In his 1513 work “The Prince”, Machiavelli described the ideal leader of the time. The role of the prince was halfway between a businessman and a politician. He needed to be both virtuous and fortunate, but also cynical and sometimes deceptive. He also had to be ruthless in order to conquer new principalities and keep hold of them. Times change, and new principles are needed. Talent, luck and a big heart seem to be emerging as the characteristics of a new generation of leaders.
New young entrepreneurs will be responsible for creating a better future. With the support of talented collaborators and adventurous investors, they will have the opportunity and the duty to do so. I hope they will lead us towards a better future and they will have the opportunity to do better than politics and religion can.
I want to dedicate this short collection of essays to young entrepreneurs, especially those who find themselves far from the major hubs of innovation. Those who are seemingly cut off from the best opportunities. I do so in the hope of encouraging them to do great things that contribute to improving their communities and our little planet.
Some of the essays aim to inspire them as to why they should create the businesses of the future, while other more practical ones give them advice on how to do so. They are concise essays, some with a personal touch and all designed to share the benefit of experience. They are written as I would have wanted them as a young entrepreneur: straight to the point, without claiming to please everyone with half-truths.
In this collection, you will find translations of the 12 essays in the 12 most widely used languages. Although English is the universal language of innovation, only our mother tongue can truly speak to our hearts, and I favour it for this reason. The translated versions are not published separately. Instead, they are gathered together in a single volume to remind us that, alone, we are too small to make an impact. I hope that your language is included.
I invite you not to keep this collection for yourself, but to share it with another young entrepreneur from another country, in the hope that he or she will do the same with yet another, perhaps from a different country still.
Ad Maiora