I couldn't sell a stove to an Innuit. I work hard but I am not very entrepreneurial. I admire people like Richard Branson, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. They set up and grew their own profitable companies when they were very young. It got me wondering whether entrepreneurs are born with the skills they need or if men and women can be trained to earn money after spotting and exploring opportunities in the marketplace.

For UK business consultant Peter Ryding, genes have a great deal to do with it. He says that an individual's talent for business is 70% born, 10% nurture, and 20% trainable.

Another expert, Brian Morgan, professor of entrepreneurship at Cardiff Metropolitan University, places more importance on acquired knowledge. He says business skills can be learned "through college courses or by working with a large company in a sector that the budding entrepreneur is keen to enter."

"This experience might help the candidate to develop some of the fundamental business and networking skills," adds Mr Morgan.

The owner of a chain of restaurants in the UK, Luke Johnson, says that "taking charge of your working life can actually be a better choice to control your own destiny."

A friend of mine did exactly that. She put a counter in a crowded shopping centre and sold coconut macaroons. She prepared a business plan, got a bank loan and organised some advertising.

Her start-up was successful in the beginning. She was proud of her coconut macaroons. Well, maybe too proud - as she offered free samples to everybody. She'd give away bags of her cakes.

Profits started to go down but her entrepreneurship did help her to control her own destiny. The owner of a big department store in the shopping centre was impressed by the caring way she dealt with her customers. They ended up getting married. My friend is a born entrepreneur. She now has coconut macaroon counters all over town.

Glossary 詞匯表

an Innuit (美洲愛斯基人的)伊努伊特族人

entrepreneurial 具有企業家素質的，創業的

profitable 盈利的，賺錢的

an entrepreneur 企業家

to spot 發現

the marketplace 市場

a consultant 顧問

nurture 依靠培養得來的

entrepreneurship 企業家精神，企業家身份

acquired knowledge 學到的知識

a budding entrepreneur 初露頭角的企業家

networking skills 建立人際關系技能

a chain (of restaurants) 連鎖(餐廳)

a counter 柜臺

a business plan 經營計劃，商業企劃

a bank loan 銀行貸款

advertising 登廣告

a start-up 一個剛創辦的公司

a free sample 免費贈送的樣品

profit 利潤