Dr Zhang pointed out that, whilst we may have an image of ‘entrepreneurs’ in our head, it is often not well-informed. The famous ones – Richard Branson, Donald Trump, Alan Sugar – are often stereotypical in that they are male, extrovert, supremely confident. Being an entrepreneur is also not about blind risk-taking or seeking the reward of the pay-cheque. It is probably more about wanting to do things in your own way, for your own goals and this is not usually driven by a pure money-incentive.
After the assembly, years 8 and 10 had the benefit of further discussion with a panel of entrepreneurs including one of our alumni, Julia Robson (who left the 6th form in 2007 to study maths at Cambridge). There were some controversial moments, including when one speaker pointed out that you don’t want too many entrepreneurs because you might miss out on decent teachers and doctors, but most agreed that ‘being entrepreneurial’ was a mindset that can influence you in any walk of life, even if not in a conventional ‘enterprise’ sense.
Thanks go to the Founders4Schools network for helping to organise this event as well as to Mrs Dambaza and Mrs Bryant for helping with the discussion sessions.
The visiting entrepreneurs were: