What does being an entrepreneur mean and what kind of sacrifices does it entail?
The words of Sam Karrara, an entrepreneur and travelling enthusiast who has decided to tell us about himself and his life experience, could help us understand this profession.
Good morning Sam. Could you tell us a little bit about your job and how you approached it?
Sam Karrara: I started when I was young, immediately after my graduation. I was looking for an employment in Italy and I was hired by a shop essentially trading in Indonesian furniture and selling it at a price 10-time-higher than the original one. I have been importing, fixing and selling Asian products for 12 years before moving forward towards something different.
What legacy did this first job leave you?
A deep passion for furniture and ancient ceramics.
Which kind of university studies are the best to acquire the necessary skills for this job?
I think that every faculty whose majors are scientific subjects and IT are perfectly fine.
Manual labor apprenticeships could obviously be very useful as well. On the other hand, liberal arts courses should be avoided.
Describe someone who is not cut out for this job.
Anybody who does not like taking risks, who would prefer having a more stable work-life balance and only one specific task.
To which extent is being skilled and lucky important to stand out as an entrepreneur?
Of course skills are important, but having a good character and being willing to take chances could easily compensate the lack of them. An employee might be compared to a dog, whose best qualities are loyalty and unconditional love. Luck does only 50% of the work.
What is it that distinguishes a lucky entrepreneur from an unlucky one?
Being able to carry on doing this job. Our choices as entrepreneurs are always risky – Luck becomes part of the game only if we have laid a solid basis for our work beforehand.
What should an aspiring entrepreneur take into account when choosing this profession?
The lack of a private life, work comes always first. An entrepreneur who wants to be successful works 24/7.
What are its advantages instead?
The gain in independence and social acknowledgement.
What are the advantages you got from this job?
Well, I have managed to keep fit, because of the stress caused by the workload. I have saved money, because of the lack of free time. I have travelled around the world, because I had no limitations of any kind.
Sam Karrara is a 51-year-old Italian who has long been a travelling enthusiast. He currently lives in Cork, Ireland.