Oh, how much ephemeral goodness is hidden in the human soul! And conscience, and the spirit of freedom, and the higher “I”, and a great many other such things. One of the strangest, most mysterious and unattainable of them for a long time was the “entrepreneurial spirit.” Now, after endless ordeals, insights, research and success, I am pleased to present to you in this article a lively and action-packed story of its search in 3D format with intermission and happy ending. So, it all started a quarter of a century ago... The Nineties: The Legend of Entrepreneurial Spirit The first time I heard the cherished expression was back in school. Around me, businesses, destinies, and illusions were built at lightning speed and collapsed just as quickly. Those who not only threw themselves into the sea of ​​market relations, but also cheerfully stayed afloat at least for some time, were said to have an entrepreneurial streak. A gift from above, they say. Either he exists, or it’s better not to meddle in business or trade. Noughties: Debunking the legend with the help of marketing and MBAV this time the vein went out of fashion. It has become bad form to mention such things, because new technologies have arrived - the science of entrepreneurship. The ninth wave of methods, terms, formulas and schemes hit our native business spaces. Everyone began to quickly graduate from academies, receive certificates and undergo multi-level audits. And those who previously justified their failures in business by lack of spirit now unanimously referred to the lack of professional business education. Tenth: The legend strikes back at the reputation of its debunkers And now times have changed once again. A black series of crises and shocks greedily devours both reputable established companies and barely blossoming startups, regardless of any diplomas and certificates. There was nothing to believe in and nothing to justify. External and internal supports have disappeared. All the choices offered today are equally hopeless for those who do not have an entrepreneurial spirit. Intermission: Knight at the crossroads If yesterday you left the doors of the institute or were laid off, then in front of you, in full gigantic height, stands a harsh alternative: either glue your fins together from hunger, or get money. And then you find yourself in a personal epic at the crossroads of three possible roads: You go to the right: Sales - you work for yourself, selling your own services (“husband for an hour,” for example) or goods (brooms knitted at your leisure). Or you resell something (for example, you have a station stall with beer and cigarettes). You’ll go straight: Production - you do something yourself. Products: brooms, greenhouse strawberries or synchrophasotrons for the needs of light industry. Or services: knife sharpening, artistic darning, removal of damage. The catch is that this in itself will not bring money. Both goods and services must first be sold to someone. And this either returns you to the first path, or deprives you of the lion's share of the revenue, which is taken by people selling your product on commission. As you know, a producer earns an order of magnitude more than an artist. You go to the left: Working for an “uncle” is hired labor with all its advantages and disadvantages. But first you need to get a job, that is, sell yourself to the employer, and this again is path No. 1. And if you don’t know how to sell well, at least your time and qualifications, then you are doomed to a miserable salary. Conclusion: you are forced to sell - whether you want it or not. You (I hope!) do not print or mint money. Therefore, they need to be exchanged for something useful for those who have this money. This means that, willy-nilly, you will have to go in search of an entrepreneurial spirit. Psycho-selling quest or Walking for 3D We will look for the vein according to all the rules, even in three dimensions: 1). Genealogical - In the last century, the majority of Russian families, where traditions of trade and entrepreneurship were developed (merchants), were either physically destroyed or scattered throughout the world. For several generations, loving and being able to sell has become as dangerous as singing at the top of your lungs.!!!