Technopreneurship is one of the things in which every person should learn not only for Information Technology students but for all individuals who have this social awareness in the society so that they too could impart their own ideas on raising some business and becoming an effective entrepreneur. Entrepreneur comes from a French word Entreprendre meaning individuals who undertakes the risk of new ventures, which invest, transforms, and makes profit otherwise loss. Technopreneurship they are those entrepreneurs who uses technology as their driven factor in transforming resources into goods and services, which would eventually leads to creating an environment conducive to industrial growth. In which while taking the risk of becoming an entrepreneur they are also responsible for all the actions that would takes place.
Just as in the movie entitled Pirates of the Silicon Valley which was a documentary drama based on the book “Fire in the Valley: The making of the personal computer” by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine, featuring the rivalry between Apple computers and Microsoft during the development of personal computers. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were the important persons who play those important roles upon the development and history of computers.
What are the factors that contributed to the success and failure of Steve Jobs as a Technopreneur?
First and foremost Steve Jobs whose real name was Steve Paul Jobs is an american business magnate and an inventor who is well known as a co-founder and chief executive officer of apple together with Steve Wozniak, Mike Markkula and others who designed, developed, and marketed one of the first commercially successful lines of personal computers, the Apple II series. He was also able to see the potential of the mouse-driven graphical user interface which led to the creation of the Macintosh. During his history of business Jobs’ has contributed symbolic image of the idiosyncratic individualism in the Silicon Valley entrepreneur. On which he emphasizes the importance of design and understanding the crucial role in public appeal. Making him an example towards development of products which are said to be functional an elegant. He is merely obsessed with wiping out IBM, which was practically like the pentagon at that time.
Looking deeply to Jobs’ as an affective entrepreneur i could say that his personality is one of the factors that contributed his whole being giving the factors of his failures:
• Narcissism- is a personality trait of egotism, vanity, conceit or a simple selfishness. It is also a behavior of infatuation on oneself, who only loves his whole being and everything about him without the sensitivity of others feelings around him.
Jobs’ has the tendency of being a narcissist for he has grown insensitive to those persons who are surrounding and working for him. By asking “Are you a virgin?” to one of the applicant who comes from the San Jose State and who have been seen as an IBM type. The applicant who was in a shock of the kind of question that Steve had asked and his ill-mannered gesture of putting his feet on the table was unclear of his answer was unable to give him the right answer to the question. So without hesitation Steve told him “You don’t fit in here, why are you wasting you’re time?”. Although the applicant was older than he was he doesn’t even mind about it. Also during the time when his girlfriend confronted him about the baby that she has been bearing, Steve was not even move by it and nags the baby wasn’t his.
• Being short-tempered
Entrepreneur having this characteristic is a very hard thing to deal with especially for those employees who are working for him. He was very short-tempered when some complications takes place and would easily loosed his mind leading towards bragging on every worker. Just like inside the apple computer when he had been ask about what he thinks on the programs that was develop by the programmers, he raised his voice and eventually leads him to loose his control and get mad. He was not able to control his emotions over his actions and forgets about himself and goes wild.
• perfectionist
In 1977 during a Computer Faire at San Francisco California, the Apple Company was expanding so fast with the management of Steve. Apple has develop The Lisa and later the Macintosh computers which were inspired by Xerox Alto which was develop by Californian group of developers having the ability of featuring the ability to use the mouse, graphics on screen and graphical interface. Steve had appended that “real artist shed”, and that forget apple Macintosh seized history.
On the following year 1980, Microsoft also has it’s office at Seattle. Where in he asked Paul to joined with him. Having the tandem of these two, they headed for IBM and suggested that they can compete with apple for they got an operating system called DOS (Disk Operating System) which in according to them can compute makes zillion of computers computes. They were just to confident that they don’t even have the OS that they have been talking about. With the aid of the Seattle Computer company they were able to buy an OS costing $50000 which solves the problem that they have just made. The film then follows the subsequent development of the IBM-PC with the help of Gates and Microsoft in 1981.
• tough, rough and intimidating
Steve has also the sides of being tough in a way that those individuals who are working for him doesn’t anymore find it easy to get close to him and also build some working relationship towards him being the boss. He is also a rough and intimidating person which leads Bill to quit Apple and goes back to Harvard. Besides during a beach party in which Steve Jobs’ has introduce the new apple features two of the employees where on the fight, one saying that Jobs’ has not been a good leader and that his rude. Having the other person in favor for Jobs’ says “how can you say that man, when he feeds us!” and tough the fight rambles begins. Also he has fail in regards to dealing with his employees for he treated them roughly being a very rude blunt.
Steve Jobs shortly before he was fired by CEO John Sculley from Apple Computer. The movie ends with Steve Jobs returning to Apple after its acquisition , and Bill Gates appearing live via satellite at a MacWorld Expo in 1997, during Jobs' first Stevenote keynote address, to announce an alliance between Apple and Microsoft. It notes at the end that Gates, at that time, was the richest man in the world.
As being a technopreneur Steve Jobs’ has also some remarkable attitudes which are also considered as the key factors to his success:
• A very Determined person
Jobs told his partner Steve Wozniak that it is they, not the protesters, who are the true revolutionaries. Despite the spiritual dimension in which Jobs views their work, which Wozniak simply sees their computer work in terms of kilobytes and circuit boards. On the other hand at Harvard University, Bill Gates with his classmate Steve Ballmer and Gates’ high school friend Paul Allen are already conducting their early work with MITS. Jobs’ has sold his BMW 1350 bucks for them to get a fund for the project that they were making, with their little workshop at Steve’s parent’s garage. It was then they call themselves Apple. Until a capitalist named Mike shows up and funded them for a quarter million dollars, saying “No catch just business”. Jobs’ wasn’t confident yet about the kind of business that they are unto, mockingly said “it’s spiritual overthrowing dead culture”. With the keenness of a good entrepreneur they were able to convince Mike to retain the ownership to them.
• internal locus of control
Definition: Locus of control refers to an individual's generalized expectations concerning where control over subsequent events resides. In other words, who or what is responsible for what happens. It is analogous to, but distinct from, attributions. According to Weiner the "attribution theory assumes that people try to determine why people do what they do, i.e., attribute causes to behavior."
"Internal control" is the term used to describe the belief that control of future outcomes resides primarily in oneself - Julian Rotter's original (1966)
Besides people like Steve who has an internal locus of control believes that they can control their own destiny and also believe that their own experiences are controlled by their own skill and ability. just like when the portion where in Steve says “ you know what were doing?! it’s like opening doors everyday, if you open the wrong one, all bad things comes in be careful which door you open”. This clearly shows that he believes that being careful is needed in order to get a god foundation.
• Vision and innovation
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”-Steve Jobs
This was a citation given my Steve himself. Innovation is when an idea or invention is translated into good or service, it must be a replicable at an economical cost and must satisfy specific needs which will involve the deliberate application of an information, imagination and initiative deriving a greater value form a resources which can be those individuals who are in support of a certain innovation and believe that it could provide something great on hand. Steve already has this innovation of developing and creating something that would be in competent to IBM which was on these years compared to pentagon at present.
With that innovation he was able to widen his imagination during the time when he had come across Xerox making it a foundation of his works.
• Optimism and Passion
This is one of the key factors that help him. He had made himself versatile on the change in the environment on which he was used to having beards and dressed himself on shirts and grassy shorts. After he had returned form a District Saving and Loans to introduce his innovations he shaved off his beards and dress in business attire for he said “Banks don’t like beards.”
• Apprehensive and Confidentiality
Steve as a good technoprenuer has the ability to apprehend every single step that he has been making that even the slightest mistake done by those surrounding him would really be noticeable. He was also been a confidential and knows where his limitations is. During the time when Microsoft visited Apple he does welcomes them for they have the attitude ad shows to them their Macintosh computer but only until there showing a little about it was just enough for he knows the rest of what is inside are said to be a confidential in order to gain no duplications on what is being made by macintosh.
• charisma
This was also one of the good factors that Steve got in which he has a special personal quality or power of an individual making him capable of influencing or inspiring large numbers of people and be able to cheer them up in order to inspires them. When the time that one of his affiliates left apple he was not afffected by it he stand alone and made his employees trust him. That even if he is alone to continue what is being started he still has the courage, and even the charisma to encourage his workers more to do something and show themselves that they too had the ability to make something extraordinary out of ordinary ideals.
• Marketing Genius
This lies in the ability to connect outside and inside, markets and business, customers and shareholders, creativity and analysis, promises and reality, today and tomorrow. Jobs’ is also a market genius for he was able to make Apple Computer Inc. expands so fast after that 1977 Computer Faire held at San Francisco California. He has able to connect and invites some powerful shareholders and capitalist to ally with him.
• Zealous
He as a good technopreneur is very enthusiastic on every decision that he made he stands on what he thinks that is best and never been pre-occupied with the IBM who was been known of that time.
How do you see yourself as a Technopreneur?
With my current state as a student who is currently studying I see myself not as a Technopreneur yet because I haven’t had the business that is generally marked with a high growth potential and high leverage of knowledge and intellectual property. I could only consider myself as a minipreneur as of the present for I doesn’t possess huge capital base to start a large business but is the one who starts a new venture with this limited capital and with the help of that small capital base.
I see myself as innovative enough to put into creation what I got in mind, with the hesitations that others might not appreciate on what I got, as long as in myself I know what i have been doing and that it doesn’t underestimate others individual nor abuse their rights of being an entrepreneur.
“We’re here to put a dent in the universe, otherwise why else even be here? ” -Steve Jobs
Just as what Steve had said everyone has same aim to be able to make something which will leave a footnote on history. I also wanted to make something recognizable something which I can be sure that would help the present and also those that are to come. As to being an effective entrepreneur myself being able to do great work is to love everything that I do no matter how hard it is. If we haven’t find yet those that satisfies what were aiming for continue looking and be in safe without harming others.
“Don’t settle as all matters of heart you’ll know when you find it.” –Steve Jobs
Besides, I recognize myself as someone who has a zeal for every innovation that I am confident of. Just as the present I have dedicated myself on improving my designing and sketching skills for whom no one knows when i will be able to used this skill to brightened up the future that are yet to come. I stay optimistic and passionate on what i have been doing for this is also one of the key factors that would make me a better technopreneur on the years to come but without those vision and innovations what someone has started had nothing to go far for he has not molded the corner stone of his foundation towards becoming an entrepreneur. A good personality is one that every venture individual must have one who has an internal locus of control, one who is apprehensive and confidential and able to motivate every person whom who doesn’t recognized what it takes to be an effective technopreneur.
Besides having Steve jobs as an example to myself, i could also get some of his very significant charateristics besides his being a short-tempered. Just like his being an innovative person, in myself i also see myself as an innovative individual who does not just really merely on what is seen through others and then follow what they have been doing. I guess in myself i have the ability to make something which is unique and perhaps innovate things where were never been seen, in order also influence others so that they too can make their own creation so as to make this world better not just to make it more worst and bitter to live in. In addition to it, i also consider myself as someone who is not afraid to face what it takes to make my own decision in which i have make sure that it doesn’t harm any of the persons around me. I will also consider on the ideas of others for we know that sometimes our friends knows us better than we know our self. So, asking for some advice doesn’t do any harm to me as long as i keep being an optimistic individual who does not just think of myself but rather for all who are also in my surroundings.
I also see myself as an person who has all it takes to make something out of something which were perhaps unnoticed and where in no one has ever played attention to. Also, i have some weaknesses in me, in which i also have the fear to fail on things which i will be doing but upon thinking to myself that I could do better then the rest follows for we know that if we trusted God above all other things He is surely to help us as long us we keep faith and never doubted his presence. “God’s providence”. This is also one way to keep myself over come some weakness that i felt through thinking that he would provide us, but we in return would alos do our might to make the pace to accomplished something. Making others feel better is also one of the quality in which me and Steve jobs has in common. I can make others feel better and also encourage them to remain in control while at the same time i also motivate myself that i can do what i have started as long as i never give up in other words “no retreat, no surrender!” As an entreprenuer i have another character in which most of my friends notice about me, I make things whenever I think that i will do it and no matter what the obstacles may be I’m still going to make it. I never put things or do things n the other day as long as I can accomplish something with in the day I’m going to do it.
I reflected that being an entreprenneur is not just about yourself but it is on how you innovate something and convince others that you can make and develop what is in your mind and that you cannot just do it alone without their help. Of course, a man never know that he had unless someone going to recognize it and invest on it, and a man never knows what he lacks unless someone’s going to criticized about it.
Would you take the same career path that Steve Jobs took? Why or why not?
No.
I would not follow the same career path that Steve Jobs had although he has made himself a lot of money but when it comes to how he sees and does things he was so aggressive and opportunistic. He has been a narcissist where in he merely thinks that he was the boss and violated the rights of those who had been working for him. He had changes his attitude in that made him rude enough for the rest and even to his friend Steve Wozniak who had quitted Apple for he could no longer bared the changes of Jobs’ attitude. Jobs’ looses his friend who had been so defensive on what others says about Jobs’ for he knows he was not or what they have been saying about him was not true and even found himself beaten by one of his staff one night for being too bitchy and rude towards them, for they as an employee knows that they have been constantly doing all they could to give Steve the best they can. Just as the air over slighted a balloon it reaches it’s limits and eventually busted out.
Being a unique individual I will take different path of career aside from Steve Jobs’ had taken without hurting any individuals who have been surrounding me. Strive myself to be a good technopreneur whom if given the chance of ultimate or even success would still be same as what others known about me, and changes nothing nor harm no one. For the saying says “Do not do unto others what you don’t want that others would do unto you”.
Just as Wozniak has said “You know, Steve was never like you or me. He always saw things differently. Even when I was in Berkeley, I would see something and just see kilobytes or circuit boards while he'd see karma or the meaning of the universe.
Steve has the thing for Karma or the universe before he had been into what he has been through and looses those believes when he was on the top of his rising success.
I doesn’t want to be anybody or somebody who looses those things that one has already got in exchange of the news experience which is unknown if it would last for long. I will be making my own way and be transparent to everyone so that they too would be influence and will be encourage to do something in which others are afraid of. Crossing the limits of what we expect that we are not capable of, would do no harm on us. It is just like peeping through a window, we do not know what’s inside the house unless we take the courage to do it. Everything relies on each an d everyone’s will power when we motivated ourselves that we can do it, we really can and we alone can prove the triumph of our zeal power.
Let us go beyond the box and shows to rest of the world what we are capable of and never forget to look back on where we came from.
References:
http://www.myarticlemall.com/articledetail.php?artid=5866&catid=14
http://www.allaboutbranding.com/index.lasso?article=438http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirates_of_Silicon_Valley
notes.ump.edu.my/fkee/Techno/C1%20Technopreneurship.ppt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirates_of_Silicon_Valley
