Entrepreneurship

"Isn’t life too short to work for a boss?" This opening question challenges readers to consider their stance on entrepreneurship, highlighting that it is as much about culture and courage as it is about business. It is a mindset.

Entrepreneurship: A Mindset is a thought-provoking, scientifically grounded book exploring how entrepreneurship influences the economy and our quality of life. Historically, entrepreneurs who failed, faced public shame. Though this is changing, society still has a long way to go in fully embracing failure and fostering entrepreneurship.

This book covers the entrepreneurial journey from inception to growth, addressing concepts from unicorns to zombies, success to failure, offshoring to reshoring. The author advocates for a supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem in Europe, prioritising entrepreneurs over managers, preferring industry over public administration and emphasising entrepreneurship policy over employment policy to generate economic growth and sustainable jobs. Essential to this vision are entrepreneurial culture, venture financing, business angels, crowdfunding, incubators, accelerators, reshoring, second chance policies, and a robust industrial policy based on an open strategic autonomy.

Rudy Aernoudt is Professor of Corporate Finance and Enterprise Policy at the Universities of Ghent, Nancy and at BMI (a joint venture of HEC Paris and Louvain Management School). He was Director of Cabinet at European level, at Belgian federal level, at Walloon level and at Flemish level. He was also Director-General of One Laptop Per Child, a spin-off of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Secretary-General for Economy and Innovation in Flanders and Chief Economist at the European Commission.