I know what you are thinking乌鸦传媒攜ou still relate the word and the meaning of 乌鸦传媒渆ntrepreneur乌鸦传媒� to be pure business venturing.

But, this week, I want to recognize and embrace the reality that entrepreneurial creation, in its purest form, relates in large measure to the elements of innovation and creativity via inventive development.

Yes, inventors continue to be very relevant in our global world and definitely within the entrepreneurial world.

So, I want to focus on an important aspect of 乌鸦传媒渆ntrepreneurial invention乌鸦传媒�, that being the entrepreneurial opportunity.

An all too common question I get from would-be inventors, creators and entrepreneurs is 乌鸦传媒渉ow do I find real problems to solve?乌鸦传媒�

There are, I乌鸦传媒檝e discovered in my six years of living in this region, an incredible number of exceptionally-talented individuals who are on track to seek their entrepreneurial opportunity niche.

By the same token, books have been written, scholars lecture and much discussion and debate conjures up the issue how to find the opportunities that can be converted into genuine realistic and realizable ventures for you.

OK, so let乌鸦传媒檚 begin with another reality check乌鸦传媒攖here is no easy journey to entrepreneurial success . Any potential successful venture for any of us requires hard work, commitment, dedication and, yes, patience.

You should read Peter Drucker乌鸦传媒檚 Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Drucker is the so-called 乌鸦传媒渇ather of management乌鸦传媒� and to some degree, entrepreneurship theory.

His book, around since the 1980s, is a classic exploration presenting the how-to approach for finding opportunities.

It even includes strategies for guiding your path of discovery.

Another critically important milestone on your opportunity discovery journey is to recognize that all ventures begin with the customer.

True entrepreneurship is the ability to find and solve a problem or void in the marketplace that will solve a want or a need.

If you can乌鸦传媒檛 find someone to pay you to do what you want to do for them don乌鸦传媒檛 give up until you乌鸦传媒檝e researched and analyzed your idea thoroughly and exhausted all possibilities.

Then, perhaps, your next best approach might be find that certain someone with the need乌鸦传媒攐r a very strong interest in乌鸦传媒� something you develop on your own to address that want or need, and sell it to them.

The key to this approach is qualifying the need to the market.

The better you can qualify the need, the more likely you won乌鸦传媒檛 be wasting your time.

Go talk to potential customers.

Ask them, if I had something that would satisfy your want and need, would you be interested? How interested? At what price?

What you乌鸦传媒檙e looking for is interest. If you get it, then give the solution you have found, some serious attention.

So, let乌鸦传媒檚 tackle some objectives that would-be entrepreneurs cite when pursuing this methodology.

乌鸦传媒淚f I give them my idea, they乌鸦传媒檒l just go and develop it themselves乌鸦传媒� Why would they spend their time and resources when they have a motivated and dedicated person champing at the bit to make it happen?

乌鸦传媒淚 don乌鸦传媒檛 have the time to get out and talk to prospects.乌鸦传媒� If you convince yourself you don乌鸦传媒檛, then give it up now because you are swimming upstream against the current.

乌鸦传媒淚 don乌鸦传媒檛 feel ethical trying to market something before I乌鸦传媒檝e got it aced. What if I can乌鸦传媒檛 deliver? 乌鸦传媒� There is nothing unethical about going out in the world to find a potentially needed and profitable venture to present. It乌鸦传媒檚 not uncommon for entrepreneurial dreamers to take some cash upfront before they actually solve the market problem.  Don乌鸦传媒檛 feel guilty about it.

乌鸦传媒淚 like spending time in the lab. I don乌鸦传媒檛 like making cold calls.乌鸦传媒� Either learn to like it,or find a partner who does because that is the essence of entrepreneurial venturing. Commercially speaking, nothing counts until it sells. And, ignoring that fact is a road to failure. Don乌鸦传媒檛 underestimate the value and need for partnering in your venture. Also, surprisingly effective preparation sometimes turns up other unanticipated genuine opportunities.

The other part of preparing for achieving your entrepreneurial opportunity is adequately preparing yourself.

Force open your eyes, set some goals and importantly, build a productive mindset. You乌鸦传媒檒l need it.

Erase 乌鸦传媒渟hould乌鸦传媒� and 乌鸦传媒渃ould乌鸦传媒� from your vocabulary and your thinking. And, don乌鸦传媒檛 get trapped in your own notions.

A good deal of your knowledge may constitute solutions to yesterday乌鸦传媒檚 problems.

It may or may not apply to today.

Some of the best opportunities lie among 乌鸦传媒渢ruths乌鸦传媒� that no longer apply.

The final part of preparing for opportunities is to quit preparing and act.

Find out what works and doesn乌鸦传媒檛 work for you.

The more time you spend in entrepreneurial activities and exploration, the better you乌鸦传媒檒l get at it which will increase the odds of success in your favour.

Don乌鸦传媒檛 be afraid to take risks. And, don乌鸦传媒檛 be afraid to fail.

You will learn more from your mistakes and failures, no matter how big or small.

Go with what works and discard what doesn乌鸦传媒檛.

The old Gestalt saying, 乌鸦传媒渄on乌鸦传媒檛 push the river, it flows by itself乌鸦传媒� applies well to entrepreneurial invention.

There are no lack of ideas and opportunities today. Arguably, there are more genuine opportunities in our world today than ever in our history.

Entrepreneurial invention and opportunities arise from both social and technological change.

If you乌鸦传媒檙e running around frustrated by what you feel is a lack of ideas and potential opportunities, maybe you乌鸦传媒檙e doing it to yourself.

It乌鸦传媒檚 definitely not being done to you.

The opportunities are there whatever level you乌鸦传媒檙e aiming for.

So, prepare, look, act and prosper.