I love the theme of global entrepreneurship week 2024, shame it wasn’t around in 1994!
Not that I want to give my age away (in fact I’ve never been bothered about age and still aren’t) but I was born into a generation where I’m not sure “being” an entrepreneur was an actual career or a thing we could aspire to be. In all honesty, I hadn’t really heard the word until shows like the Apprentice were on TV. Just to say that series 2 is the best of them all if you have never seen it!
That’s why I think “Entrepreneurship is for Everyone” is an amazing theme for 2024. If I’d had access at 14 years old and been educated on business, I’m sure I would have run towards that career rather than think it was above me.
I don’t have a background sob story as I was brought up in a loving family. The only thing I lacked growing up was money. Working class, poor education due to being disengaged. I spent more time faking illnesses, so I didn’t have to go to school than applying myself and it wasn’t because I’m lazy. I am the opposite of lazy, I am addicted to work, to growing businesses, to making sales and ultimately money. Money has always been my driver as it’s the one thing we never had growing up.
I think I am one of the best examples of social mobility there is and that makes me question why. My parents weren’t business people, they weren’t money motivated and no one around me gave me an opportunity. I have never worked for a family member or any friends. I simply climbed the ladder with small steps, hard work and a big load of ambition.
I think a huge element to becoming an entrepreneur is opportunity. I was a young girl with no qualifications in a poor area of Wolverhampton. My route to work then was through a YTS scheme so you could say I have been an apprentice more than once! I know I have strong determination, but my hard work ethic has gotten me to where I am.
I wonder what would have happened if I had been a teenager now. Having contact with events based around Global Entrepreneurship Week would genuinely of changed my life. I had the honour of working with an amazing team in Hull for years lead by an unbelievable man called Charles Cracknel. Every year they engage with GEW and put on eventful, engaging challenges and competitions for all school aged kids. I’ve worked with children as young as 5 up to the difficult ages of 16/17 year olds. I was always amazed at what all age groups could do and achieve. They would come up with business ideas, create the concept, price them and then even get on a stage to sell them and be questioned. Why was this not around when I went to school?
Owning a business is hard in 2024 as it seems everyone, especially the government are trying to blow out the entrepreneurial flame and ambition. So, I say well done to everyone who leads, promotes and engages with Global Entrepreneurship Week. Building an army or generation of ‘want to be’ entrepreneurs can never be a bad thing!
