Entrepreneurship: a way of life

Entrepreneurship is a mindset. However, studies show that continental Europe is not structurally or culturally geared towards encouraging entrepreneurship. Starting from this hypothesis the authors of this work show how Europe could be made entrepreneurship-friendly. The process of entrepreneurship is discussed from start to growth. The authors advocate the development of an entrepreneurship culture in which success is applauded and which still has room for failure, arguing that this is the only way to create sustainable growth and employment.

In relation to policy, the authors show that classical subsidy policy often has a counterproductive effect, keeping alive lame ducks and hindering real entrepreneurs in their growth. Furthermore, they argue that subsidies kill the economy. Incubators and innovative financing tools such as business angels, crowd-funding and seed money are discussed as viable options for entrepreneurs to fund their pursuits. However these instruments only make sense in an entrepreneurial environment. A radical shift towards entrepreneurship policy is therefore needed to guarantee a prosperous economy and much better value for public money. Entrepreneurship should be(come) a way of life.