“Books gives you balls!” or so says Nawaal Nolwazi Mdluli, Entrepreneur, Founder and CEO of Kwenta Media in an interview for Teen Entrepreneur. According to Nawaal, it is absolutely important for the youth of South Africa to familiarise themselves with entrepreneurship while they are still in school. Entrepreneurial subjects and activities are important to help impart vital lessons that youth can use then or later on in life.

“Books make you navigate easily. Books polish your confidence. Books motivate you to dream walk,” continues Mdluli, the much acclaimed entrepreneur who is also a motivational speaker and seasoned TV and radio guest speaker. In sharing her journey, she goes back to the importance of finding your balance without ever losing your ability to dream awake.

So what’s the big deal about dreaming awake?

In a report titled “The Anatomy of an Entrepreneur” from the Kauffman foundation for entrepreneurship, many relevant thought-provoking facts came about. Although the study – based on a survey of 549 company founders across a range of industries – is a few years old, it is still applicable and often referred to even in this day and time.

Some of the interesting report findings were as follows:

  • Anyone – not just the extremely rich or poor – can possess the will power to be an entrepreneur. This is substantiated by the finding that less than 1% came from extremely rich or poor backgrounds.
  • The average number of businesses launched by respondents (the folks who participated in the study) was approximately 2.3. So don’t be discouraged after your first attempt.
  • The majority (74.8%) of the respondents indicated, “desire to build wealth” as an important motivation in becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Only 4.5% said the inability to find traditional employment was an important factor in starting a business. Entrepreneurship should therefore not be sidelined as a last resort, but rather be viewed as a career of choice.
  • Last, but certainly not least, it does not matter if no one in your family has done it before. More than half of the respondents were the first in their families to launch a business. There really is nothing holding you back, except for you.