In
achieving a successful business plan, people often turn to experts in the field
for assistance. Two experts, Dr. Steven
Gedeon and Carl Schramm, have had a history of promoting their expertise to
those in need of business advice.
According
to Ryerson University (2013), Dr. Steven Gedeon is a professor in
Entrepreneurship and Strategy at the Ted Rogers School of Management. He has spoken at events and published
articles about leadership, motivation, and entrepreneurship. Recipient of numerous teaching awards, Dr.
Gedeon teaches the year-long experiential capstone courses in entrepreneurship and
have helped students create new revenue for existing companies, as well as
create new companies.
While Dr.
Gedeon teaches principles of entrepreneurship, he believes that the best way to
learn about being an entrepreneur is by becoming one and learning through
experience. He illustrates the ideal
method for learning by comparing to the way guitarists learn their
instrument. The player does not learn by
watching others or by simply reading a book.
The guitarist learns by physically playing, immersing himself into the
craft, collaborating with other musicians, and gaining new ideas from them
(YouTube, 2013).
Carl
Schramm was the former president of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, one
of the largest private funders of economic research (Syracuse University,
2011). The foundation aims to educate
budding entrepreneurs by teaching how to be economically independent and encourages
the improvement of their communities (Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation,
2013). Providing opportunities for
disadvantaged children with academic programs, the Kauffman Foundation strives
to become a model for preparing the next generation of entrepreneurs and
workers. Carl Schramm believes that a
solid education is the foundation for a successful life. He says under-developed nations can instill
growth with their communities by focusing on entrepreneurship and small
businesses.
In starting
businesses, Carl Schramm believes that writing a business plan is essentially a
waste of time. He says there is a
plethora of information on how to write a succinct business plan and not enough
education on actually starting a business.
Carl believes that a person’s character will determine the success of
the business rather than how well the business plan is written (Stein,
2012).
Both Dr.
Steven Gedeon and Carl Schramm share similar views when it comes to starting a
business. The only way to be better at
entrepreneurship and beginning a startup is to just do it. Basic information is all that is needed for
success: what is the product, who is willing to buy it, why is it needed, and
how is the product being delivered (Stein, 2012).
References
Ryerson University (2013). Bios – Dr. Steven Gedeon. Ted Rogers
School of Management. Retrieved from http://www.ryerson.ca/tedrogersschool/bm/faculty_staff/bios/gedeon.html
Stein, A. (2012). Carl Schramm – straight talk on
entrepreneurship. SteinVox. Retrieved from http://steinvox.com/blog/carl-schramm-straight-talk-on-entrepreneurship-why-we-need-it/
Syracuse University (2013). Profiles – Carl Schramm. School
of Information Studies. Retrived from http://my.ischool.syr.edu/Profiles/Preview/cschramm
YouTube (2013). Steven Gedeon | Entrepreneurship is like
learning to play guitar. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyQiJd2CrPQ
