Think Like a Scientist

When a scientist starts an experiment, he or she has high hopes for its intended outcome. However, we know that other things being equal, outcomes are never as predicted. As entrepreneurs, it is quite similar in that we take an idea, mix it with a recipe of economic factors to create a business and try to make it a profitable success. Little do the majority know that just as a swan looks calm above water, many mistakes are made before an entrepreneur gets it right.

Let’s explore this further- A former marine science researcher, Len Kenyon who teaches sixth-grade science in Ohio, said “I teach my kids that science is a process. It’s messy, it’s here, it’s there. They might be doing something and all of a sudden they get data they didn’t expect to get and suddenly they’re off on a tangent. That’s real science.” When you examine this sentence with the viewpoint of an entrepreneur, you can understand that this is what the job truly entails with a lot of faith of course.

Let’s take a look at the following extract about research done by Francine Lafontaine and Kathryn Shaw on the successes and failures of retail entrepreneurs in Texas from 1990 to 2011...Of the first-time entrepreneurs whose businesses closed quickly, the overwhelming majority—71 percent—didn’t bother to try again. But the tenacious 29 percent who did were more likely to be successful the second, third, and even tenth time around. The researchers argue that experience, even when it’s not positive, is invaluable—that entrepreneurs learn effectively from mistakes as well as from successes.

As for scientists, they are absolute in their resolve. If it isn’t working, a thought process rings true- “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Samuel Beckett. When I think about Albert Einstein or Nikola Tesla or Marie Curie, I wonder how many times they failed before succeeding at proving their theories. How similar do we entrepreneurs feel when we try and try at the same thing not the same business, but the science of entrepreneurship?

So like a scientist, I turned my failures into a success. My tenacity, my courage, to keep my focus in the midst of a tempest and still be flexible on my vision’s outcomes- That dear reader, is the true science of faith in self and in something much greater that guides us all! I conclude with one of my favorite quotes from Napoleon Hill, to help you see how mastering my science has truly helped me be a better entrepreneur.

written by Adesola Akindele

October 2015

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