One out of two Greeks wish to start their own business

“One out of two Greeks wish to start their own business according to a survey of the eurobarometer which took place in all countries-members.

According to the results of the survey, 47% of the questioned Greeks aged 15-39 expressed their wish to form their own business within the next 5 years. It is the highest percentage in the Eurozone and the fourth highest among the 25 countries of the European Union, after the Latvians (50%), Polish (48%) and Lithuanians (48%). The lowest percentages have the Germans (19%), Belgians(18%) and the Austrians (16%)… In general, in the Europe of 25, the average of people who are living with the dream of starting their own business it’s not higher than 30% against 42% in USA. The 49% of the Europeans have never thought something like this, while in USA the percentage is not higher than 27%.

In accordance with an intermediate report of the European Commission, the average cost for starting a small & medium business is at 554 Euro against 813 Euro in 2002. Also,the time has been reduced almost at half, in about 12 days against 24 days in 2002.

This positive progress has been achieved due to the measures which the Commision forwards against bureaucracy, the improvement of accessing markets and the encouragement of doing business.

Small & medium businesses employ less than 250 employees, but the 23 millions S&M business of the European Union represent as a whole approximatelly 99% of the overall number of the Union’s businesses and the 57% of the aggregate economic added-value.

Furthermore, the Commision announced the creation of a programme which will help the S&M businesses to apply the european enviromental legislation. It is the “supporting programme for the enviromental compliance” which is an innitiative of the commisioner Stavros Dimas. The financing of the measures of the programme will come from the financial resources of the LIFE+ (5 millions euro for 2007-13).”

The above results of the eurobarometer’s survey  means for us  an awakening in the entrepreneurial instincts of Greeks. However this must be an awakening in qualitive entrepreneurship. We’re saying this because there are many people  who can’t find a job and instead they’re starting a business. The problem is that they’re lacking not only the proper business education but more importantly they’re lacking  the proper entrepreneurial mind-set which is necessary for starting a business.  Absence of “qualitive entrepreneurship” leads to people starting a business with the purpose of making money “fast & easy”. Of course this is not entrepreneurship.  True entrepreneurship means building a sustainable business with a long-term vision, at view. Our community, as supporters of the rich dad philosophy we’re making efforts for educating people regarding proper business education, particulary focusing on schools because as Robert Kiyosaki says:  “Schools teach students to become employees not entrepreneurs”. Indeed, we strongly believe that only by  having proper business education and proper entrepreneurial mind-set, this awakening in the entrepreneurial genes of Greeks will ultimatelly lead to the development of entrepreneurship in our country.