What defines the entrepreneurial spirit? Drive, focus, innovation, can-do attitude, self-determination and the desire to be different. If you demonstrate these qualities you might be an entrepreneurial spirit. It doesn't matter whether you run your own business or if you work for someone else. What creates the entrepreneurial spirit? Are you born with it or is it determined by your environment? I believe it is both. The environment can help to nurture the spirit within you. The perfect environment to nurture that spirit is the Yukon Territory of Canada. The Yukon is a breath-taking land of extremes and hardy spirit to match. Winter temperatures range from -60C to summer days in the thirties. Winter days shorten to five hours of sunlight while the mid summer sun shines for almost 24 hours a day. You will find Canada's highest peak, Mount Logan and Canada's westernmost city - Whitehorse. Chinook Salmon swim 2,000 miles up the Yukon River to spawn. The worlds toughest dog sled race, The Yukon Quest, runs 1,000 miles from Fairbanks, Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon each year. It is a grueling 10 day contest of 'musher' and dog team against the elements and most importantly against one's self. The mushers face their own limits, self doubts and often wild hallucinations due to fatigue and lack of sleep. These are extreme conditions that would tax the mettle of entrepreneurs everywhere. Entrepreneurs explore their own limits, and face self doubts and lack of sleep in their business. Business conditions and cash flow can swing from one extreme to the other. Like the mushers a successful entrepreneur needs to focus, prepare, and plan. Then be ready to flex as conditions or opportunities demand. A woman won the Feb 2000 race for the first time in its 17 year history. The entrepreneur of the new millennium is more likely to be a woman. They are staking out new ground in the workplace, as corporate CEO's and in small business. The once mighty mining industry has fallen. Old strengths can become future weaknesses. The new force is the entrepreneur. A rapidly growing part of the new business is destination tourism. The Yukon is a beauty to visit and experience. Be sure to mark the Yukon on your list of places you must visit soon. The new entrepreneurs are not just in tourism. They include builders, jewelers, artists, brewers, authors and Internet specialists. The Yukon is the perfect incubator for the entrepreneurial spirit. Plan your journey; focus your efforts and mush! |
