How environment is programming a mindset (entrepreneur)

So, how come, in some countries, an idea has more chances to come alive than others?

For start, entrepreneurship is mostly about insecurity and, of course, you know the drill, is very important the attitude of defying insecurity and push further, despite of it.

A cultural environment may help a wannabe entrepreneur to deal with insecurity or, on the contrary.

I’ll give you a simple analogy: decades after World War II, many of ex. soldiers, especially those imprisoned for many years in concentration camps, developed the habit of stashing bread in their closets. A LOT of bread. Was a compulsive act, easy to understand after so many years of life threatening by starvation. It didn’t matter their children or grandchildren had high profitable business or having themselves very good retirements. The sense of security vanished from their guts, even if their reasoning remained in normal numbers, so to speak. Even if they were ashamed with this compulsory act, they still have done it.

It is about the same thing with entrepreneurs raised in cultures (or countries) where the basic need of security was not fulfilled. They learned from childhood that the world is a very insecure place so their unconscious will overwrite most of any attempt to embrace risk as it is or, in case of a growing business, refuse to accelerate (reinvest) and stash some bread into the closet. A LOT of bread.

Now replace the war with crisis and closets with bodies.

Studies showed already that children born in hard times (with food deprivation) tend to become fat at maturity because the body has been “welcomed” to a harsh world, so it adapts with the need to store resources. This is deeply engraved on their minds for the entire life and it’s not something you can easily be aware of. Life, indeed is changing you from the very roots.

(Of course, the reverse story may apply as exceptions. Is the difference between reacting and acting. You are familiar with insecurity being the only thing known as “normal”. You managed to be a successful entrepreneur because you’re comfortable with a risky life. Anyway, culture, intelligence, and education has a lot to say in this story.)