Can uneducated and poor children grow up to become entrepreneurs?
Yes, they can; few notable examples being Dhirubhai Ambani, KarsanBhai Patel (maker of Nirma washing powder) Kalpana Saroj (KamaniTubes).
Those in the field of creative arts - artists, musicians, sculptors, actors, dancers and others are also considered entrepreneurs because they engage in many of the same activities as traditional business owners. They conceptualize, innovate, market their work, manage revenues and associated costs, build networks - all of which are fundamental aspects of entrepreneurship.
Creative pursuits are mini industries within themselves requiring a blend of artistic talent and entrepreneurial skills. Humble and challenging origins of many performing artists in India coupled with natural talent, passion, resilience, and 'a burning desire to succeed' drove them to excel. Iconic examples in India include Rajnikanth, Lata Mangeshkar, Jackie Shroff, inspiring millions and demonstrating that success is attainable regardless of background
Today, conventional careers such as engineering, medicine law, civil services and accounting which take years of study tough examinations to crack are often seen to take second place to entrepreneurial options which are:
1. those requiring one's creativity eg. painting, dance, music, pottery and sepulture , acting
2. those activities that society today needs urgently due to evolving life styles and urbanization eg. Home cleaning services, Tiffin services, Pest control services, Delivery services etc.
This is not to say that underprivileged children, marginalized children cannot or do not become IAS officers, top doctors, lawyers, chartered accountants. They do.
But poorest of the poor children should be made aware of the above two options to choose from early, so that their poverty and inability to fund education does not come in the way of their doing well in life.
This approach is followed at MY SCHOOL, Gurgaon set up in Oct. 2020 to transform lives of the poorest children; to mature their creativity, make them aware of new avenues where they can be their own master.
In the first stage, apart from nurturing performing arts and visual arts talent, we introduce children to entrepreneurial options - Fast food truck/ cart, home cleaning services, pest control services, event management, modeling, sports, film animation, photography, uniform tailoring services; and some 'never heard of before' career choices including food flavorist, pets grooming, elderly care companies etc.
Some basic education will be given in subjects like English, Math, Science, History, Geography, Civics, Social skills, General Knowledge. But there will be no exams. Rather students will be encouraged to improve their creative skills and learn about emerging opportunities.
Simple Entrepreneurship Models
Indian Sweets Pet Grooming
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