Briefly examine the life and work of an entrepreneur (Momofuku Ando), Essay

Briefly examine the life and work of an entrepreneur (Momofuku Ando), analysing the major factors contributing to their success as an entrepreneur, what element - Essay Example Entrepreneurial attitude can be measured in terms of achievement, innovation, personal control, self esteem, and opportunity recognition (Lindsay, 2005). Lindsay further clarifies that innovation includes recognizing and acting upon business activities in new and unique ways. Achievement can be associated with business start-up and growth results, while self-esteem includes self-confidence. Personal control involves individual perceptions of control and influence over business affairs. Creativity is one of the key characteristics of entrepreneurial and part of the innovation process. Momofuku Ando, initially an unsuccessful businessman, was one such entrepreneur who made a break through while watching his wife deep-fry vegetables (Hall, 2007). Ando has dabbled unsuccessfully in business ventures ranging from salt to prefab houses (Beech, 2006). He had been experimenting with a newfangled idea for packaged ramen noodles. While watching his wife he hit upon the idea that fried noodles would turn hard yet be porous enough and soften immediately when dipped in boiling water. This opportunity recognition not only made Ando into a noodle king but also created a multi-billion dollar market for instant noodles. Considered as a classic invention, instant noodles was a gift which saved people hard labor of grinding and chopping for hours to get food ready. This paper will examine the life and work of this entrepreneur analyzing the major factors that contributed to his success. Creativity and innovation is what marked the growth of this entrepreneur. Moved by the death due to starvation in Japan following the World War II, he was inspired to produce a cheap and convenient food (Katayama, 1988). The construction workers with ten minutes between shifts and the salarymen hunched over their desks at midnight needed something, cheap, and fast and filling (Beech 2006). This led to the invention of the instant