Dead or Alive of Entrepreneurship in the U.S.: A Helicoptered Entrepreneur?

Dead or Alive of Entrepreneurship in the U.S.: A Helicoptered Entrepreneur?

by J. Philip Choi (Aug. 03 2010) 

Helicopter parents are seemed to taking an important role for booming up small business creation as Wall Street Journal article said [1]. 

Is it good for promoting entrepreneurship in a society? 

Babara did not agree with this helicoptering small business since a real business education can be achieved with 'tough' experiences as she experienced during 1990s as a English major graduate in Seattle [2].  

For me, emerging helicoptered entrepreneurship seems a symptom of dying entrepreneurship in a society with three reasons. 

First, a helicoptered entrepreneur do not understanding the key concept of entrepreneurship. Though there are many different definitions of entrepreneurship, one of the core concepts of entrepreneurship is 'taking risks.' A helicoptered entrepreneur may not need to worry about 'taking risks' since a business is fully supported by his/her parents. Similar to a smart words "No pains, No gains," "No risks, No entrepreneurship" is a common sense, especially in the U.S. society. 

Second, a helicoptered entrepreneur cannot learn entrepreneurship from his/her helicoptered business since he/she cannot have enough commitment for the business. What will be the consequence if the helicoptered business turns to fail for the entrepreneur? Nothing! since the business is not initiated by him/herself but his/her parents. Lower commitment makes lower responsible, lower responsibility makes lower learning. 

Finally, entrepreneurial competences cannot be developed at a helicoptered business. As I already described, no risk taking makes no commitment and no commitment makes no learning. No learning means entrepreneurial competences are unable to be developed by a doing helicoptered business.  

With these reasons, I am asserting the helicoptered business is killing entrepreneurship in a society. 

According to the signaling effect theory, popularizing helicoptered businesses in a society make a undesirable signals to it, and in consequence entrepreneurship is become dead. 

So, I hope to recommend many helicopter parents stopping over-parenting for new college graduates not only for promoting independence of their kids, but also not for killing entrepreneurship in our society. 

A lion is grown up with many challenges, not with caring. 

Give your kids an opportunity confronting challenges by themselves.

[1] When the Folks Give You the Business

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703292704575393092548287792.html?mod=WSJ_SmallBusiness_LEFTTopStories

[2] A Small Business for the College Graduate?

By BARBARA TAYLOR

http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/a-small-business-for-the-college-graduate/?src=twt&twt=nytsmallbiz