Study results — Entrepreneurs

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It is worth taking a close look at the results obtained from the group of entrepreneurs, because thanks to their participation in the project they found themselves in approximately the situation in which the students would like to see themselves. They have a business idea, and they have received financial and technical support and advice. The study tested their responses in terms of the level of COC in the extended version of Metaphor Questionnaire Version I. The results are given in the table below.

Table 8.7 Entrepreneur responses to Metaphor Questionnaire Version I Source: Own calculations based on data from studies
Question from the questionnaire	% of responses	Compare your company to a vehicle
The consumer is a component of the vehicle/company	0	There were no comparisons in this category
The consumer is mentioned, but outside the vehicle / company	14	I find it hard to compare it to a vehicle. The company will be shaped as a "virtual organisation". Access to all resources via the Internet from anywhere. A Call Centre to serve customers from anywhere A limousine – every employee, even the chauffeur and the client, is proud to cooperate with my company, there is nothing to be ashamed of, they are well treated, happy, the workplace is comfortable and welcomes creative and productive work or cooperation with the client an ambulance – quick reaction or fire engine for customer needs
There is no consumer	86	better make of car with good acceleration, able to drive in difficult conditions a floating drilling platform – we're looking for places, we penetrate a topic, work and derive benefits; if necessary there is the option for extension or expansion into another area the most modern fighter or NASA aircraft – modernity, speed – work on self-realisation – or continuous self-improvement bike or tricycle sailing boat spacecraft or space shuttle black Seat – safe, dynamic, classy Range Rover Sport, fast, big, safe, all-terrain, always reaches the destination Jeep – useful, convenient Sledge – Simple but probably difficult to come up with simple ideas. (Relatively) little need – only a "frame" and manuals (advertising, promotion) and you can drive at will. Even though you have to reach the top by foot, sledges are reliable. a solar energy vehicle, something new An amphibious vehicle with wings adapting to all road and weather conditions a sailing boat, with a beautiful profile, with large sails in currently furled, but when favourable winds come, it will sail quickly in the right direction a car – necessary; and in some cases essential! a small tank – slow, but responds flexibly to changes in the environment, tenacious in reaching its destination sports car – for a narrow audience, gives a lot of satisfaction at great expense a Mercedes for driving around the city a stable and secure Volvo an off-road vehicle (diesel)

The customer as part of the company does not appear in any of the entrepreneur responses, and only 14% cited it outside the company. Other answers do not allude directly to the customer. This is surprising when you take into account the fact that these are people who have started the process of running their own business. The analysis of responses to the question "What does the customer do in this vehicle?" provides more information on this topic.

Table 8.8 Entrepreneur responses to Metaphor Questionnaire Version I Source: Own calculations based on data from the studies
Question from the questionnaire	% of responses	What does the customer do in this vehicle?
Entrepreneur seeks contact with the customer	27	I am looking for them in this forest, I drive our other vehicles, we greet each other, we talk is a passenger I invite him on a cruise full of beautiful impressions he is sitting next to me and amiably talking with me he is resting, drinking cocktails, spending a good time as he pleases, wish fulfilment sits next to me
Entrepreneur is passive, the customer actively seeks contact with him/her	46	arrives, pays and receives the goods and smiles at the same time chooses waits for my arrival, always on time! the client is waiting for us. They are calm, because they know that soon we will arrive and solve their problem they wait for me and do not even expect that they seriously need what I have for him. And we (me first) tell him this draws from my work enjoys the pleasure that comes from travelling in this vehicle the customer orders services is waiting for my arrival is satisfied and pleased that he is leaving me his money – is satisfied in the long term
The customer remains on the outside and evaluates the entrepreneur	27	assesses how I am driving feels relaxed and is happy to tell others about this place the customer watches as I drive looks at the vehicle with admiration is enjoying himself observes the behaviour of my tank with caution (but is fascinated by it)

In this group, the largest number of respondents (46%) displays an attitude of passively waiting for customer response. In this respect, they do not differ from the students planning to set up a business, while demonstrating the unrealistic attitude that the customer is waiting for them. In conjunction with the 27% of the group for whom the customer only assesses their operations, this gives a worrying signal that the studied individuals are not sufficiently customer-oriented. Only 27% of respondents could be classified as showing that the entrepreneur is set to proactively seek contact with the customer. This is definitely not enough to be confident that the majority in this group will be able to use the support offered them and effectively keep their company on the market, and thus that the funds allocated to the project will be used optimally. The analysis of the responses given below provides some clues as to the causes of this situation.

Only 19% of respondents listed the customer as someone who is with them in the vehicle (14%) or outside the vehicle (5%). The remaining 81% indicate other people, among whom the dominant group are by far family members or friends. It is worth looking closer at the fact that within the company there are close people, relations with whom are friendly or family. This suggests that respondents did not identify the rules of company operation based on market principles. They see it more as a community. According to Bolesta-Kukułka 1 the specific nature of this community is that the purpose of its existence is collective co-existence, to overcome the difficulties and obstacles that threaten survival, as is the case in the family. Among the members of the community there is a strong psychological bond and continuous and permanent relationships of obligation and entitlement. Whereas a profit-oriented company market should have the characteristics of an organisation that, as Bolesta-Kukułka writes 2 exists to implement goals already decided by someone else. The relationships existing within it are formalised and objectivised and not the result of mutual agreement and adaptation. If the entrepreneur treats the company as a way of meeting the needs of the family, they may lose the pro-customer perspective. This is because the customer is shifted to the wayside, external, and cognitively it is virtually impossible to focus on their needs. They are an external instrument in the "business as second family home". This misunderstanding of the rules of company operation, confusing them with communities, may be the cause of non-pro-effective decision-making and contribute to the loss of market position, even in the possession of professional knowledge in the field of entrepreneurship.

Table 8.9 Entrepreneur responses to Metaphor Questionnaire Version I Source: Own calculations based on data from the studies
Question from the questionnaire	% of responses	Who else is with you in this vehicle?
The customer is a component of the vehicle/company	14	collaborators, customers, employees, friends, people, businesses which support or build the developing market my customers Myself, employees, customers, not family just to be safe - an accident can always happen even in the best car
The customer is mentioned, but outside the vehicle / company	5	Employees who are responsible for customer contact - sales, implementation
There is no customer	81	my loved ones and others unknown to me myself + employees my husband, son and dog a large number of interested people unknown to me someone to hold the tackle or lines my partner my employees! my co-workers or a cohesive team of several people a friend my boyfriend Adam, brother, dad, mum and a whole sledgeful joins us my acquaintances who run their own businesses the A Team - a proven team of trusted people I want to be the cox, and the passengers will be my family people who are friendly towards me family plus friends my family my co-workers no answer

If this is the belief of those who participate in business schools, and the results clearly show that it is, this might be one of the sources of inefficiency in the teaching methods. With such a belief as to the reasons for the existence of a company, there is no way that formal knowledge can be used properly in the course of business activity. Candidates for entrepreneurs must therefore learn to think in terms of the market and, in accordance with its rules, modify their beliefs and ideas. Attempts to transfer formal knowledge alone may end up in the fact that it will be absorbed automatically and incorrectly applied.

J.C. Sánchez consistently suggests that “the instructors (academics, lecturers, and trainers) should receive training not only in how to teach entrepreneurship but also in how to change “hearts and minds”. 3

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Study results — Entrepreneurs