By Guest
Mike Chitty is a trainer, adviser, consultant and writer on the themes of enterprise, entrepreneurship, leadership and management
“We can help turn your dream into a reality* ”
*subject to eligibility
So says an enterprise marketing campaign aimed at some of the poorest communities in Leeds. But it could be just about anywhere. The enterprise fairytale is ubiquitous.
“We can build your confidence, hone your business idea, develop your business plan, manage your debt, and you too can live the entrepreneurial dream. All it takes is hard work and entrepreneurial spirit – we can teach you the rest.”
We have had Fast Food and now we have got Fast Enterprise. “Free 3 half day workshops, a little bit of test trading and Bob’s yer uncle!”
The enterprise fairytale puts the blame for poverty squarely on the poor, promising to overcome decades of benefits culture with a sprinkling of magic dust from the Dragons, Apprentices and Secret Millionaires.
We need enterprise professionals to use the media to tell the truth about enterprise. That it will always be a double edged sword. That it carries substantial risks as well as rewards. That it requires enormous reserves of skill, energy, hard work and dedication. That it is best not rushed into. It may take years to gain the experience needed to make a success of it. That you might need to build a managerial team if you want your business to succeed and your dream to come true rather than be transformed into a living nightmare of debt and long hours. And that building the right team to work is in itself a risky proposition.
We need enterprise professionals who recognise that the starting point for some of the poorest in our society might not be running their own business or rushing in to self employment. We need enterprise professionals who are able to start where their clients are at – and not where the funders would like them to be.
So let’s stop filling the media with the enterprise fairytale as some kind of panacea for poverty and lets look a little more imaginatively at how we create enterprising communities.
[...] hostile towards those journalists who are genuinely interested, and even promoting their very own enterprise myth. Politicians and their language have a powerful influence, both in promoting negative stereotypes, [...]