Entrepreneurship is being romanticised today

Entrepreneurship was once a rarity, only seen in the the upper crest of society who had a lot of money. However, with the startup ecosystem getting stronger support, and success stories being bombarded across media, it has become a romanticised idea. Emirates NBD’s Executive Vice President and Head of Products & Advisory for Retail Banking & Wealth Management, Tariq Bin Hendi, says that many young people today are setting up businesses, unaware of the hardships and financial burdens that come with it.

He spoke at the quarterly Arabian Business Startup Academy, explaining what he sees in the market today, “I understand that [venture capitalists] are looking for disrupters, but unfortunately, many of the conversations I have with entrepreneurs are about fads. Everybody wants to become a cupcake entrepreneur at some point. There’s a relative discussion and then an absolute discussion.”

Read more about Ben Hendi’s point of view and how he thinks there is an imbalance in the startup scene here.