WHAT IS AN ENTREPRENEUR?

Mr. Mutumwa Mawere has just shared with me his interesting conversation with Mr. Mathew Mutavayi whose LinkedIn profile is below:

Mr. Mutavayi is based in Zimbabwe and he is running a consultancy firm that specializes in Enterprise and Talent Development.

I found the thread below interesting because all too often we associate human beings with identities i.e. in this case, an entrepreneur becomes a distinct human identity because largely of an understanding that is not shared.

As part of the Corporate Literacy initiative that is powered by the Banking on Africa’s Future (BOAF), my understanding of tribalism has been enhanced.

Identity Politics (IP) if not understood properly can confer artificial identities simply on account of a person being trained to be a teacher for example and after completing the training then acquires the identity of a teacher when in reality the person may not be craft competent and excellent.

Having learned that an entrepreneur does not exist but the human actor using this identity does exist.

It is clear from the thread below that Mr. Mutavayi had not called Mr. Mawere to be quizzed about what an entrepreneur is and was getting annoyed by the angle Mr. Mawere was coming from.

He clearly did not what to hear anything about what he may believe he knows best about. He definition of an entrepreneur is instructive: “An entrepreneur is one who goes out to set up a business through an opportunity, crisis, innovation, or improving existing products and services. They take the financial risk to make a profit.”

I found the questions that Mr. Mawere posed very interesting and pathfinding: “What is a business then? Is profit, an objective or capable of being the objective when it is an arithmetic construction relating to income from random customers for goods sold and delivered or services rendered?”

The above questions required some thought to be invested before responding. It is a pity that Mr. Mutavayi abandoned the conversation without understanding why Mr. Mawere had asked the questions.

This is what Mr. Mutavayi said: “We should catch up later and talk in detail enjoy your engagement…”

I would have wanted Mr. Mutavayi to engage Mr. Mawere robustly on this identity issue. There are far too many people who are identified as entrepreneurs yet the reality is that no shared understanding exists in the public domain on what this identity is and means.

I will try to engage Mr. Mawere to explain why he chose to ask Mr. Mutavayi rather than share his own take on whether entrepreneurship can be taught and if so, by whom?

TOWARDS A-SHARE UNDERSTANDING ON WHAT AN ENTREPRENEUR IS AND IS NOT:

[0:37 pm, 04/07/2022] Mathew Mutavayi: Greetings how are you…Mathew Mutavayi … it has been a long time
[0:39 pm, 04/07/2022] mdmawere1: Greetings to you as well. Indeed a long time.
[0:40 pm, 04/07/2022] Mathew Mutavayi: How are things out there
[0:40 pm, 04/07/2022] mdmawere1: Fine adjusting to the new normal. And you?
[0:41 pm, 04/07/2022] Mathew Mutavayi: Indeed. Can’t complaint preparing for exams I am doing a Masters in Business Leadership with a major in Entrepreneurship
[0:41 pm, 04/07/2022] mdmawere1: Great. What is an entrepreneur?
[0:47 pm, 04/07/2022] Mathew Mutavayi: An entrepreneur is one who goes out to set up a business through an opportunity, crisis, innovation, or improving existing products and services. They take the financial risk to make a profit
[0:49 pm, 04/07/2022] mdmawere1: What is a business then? Is profit, an objective or capable of being the objective when it is an arithmetic construction relating to income from random customers for goods sold and delivered or services rendered?
[0:57 pm, 04/07/2022] Mathew Mutavayi: We should catch up later and talk in detail enjoy your engagement…
[0:57 pm, 04/07/2022] Mathew Mutavayi: Lost contact with your friend from Tanzania…former spokesman you have his details
[0:58 pm, 04/07/2022] mdmawere1: Ok. Lost his contact details as well.