Week 2 Reading Reflection

The biggest surprise in the reading for me was the myth Kuratko debunked that stated “Most Entrepreneurial Initiatives Fail” I thought this myth was true. Kuratko goes on to explain that many entrepreneurs suffer a number of failures before they are successful. However, the statistics of entrepreneurial failure rates have been misleading. I expected each and every entrepreneur to face hardship after hardship in the quest for success.

One part of the reading that was confusing to me was the differences in the Macro and Micro view of entrepreneurship.

One question I would ask the author would be if he could identify some Gazelle firms here in Gainesville. These Gazelles are growing rapidly and so it would be interesting to see which companies fit under the title of a Gazelle here in Gainesville. Another question I would ask Kuratko about would be the impact the Great Recession had on entrepreneurs in general. Did more entrepreneurs get discouraged, thus lowering the number of entrepreneurs? Or did the recession cause a quest to build the country back up again, thus creating more entrepreneurs.

On page four, the author states, “...and the entrepreneurial mind-set is the dominant force.” Although I agree it is a strong force and it is a force that drives the revolution in an economic sense, I disagree that it is the dominant force. The entrepreneurial mind-set is what created successful businesses, but I believe the dominant force is the managers that over-see and run these businesses present day.  There is no doubt that entrepreneurs founded these companies and businesses. However, all good things must come to an end, and after the entrepreneurs exit the business the dominant force becomes the managers that over take the “beasts” entrepreneurs have created. These “beasts” dominate the economy and continue to revolutionize business. Although the entrepreneurial mind-set is necessary to success, it is not the dominant force.