As students are beginning to head back to school there are consistent questions on the minds of students, guardians, and potential supervisors alike. While not every major requires internships for their students to graduate, those in business fields will likely benefit greatly should they choose to complete one. Internships provide the opportunity for young emerging professionals to learn from those who have gone through the hoops and can aid in the essential practice of networking.
With so many persons going into business, it is no wonder that there may be some wonderful models out there to look up to, research about their approach and how they built their own businesses or careers. It’s ambitious to aim for a Fortune 500 company, however pursuing knowledge and guidance from a successful entrepreneur could really provide a personal hands-on learning experience that would be comparable in many ways.
Take the entrepreneur, Ricardo Vega Serrador, for example. Earlier in his career, Serrador created Go Mart convenience stores in Mexico and has now used his experience of working in a restaurant to open and grow fast food franchises across Mexico. An additional bonus is that Serrador works alongside Spanish speaking clients and can offer that skill to a student of Hispanic descent or someone looking to build their skills in the Spanish language. Being bilingual in business is an incredible advantage regardless of what stage of the profession you are in. As the United States of America is becoming more and more diverse, the number of Spanish speakers in the United States is consistently rising and is projected to be a dominant language of the USA by 2050. Needless to say, the ability to speak Spanish will likely be an asset to employers and entrepreneurs alike.
Knowing another language when it comes to business: entrepreneurship can be a great asset. Even knowing the basics in a language will set you above the rest. It is no secret that our world is becoming smaller and smaller, cross cultural engagement and understandings as well as international business partners are more often than not going to be an integral part in your personal business, your company, or corporation. There are many international entrepreneurs out there to partner with or learn from.
What is an Entrepreneur?
The word ‘entrepreneur’ comes from the French word meaning ‘one who takes an endeavor.’ Entrepreneurs assemble resources including innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods. However this definition in itself is rather limiting to the vast possibilities that are available for an entrepreneur. The actual execution of this idea is very challenging. This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature organizations in response to a perceived opportunity or necessity. Specialized fields of entrepreneurship include: engineering, management, sustainable business, sustainable environment, consulting or other industry. The most obvious form of entrepreneurship is that of starting new businesses; however, in recent years, the term has been extended to include social and political forms of entrepreneurial activity. The term may also refer to going into business for oneself. In this fashion an individual or group of like-minded people believe enough in a vision to see it through and provide this service or product to others. To become an entrepreneur having these skills weather innate or developed will aid your endeavor:
- Creativity and innovation
- Organizational development
- Management and people development
- Sales and marketing
- Money management
- Operations and systems development
Regardless of which entrepreneurial direction you may like to go, there are opportunities for transformation of self, community, and global environment. The possibilities of an entrepreneurial journey can range from risk management to social justice and change. Keep in mind that the pursuit of being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. The position requires lots of perseverance and dedication, a lot of up front leg work and costs by the entrepreuer themselves. Belief in yourself and of your vision will inevitably tested, likely more than once or twice, and it takes more than just the skills mentioned above to see it through. Here’s to the journey, buen viaje, y que tengas suerte!
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