Nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit

The second year of the still new millennium will definitely provide more opportunities for master entrepreneurs. As gurus, we always ask our student-entrepreneurs to remember this: the bigger the crisis, the bigger the opportunity. A master entrepreneur does not run away scared when crisis comes. Driven by the entrepreneurial spirit, he/she sidesteps it and grabs the opportunity as the crisis comes along.

For the benefit of our readers, we feature two special messages delivered during the recent graduation ceremony of the AIM Asian Center for Entrepreneurship: "The Entrepreneur’s Prayer" by Dean Eduardo Morato, Jr., architect of the ME program; and "A Guru’s Advice" by Prof. Danilo Antonio.

The prayer

Lord, you have showered upon me your most kind blessings. I am humbled by the many talents you have given me.

I accept my responsibility as an entrepreneur to multiply them not for myself and my family alone but for those who share the work in the vineyard you have entrusted to me.

I, likewise, accept my role as a steward of your creation and promise to use the earth’s resources in a sustainable and frugal way.

I totally commit myself to the service of humanity and , more particularly, to my suppliers, my workers, my customers and all those I deal and transact with.

To this end, I pledge to fully develop my potential and those of my people so that, together, we may forge a model enterprise that will provide for all our daily needs.

Teach me, O Lord, to listen well so that I may not make rash judgements.

Teach me to communicate clearly so misunderstandings do not block my path. Teach me to see the truth because lies and deceit will surely corrupt my ways.

Teach me to find the right road because a wrong turn will destroy all that you have given me.

Teach me to have compassion so I do not put wealth before the welfare of people.

Teach me to be wise so that I may lead and mentor well all those whom you have placed under my care.

Give me, O Lord, the capacity to balance my family life with my business.

Give me the generosity to provide decent works to all my employees so that they may relish fine health, send their children to the best schools, live in comfortable homes, and enjoy the amenities of a good life.

Give me the courage to shun the temptations of unethical business practices. Give me great fortitude to combat greed.

Give me the grace to be a good role model and a strong pillar of the community. All these I ardently pray for.

In return, O Lord, I will multiply all these blessings a thousand-fold and share them with the greatest number–knowing well that much is expected of those who have been given much.

Advice

* Always keep an open mind –never say no to any idea, as there could be some hidden opportunities there.

* Hear what the other guy is saying –never be too engrossed in your own point of view. The other guy might make sense.

* If you have to make a mistake, make it a sin of commission –you can never do "nothing" right.

* Always look for a win-win solution –life is too short to create too much animosity.

* Spread the sunshine –especially to people who are close to you but remember that too much sunshine leads to skin cancer!!

* Spread the word –knowledge is better shared than kept. It grows as more people are benefited.

*Always keep watch of your unique selling proposition –being too generic means that, one day, your business will be lost in the crowd: unrecognizable, generic, meaningless, dead.

* Research and development should never stop –otherwise, your product and business will be consigned to the museum. New ideas must always be churned out, since the mind is eternal and capable of developing new concepts for the betterment of mankind.

* Develop the organization and pave career paths for critical personnel –this is the only way to assure yourself of continued business growth. Remember, nobody is good forever. (Ask Michael Jordan).

* Look for alliances and grow together, faster –time is a scarce resource. If objectives can be made through teamwork and alliances, so be it! This allows you to reach your next goal faster.

(Alejandrino Ferreria is the associate dean of the Asian Center for Entrepreneurship of the Asian Institute of Management. For further information/comments, you may mail him at: [email protected]. Published "Enterpreneur’s Helpline" columns can be viewed at www//: aim.edu.ph)