Traveling, the best training for entrepreneurship
Knowing many entrepreneurs and taking into account my own experience, I realize that traveling (freely, with a backpack, as a vital experience and learning) equips you with the necessary tools and skills to work on your own. It is a master's degree in itself, to develop an entrepreneurial culture.
Which travel qualities can be useful for entrepreneurship?
Managing fear: every self-organized trip has, before starting, that mixture of butterflies in the stomach and trembling in the legs. Knowing how to breathe and manage these emotions is vital, knowing how to detect when fear is inventing frightening thoughts or when you idealize the destination... that has nothing to do with reality.
If you are going to start a new entrepreneurship, one of the first things you have to learn is to manage fear and uncertainty.
Interact with different, unknown people: communicating and connecting deeply with people with whom you do not share a common language strengthens your communication tools and empathy, makes you know that nothing is impossible.
Being uninhibited and engaging in conversations naturally, being interested in other people's lives and realities, respecting different ways of being and doing... is exactly what you will need when relating to your clients and your collaboration network.
Solo Entrepreneurship can be sometimes very complicated (and boring), so it is better to surround yourself with a collaborative and friendly network with which to promote exciting projects. Even if you are alone, never alone.
That last bus of the day that doesn't arrive at nightfall, in the middle of nowhere, in that city you don't know... it's about improvising without despairing.
During the venture you will encounter various situations that will require a dose of improvisation and patience.
Adelantarse a posibles circunstancias y reponerse de los imprevistos con actitud positiva y sabiendo que «todo sale siempre» es una cuestión clave en los negocios consolidados o incipientes, y también para el intraemprendimiento en organizaciones más grandes.
Adapt to different climates, new foods for you, understand other paradigms of thinking and look at your culture with a critical perspective. The adaptability we are talking about has to do with tolerating new scenarios, opening your mind to experiences from an attitude of flow, taking advantage of serendipity.