditions to bring about the

expression of the genes. The nature versus nurture debate has been ongoing between the

scientific community and more work is being done to lead to viable conclusions. It is clear that

for appropriate genetic expressions there have to environmental triggers otherwise the genes lay
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dormant in the individual’s chromosome and do not express themselves. A personality that does

not have ideal conditions will not have appropriate expression (Fayolle and Klandt, 2006). This

goes on to show that for an entrepreneur there is interplay of their genes and environment to

bring about the spirit of reform and innovation. They have to be passionate about something and

then really strive to make things work but with a business attitude. Both examples above

illustrate how that works.

In conclusion, as illustrated by the discussion and examples cited above, it is clear that

entrepreneurs are both born and bred. It takes a highly optimistic and idealistic personality that is

shaped up by adverse events to bring about a change in the existing mode of things or churn out

a completely new product. One cannot pin one factor in the success of the individual and life

experiences are important to polish a gifted mind. Nature and nurture both work together to bring

about entrepreneurial success. If one has a gifted brain but the circumstances are ideal then they

would rarely want to innovate things. Similarly, even if the environment is bad but the person

does not have a mind that is creative and critical then it will not be able to do anything about

their condition. This shows that to be an entrepreneur it is important to have nature and nurture

on your side.
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References
Chell, E. (2013). The entrepreneurial personality. Hove, East Sussex: Routledge.
Fayolle, A. and Klandt, H. (2006). International entrepreneurship education. Cheltenham, UK:
Edward Elgar Pub.
Fisher, J. and Koch, J. (2008). Born, not made. Westport, Conn.: Praeger.
Gabler, N. (2008). Walt Disney. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Herbut, J. (2018). Make it happen. Page Two Books.
Isaacson, W. (2013). Steve Jobs. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Kiesner, F. (2009). Creating entrepreneurs. World Scientific.
Landrum, G. (2004). Entrepreneurial genius. Naples, Fla: Brendan Kelly Pub.
McLuskey, K. (1999). Entrepreneurs. Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.: Crabtree Pub.
Siringi, R. and Madhu, G. (2014). Entrepreneurship Development. Saarbrücken: Scholars' Press.
Stokes, D., Wilson, N. and Mador, M. (2010). Entrepreneurship. Hampshire, UK ; Australia:
South-Western/Cengage Learning EMEA.