“Entrepreneurs Are Born, Not Made” — Bollocks or True?

Let’s set the scene. You’re sat down the pub with your mate Gary. He’s neck-deep into his second pint and starts telling you about this local lad who just sold his vape business for a small fortune. "Some people are just born with it,” Gary says, like he’s reading from the back of a fortune cookie. “Entrepreneurs, you know. They’ve got the knack. You either have it, or you don’t."

Right. That’s the myth. And on the surface, it sounds romantic — the idea of the ‘natural born entrepreneur’, strutting out the womb with a pitch deck in one hand and a limited company registered before their first nappy change.

But let’s pull up a barstool and unpick this properly. Because like most stuff you hear down the pub — especially after 8pm — it’s more froth than pint.

The Myth of the Entrepreneurial Gene

“Entrepreneurs are born, not made.” It sounds like something Jeremy Clarkson would bellow from the bonnet of a V8 Aston Martin. And let’s be honest — it feels right. Some people are louder, faster, more confident. They sell you a dream with a handshake and a smirk.

But let’s compare it to driving. Yes, some people are naturals behind the wheel. But most of us learn. We stall. We panic at roundabouts. But given enough hours, instruction, and maybe a near-death experience on the M25, we get better.

Same goes for business.

What the Research Says (Spoiler: It’s Not Destiny)

According to decades of behavioural psychology and entrepreneurship studies,

entrepreneurship is largely shaped by environment, experience, and opportunity. Not just DNA.

Take Saras Sarasvathy (yes, that’s her real name), a leading scholar in entrepreneurial science. Her work on “effectuation” shows how successful entrepreneurs build businesses through trial and adaptation, not divine birth right.

Also, if being an entrepreneur were genetic, why do so many second-generation rich kids cock it all up? Surely if it were in the blood, they’d all be driving Bugatti's fuelled by innovation and arrogance.

What Is Born? Traits vs. Skills

Let’s be fair — some things you’re born with. Like a high risk tolerance, big energy, or the kind of charm that gets you a discount at Wetherspoons.

But those are traits. Business success, on the other hand, is about skills — spotting opportunities, managing cash flow, dealing with suppliers who think deadlines are optional.

Skills can be taught. Traits can be developed. You don’t have to start a tuck shop empire at age 12 to qualify.

The Apprentice Fallacy

Blame Lord Sugar and Dragon’s Den. They’ve painted this picture that you must be this big, bold, bootstrapped hustler with a sob story and a side hustle selling beard oil from your garage.

But most real entrepreneurs? They’re quietly working away in the background. They’ve made mistakes. Pivoted. Taken boring industries and found better ways to serve customers. They didn't pop out of the womb like mini Elon Musks.

And by the way, Elon Musk wasn’t born building rockets. He studied, failed, got back up, failed bigger, and kept going.

The Pub Test: Let’s Get Real

So, Gary, listen up.

• Were you born knowing how to fix your boiler? No. You watched a few YouTube videos, nearly blew up your kitchen, then got better at it.

• Were you born understanding how mortgages work? Also no. And frankly, you still don’t.

• Were you born an entrepreneur? Nobody was. Not even Jeff bloody Bezos.

You become one by doing it. By learning. By failing and not crying about it. By realising that running a business is more boring admin and less motivational Instagram quote.

So What’s the Real Truth?

Entrepreneurs are made. Made through late nights, bad decisions, worse bank balances, moments of “what the hell am I doing?” and the rare, sweet high of nailing it.

And yes — some are quicker at it than others. Some are annoyingly confident. But the skills of business building? They can be taught. Developed. Sharpened.

The difference isn’t birth right. It’s grit, curiosity, and the ability to get back up after you’ve been dropkicked by the market.

Final Thought

If entrepreneurs were truly born and not made, we’d all just sit back and wait for the chosen ones to sort everything out. That’s not how it works.

You don’t need a special gene. You need the balls to start, the brains to adapt, and the stomach to keep going when the bank says no and your product launch flops harder than a karaoke night in Hull.

So next time your mate down the pub starts talking about “natural entrepreneurs”, remind him: Nobody’s born with a business plan in their pram.

Now finish your pint and get back to building something.