One of the most exciting and attractive professions of all is being an entrepreneur. As a profession, entrepreneurship is not very well defined and many mistake shop owners with entrepreneurs. In reality entrepreneurship goes beyond owning or opening a shop. Entrepreneurship is a life style. There are sufficient connoisseurs around the world who can advocate to this lifestyle. If there is something entrepreneurs share is their capacity to overcome adversities and manage power. As someone once said: ¨the character of a man becomes evident, not when he overcomes adversity, but when he manages appropriately the power obtained through an adversity¨. An entrepreneur will always be looking for new ways of doing things and for new business adventures, and he or she will not be worried about the power gained through these initiatives.
Entrepreneurship comes from the French word entrepreneur, which means pioneer in English. A pioneer is someone who innovates and brings new perspectives to his or her world in context. Entrepreneurs and innovators are usually paradigm breakers and tend to look at the world in more positive ways. It is fair to say that someone´s context will define the type of entrepreneur they will be. Some contexts are less hostile than others, and in many cases private investors and a supportive community become the best allies for entrepreneurs.
For many years now, people around the world have recognized Medellin as a city that provides the tools entrepreneurs need to become successful. Starting with one of the most supportive governments in Latin America, in what regards to innovation and technology, added to a close community, Medellin is a nurturing environment to entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs in Medellin understand their role in the ecosystem and are helping others overcome adversities.
Today, Medellin has a supportive government, and institutions such as Ruta N, and iNNpulsa, which gives entrepreneur motivation to jump into new ideas knowing there will be support from the government. Initiatives like ESPACIO provide the ecosystem a space to have startups grow and experience startup life at its best.
There are still many aspects that need to be considered in Medellin, and many things that entrepreneurs need to do to make the ecosystem grow. However, the motivation to change and innovate is alive in Medellin and everyday more entrepreneurs are being added to the ecosystem.