This Thursday, we visited the Guinness Enterprise Center, a hub for entrepreneurs in Dublin. The GEC provides office space for startups and scaling companies. They also provide opportunities for star ups to promote themselves and get in front of potential investors. I was very excited to visit here as I have dreams of creating my own business one day, as well as some current entrepreneurial ventures.

When hearing from entities who work closely with entrepreneurs, such as the Guinness Enterprise Center or venture capitalists, I am always interested in their opinions on what makes a successful entrepreneur. So, today I asked Ms. Madison Roche, the University Partnership Manager at GEC, her thoughts on the subject. She believes that flexibility is one the biggest keys to success in entrepreneurship. I have heard many different answers to this question such as organization or an undefinable “knack” for entrepreneurship, but flexibility is the only recurring answer. I believe having a sense of flexibility is important not just in entrepreneurship, but also in life. Many times, entrepreneurs face bumps in the road while going through tasks such as blueprinting, looking for investments, or production, but the ones who are successful never let change affect their progress.

I try to take this attitude and apply it to my whole outlook on life, not just the entrepreneurial side. Life throws many different things at you, but the way you face those challenges defines who you are. For example, the pandemic threw a lot of uncertainty into the world, especially for small businesses. I was lucky enough to shadow the owner of one of my favorite hometown restaurants . He was able to overcome the challenges of the pandemic by revamping the menu and marketing takeout services to counter for the loss of in person dining. I believe this is a perfect example of flexibility and producing something good out of a challenge.

Looking at my personal life, I sometimes fall into the easiness of being in a routine, where change and adversity can be increasingly detrimental when the routine goes through major shifts. The way I intend to grow myself is by looking to constantly improve even if it means breaking routines and push myself out of comfort zone by participating in things like this program. I feel that having new and diverse experiences is the key to developing into a better person. Adventurer Bear Grylls sums up this mindset in three simple words: “Improvise, Adapt, Overcome.”