Ask the Experts Theme 2: Adopting an Engaged Approach
I asked the focus group of experts how we could adopt an engaged approach to getting entrepreneurs and others to contribute to the intervention. Here’s what they said.
Make Sure It’s Appropriately Paced
Business support organisation representative Andrew highlighted the importance of pacing the intervention appropriately for entrepreneurs. “ People who do have that entrepreneurial spirit work at quite a pace, so training, the octane level of it, not too slow or too methodical, as I’m not sure it would appeal. They like pace, the speed, the challenges. Learning and development for people of that mindset is really important. Their boredom threshold can be quite low as well; they want to quickly move on, so it would be an issue if it didn’t challenge them.”
Build Relationships Based on Sharing
Business network leader Scott feels that sharing is the key to making the research available and accessible. “ In terms of how to contribute, it is building those relationships to share, it is the network, the partner, it is all of those things that will make the research available and accessible.”
Make The Intervention Accessible
Business support provider Debbie says that accessibility of the intervention is key. “I think accessibility is one of the key things. One of the key things is for it to be available and accessible as widely as possible, by as many providers as possible, to enable people to evolve how they do things based on the findings of the research.”
There Should Be Plenty Of Opportunities To Contribute
Business adviser Sharon highlights the need to provide plenty of opportunities for entrepreneurs and others to contribute. “ If there were opportunities, some way they could contribute to the findings, some way to evolve as you go but also to make it actionable both from the providers’ point of view and the entrepreneur point of view. There is a lot of learning out there, available from different places, and I think what makes the difference with the things that captivate entrepreneurs the most is when they can see straight away what they could do with it, so it is really clear what they need to do differently as a result of what they have learned.”
There’s A Need To Keep An Open Mind
Entrepreneur student Leah adds that we need to keep an open mind when it comes to how the intervention develops and how to best encourage contributions from entrepreneurs and others.
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