Personal essay backup 2

The entrepreneurial spirit, the ducklings and me

 

Following the season finale of "The Apprentice 4" last winter, when my entrepreneurial spirit was fully awakened, an old desire to do something unique resurfaced as I decided to buy a duckling and be a proud owner of a duck-farm. This idea of mine had already been more than a month old, born when I saw those small creatures on-sale with a road-side poultry vendor. And, after days of careful calculation and detailed risk evaluation, I bought it one day.

 

Though I was a subject of curious inspection in the public vehicle that I rode shortly after buying it with my bag alive, chirping and kicking, I didn't mind a tiny bit. My head was full of ingenious ideas on how to establish my pet-farm. I had already selected a quiet corner in my kitchen for the duckling and seen to necessary arrangements like a perforated box for shelter, a tiny lamp to retain warmth and some data collection on its feeding habits. I was smiling all the way inside the vehicle that day while the rest of passengers were gawking at my chirping bag.

 

I brought it home and put it in the shelter that I constructed. I had thought my work was over and decided to leave. But, to my utter amazement, the duckling started chirping in its shrillest voice the moment I was out of its sight. I tried the "slip-away trick" a couple of times and even took it outside the box to see if it helps but that didn't work either. It followed me wherever I went. Slowly, I had the grim realization that it had taken me to be its mother.

 

I don't say that the thought of returning it hadn't crossed my mind. I had started getting annoyed by the chirping all day and night, but my inner-self stopped me from liquidating my duck-farm, for it insisted that giving up on a business on few early hiccups never reflects an entrepreneurial spirit. This mollified my annoyance but not the chirping inside that box.

 

I couldn't take the duckling wherever I went! But, I also couldn't bear the prospect of it chirping itself to death. So, I started to think of new ways to renovate my duck-farm and, after hours of brain-storming, an idea finally struck me. The following day, I came home with two companions for the lovely duckling and was happy to see that the new ducklings were received well. With the chirpings gone, I was also happy that my idea had worked.

 

Nearly a year after I bought the first duckling, my tiny duck-farm has grown in the mean time. Daisy, Donald and Casper are now full grown ducks and when they run around quacking and chasing each other, I remember how close I was to quitting this venture. Though this experience may not be a glorious feat to have achieved, it has certainly given me a better understanding of entrepreneurship. I realize now that an entrepreneurial spirit isn't just about having a "fire in the belly," but also about having the tenacity to pursue an entrepreneurial path.