The Entrepreneurial Attitude: Lessons From Junior Achievement's 100 Years Of Developing Young Entrepreneurs

CHAPTER 1

Sense of Mission

Creating an Entrepreneurial Strategy and Culture

From my very first day as an entrepreneur, I’ve felt the only mission worth pursuing in business is to make people’s lives better.… Above all, you want to create something you are proud of.

RICHARD BRANSON, Founder, Virgin Group

You say Richard Branson’s quote is a bit high-minded? You bet it is. The fact is entrepreneurs truly believe they are doing something important in the world. They believe they’re creating value for customers, employees, and of course themselves. We call it having a “sense of mission” about their work. Such high purpose, however, gets quickly translated into two very practical questions: What is our business strategy (essentially what products, ...