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EVERYONE IS AN ENTREPRENEUR by Gregory V. Diehl

EVERYONE IS AN ENTREPRENEUR

Selling Economic Self-Determination in a Post-Soviet World

by Gregory V. Diehl

Pub Date: March 12th, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-945884-68-9
Publisher: Identity Publications

A financial book offers a distillation of the entrepreneurial mindset and a discussion of the ways in which it can be inspired in post-Soviet nations.

When Diehl moved to Armenia, he was struck by the lack of a robust entrepreneurial culture. Despite the freedom gained by the demise of the Soviet Union, the country had not yet established a general mindset that exploited it. In fact, the author avers, this was common among the post-Soviet nations—generations were brainwashed to believe not only that capitalistic pursuit was inherently evil, but also that their lots in life were beyond their control, and when in need, they should look reflexively to the government for assistance. Diehl refers to this as the “bureaucratic mentality” or “Post-Soviet Self-Defeatism”—the “pathological fear of stepping off the beaten and culturally condoned path in both the setting of goals and the devising of strategies to achieve them.” To this abdication of rational self-sufficiency, the author proposes the entrepreneurial worldview, which posits goals and then creatively and independently pursues them. Diehl explains the stultifying legacy of authoritarianism, the path out of it, and the worldview of the entrepreneur with admirable clarity and concision. Rather than a book about practical strategy—the author rightfully decries get-rich-quick schemes—this is a careful articulation of the mentality of the entrepreneur, both generally and as it applies to capital goods, commodities, money, marketing, and many of the technical elements of wealth creation. Diehl’s work is refreshingly hopeful without being unabashedly sanguine—he soberly realizes that tectonic cultural shifts only happen in generational time. Readers will wish that he had more to say about what precisely could be done to expedite the process—his recommendations are vague, calling for “unlocking the belief that it is within their power to take control of their own lives.” Still, this is an impressively perspicacious book, and one that should be invaluable for aspiring entrepreneurs from wherever they hail.

An intelligent exploration of the psychology of the entrepreneur and the toxic effects of authoritarianism.