Cutting Edge

I mentioned in the previous blog post how entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial strategy tie into incentives, rewards, and a “prize” per se. Without the perception or the realization of there being an incentive, reward, or prize for entrepreneurship, an entrepreneurial strategy will not be very effective. Traditionally, the incentive, reward, and prize for entrepreneurship – especially for the “Baby Boomer” generation and “Gen-X” generation – has been profit or the profit motive. But with a new generation such as the “Millennials” and “Gen-Z” rising to the forefront of entrepreneurship and international affairs at the present moment and in the coming years, the incentive, reward, and prize for entrepreneurship may no longer be limited to just profit or a profit motive.

Thus, I mentioned the “transformational” aspect and dimension of entrepreneurship. The “transformational” aspect of entrepreneurship relates to the change, reform, and transformation not just of business and enterprise, but of international affairs as a whole. And what has truly enabled the “transformational” aspect and dimension of entrepreneurship to take root is technology. Arguably, without technology, the transformational aspect of entrepreneurship may have never taken root in my lifetime. Status quo powers and entrenched interests in virtually every society would have continued to define and shape the aspirations and goals of entire societies had technology not developed the way it has developed over the course of the last number of years. 2014 – which marks the first year of what is known as the “Cyborg Era” – is arguably the year which the impact of technology on international affairs began to become highly acute, given that the following year, Donald Trump was able to transform international affairs by launching a presidential campaign.

Therefore, as a result of technology, virtually every aspect of international affairs – whether it relates to academics, business, diplomacy, defense, politics, law, media, or even romance and sexuality – has transformed over the course of the last few years. Donald Trump once said on the lawn of the White House that had it not been for technology, he would have never become president. Thus, with technology, the chances for a person to “self-actualize” and become a “steward of the earth” and in turn oversee and manage international affairs have never been greater than they are at the present moment. For instance, Amazon has redefined academics and education. Because of Amazon, people can access books and resources that were once monopolized by ivory tower intellectuals and professors. Now, entrepreneurs like myself have personal libraries and bookshelves that are unmatched by even the most famous media pundits and university professors.

Furthermore, technology has enabled the “democratization” of the public sphere at an unprecedented level. In addition to the “democratization” of the public sphere, technology has also globalized the public sphere. Thus, globalization is a paradox, in the sense that globalization has widened the global public sphere, while making it smaller at the same time. People can have intimate friendships and relationships with one another despite being in different parts of the globe. Without even having to leave the house, an entrepreneur like myself living in the suburbs of Washington, DC can now become acquainted with people from all over the world and establish friendships and relationships with these people, regardless of the fact that these people live as far away as England, India, or even China. In closing, although the challenges and obstacles to entrepreneurship have always been immense and are perhaps even more immense for people in my generation, there has never been a more exciting and interesting time to be an entrepreneur than right now.