Passion, Positivity and Persistence = Entrepreneurship

I just went to a function tonight where the guest speaker was John Symond, a man who went from success to bankruptcy, and then from rags to riches.
In 1992, he started up Aussie Home Loans - a mortgage lending service to contend the big four Australian banks.
He revolutionised banking in Australia and is now a household name - else if it's not his name, it's his self-marketing advertisements or the voice telling us, "At Aussie, we'll save you!"

What inspired me the most however in tonight's conversation was how he became the entrepreneur and success story that he is today.

Essentially he said it's all about have a clear understanding of what you're passionate about, what motivates you, knowing where your strengths lie, and formulating a clear path to follow. Couple this with a positive outlook, and a burning ambition to succeed and the rest will happen. Free-riding marketing activities do also help, but aren't compulsory.

When times were tough, John decided to go back to the basics - look at what he had loved so much about life until things turned bad, assess where his knowledge base was greatest, investigate gaps in the market which could be exploited, and ensure that self-belief was so strong that with a good business model and partners to indirectly ensure he was at the same time being realistic with his ventures, his idea was sure to succeed... which it did.

Mind you, he did admit that it is extremely important to learn from previous experiences and one's mistakes rather than just sweep them under the carpet, and ignore how different actions would have provided better outcomes.

He pointed out that in times of economic distress, this is when new business ventures find opportunities to shine. His moment was in the recession during the early 1990s... however now is another opportunity waiting for entrepreneurs to show their stuff. So I eagerly await to see what revolutionary businesses and ideas are coming out of this current (global) financial crisis.

It may take some time for these to surface, as I know there is still a chance of more downturn occurring before seeing the upside to this situation... but when times do improve, I have no doubt wonderous businesses will add to the wonderful world we live in. Just think... in 2001, we had an economic downturn post 9/11 as well as the dotcom bubble burst... and now we have Google - a concept so far beyond our imagination less than nine years ago.

And facebook, it has brought social media to a whole new level - for better or worse... but less than three years ago, I don't think this term was even in our vocabulary... let alone, an activity so may Gen X and Y'ers are involved in.

I am currently studying with an extremely intelligent bunch of MBA students. Many of them have brilliant ideas and come from the younger Gen X stream, or are even Gen Y. I can't wait to see what they plan on doing once their studies are over and the GFC is more a thing of the past. Hopefully some of them will be able to see where the opportunities are, and exploit their ideas to the fullest.

Not only do I want to see them succeed, but if they can revolutionise industries or people's way of thinking, so that society is better off, then even better.

Someone asked me tonight what I plan on doing once my studies are over. I know that my passion, positivity and constant drive for success are present. Only problem is my path has not yet been defined. I know it's up to me to choose this rather than simply fall into something... but if there is one thing I can take away from the function I attended tonight (which for a change was not MBA-related!), it was that it's important to identify where your passions, strengths and interests lie as this will ultimately path the way for anything you wish to succeed in. Could I use my media and marketing skills combined with knowledge in venture capital to help these budding entrepreneurs transform their ideas into success stories and a reality?!

I know that there is one person in my class who inspires me on a daily basis with his dreams and aspirations... and I often wonder if my previous experience would combine well to implement his or other people's creative voices so that they are magnified and heard a little louder?

An aside... I used to think success was all about how well you achieved things on your own. This year I have realised that it can also be about how well you collaborate with others, as only when everyone around you is happy and successful can you genuinely experience self-achievement too.

Thanks for letting me share! :-)