Famous entrepreneurs, such as Elon Musk and Steve Jobs, are often portrayed as mythical creatures who have left the womb imbued with the talent, burning desire, and tolerance for risk-taking required to be the exceptional entrepreneurs they ultimately became. It’s a narrative that portrays great entrepreneurs as being born rather than made.
The reality isn’t quite so romantic. For instance, German research suggests that entrepreneurship is most definitely a skill that can be learned, and the researchers argue that action-oriented training can enable us to unlock any entrepreneurial potential within us. While this suggests that the best approach is very much one of “learning by doing”, a second study, from the University of Groningen, found that classroom-based study is just as effective as experiential study.
