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By Thokozani Archie Nyoni
Abstract
In the 4th industrial revolution entrepreneurship becomes the new normal and employment seizes to be an option move with the trends don’t risk being left out.
Imagine a life without modernization, innovation, digitalisation, silence and think for a moment, you must be thinking impossible – correct, humans are naturally progressive species and we always strive for more, more success, more responsibilities, more freedom and flexibility, more of everything. This has thus seen more people opting to be their own bosses as compared to being employees of others.
The evolution of the 4th industrial revolution indisputably encouraged the rise of the, “GIG ECONOMY”, this has given each and every one the opportunity to be entrepreneurs by simply monetising their skills through freelancing that is without seeking to be employed permanently by an organisation of any size. Everybody has a skill and somewhere, somehow someone would pay to be serviced with those skills, hence there is an enormous gap for everyone to be his/her own boss.
Did you know out of a continuously growing population of over 7 billion people on the face of earth, there are a little over 400 million entrepreneurs around the world and that figure is still on the rise that’s according to statistics compiled by dealsunny.com? Many people are leaving their 9-5 jobs to pursue their own entrepreneurial journey. In fact, according to the same website it is also a fact, that amongst the top 25 entrepreneurial countries there are no developed countries, some would even call them first world countries, am sure you can try figure out why, actually countries like Italy only contribute 1.3% to the total entrepreneurs’ figure across the globe.
The world is transforming very fast and so is the business world, the barriers to entrepreneurship such as information asymmetry, funding issues, communication barriers and many more, all these have found solutions through the advancement in technology. The world has been brought together as a single community making communication easy, and fundraising less nerve-recking. The 4th industrial revolution is generally about creating the extensive cyber-physical world, where internet connection has become a basic need more than just a want. Aspiring entrepreneurs with no knowledge or what so ever can now access education and mentorship online through online courses and social media platforms.
The 4th industrial revolution is fast paced this also means that it is difficult to move with the trends our formal education system is still being rightfully accused of lagging behind in technology advancement. As a result, formal education has remained a platform to encourage logical thinking and creating lifelong networks but it has lost its relevance as the platform to encourage self-sustenance. It continues to breed more future employees and less future entrepreneurs as such it has raised the significance for those that aspire to be entrepreneurs to lean on self-education through business books and accessing e-learning material.
Those that aspire to be future entrepreneurs need to embrace self-education, many times you will fail and you will feel like quitting but there is need to bear
in mind that we are all new to this industrial revolution, technology may not be new but the speed of advancement is bolting ahead of us, we cannot easily catch up, that is if we ever do, entrepreneurship is about finding that gap and bolting ahead of everyone to try and realize their needs then service the needs for a price, there are many entrepreneurial opportunities that this 4th industrial revolution is dishing out, a free for all buffet, you just have to choose what suits you and your passion.
Entrepreneurship in the 4th industrial revolution and the next, is less about money and more about passion. What good is a lot of money without happiness, we need more happy business people in the future than depressed ones. Africa has not been fully exploited of ideas and resources, not to mention implementation. Think of data engineering, podcasting, graphic designing, web/application designing and development these are some of the few ideas there are more.
Entrepreneurship in the 4IR will grant you, freedom, flexibility, mobility above all the opportunity to see what your ideas, dreams and aspirations could look like when there are implemented and finished. This generation is hungry for success yet fearful to act upon their magnificent ideas, entrepreneurship is not easy but l tell you if is satisfying, just like Nike would say “just do it” PTWA supports those that are courageous to start, by saying, “success suits you”.
