I’m not sure whether entrepreneurs are born or made, but for the last 20 years, I’ve called myself one. Here's my story...Hired into a global telecom giant after university, I was captivated by new products that changed the way people communicated. I later learned that was called innovation. I sought out small projects with big potential. Preferring to champion things like telemedicine that could improve access to healthcare. I later learned that was called an impact intrepreneur. I was sent on two expat assignments as an employee. Those experiences in new continents birthed in me the desire for travel and an appreciation of different peoples & cultures. Somewhere the seeds of running my own company were sown. I can’t exactly point to when and where. In 2001 I left with the goal of ‘starting my own company’.I succeed. (Eventually.) Bootstrapping a two-person company into one of the largest virtual network operators in North America. I sold that when I kept having to solve the same problems, year after year. Then I moved to Europe (in part) to grow as a global entrepreneur. I had founded, grown and sold a small startup with global reach. How hard would it be to repeat that? It turns out…quite hard. The world had changed. I had to unlearn old ways of building products and embrace the world of Lean Startup and Agile. In my exploration and development company I brought 3 telecom projects to the MVP/pilot stage. But the enduring result was the systems thinking, decision-making frameworks & processes for rapidly moving from idea to investment decision. I owe a lot to my mentor (Ash Maurya) who taught me that:- time is the scarcest resource. - Speed of learning, our only competitive advantage. - The secret to success: being surrounded by customers & their problems. I’m passionate about bringing new products to international markets that make a difference. I write about that, and try to help others in their journey, in my substack newsletter. By the way, I've always believed that CEOs & entrepreneurs must know how to sell: Their vision, company, or products. I see sales as a foundational skill set. Finance & economics, also. Oh...I learned there is no such thing as a 'global entrepreneur'. I've become an advocate of globalization and the opportunities in international expansion.I’ve recently discovered the title of “Venture Builder”. I think I’ve been one for a while. ;-) I’m always looking for opportunities to help companies discover, validate and build new business. Please get in touch at onglobalventures.com