The dilemma here is twofold: “To be in Greece or not to be?” and if I am in Greece “To be an entrepreneur or not to be?”
Both questions are crucial and I hear them more and more the last years.
It’s getting harder and harder for many skilled professionals to find a job in Greece, but nowadays this is a global fact. So the idea of going to another country to find a new job is not going to become an easy reality. People who travel out of Greece for a new job need to prove that they deserve the position more than a native individual does. They need to be experts in what they are doing and be ready to improve their skills and abilities while they adapt themselves in a new social environment.
This is where the idea for starting a new business comes up and the question of whether it is good to continue with implementation or not, needs to be addressed.
On one hand the economic environment nowadays does not look ideal for these kind of decisions, but on the other hand there are still conditions which can foster entrepreneurship. Of course, this is not a statement from someone who ignores reality. It is commonly accepted that anyone who decides to establish a business in Greece now, will have lower expenses (i.e. real estate, logistics, labour, advertisements) compared with those in previous years. Many businesses decide to move from the Greek market and this leads to weaker levels of competition. The start-up procedures are getting faster and new flexible type of new business entities has been created. All the above indicate that the situation is not totally black and for some people entrepreneurship could be the best alternative. History has shown that entrepreneurship can happen even in the worst possible conditions and we will always be asked to face economic problems no matter how much money we have. The adversity is more or less the same in both situations (too much money/too little money): “How am I going to manage my money?”
According to the Stress Response Theory in every stressful situation there are three different types of response.
– To “freeze”: to stop doing anything.
– To “fly”: to run away from the situation.
– To “fight”: to stay and cope until the pressure is gone.
The first option of course should be out of the question.
The second option does not indicate that we are not going to face difficulties somewhere else.
The third option is not always the best solution.
In any case we need to reconsider what we have. Every case is different, but if someone is able to “fight” here in Greece, I would simply say… it is worth the effort.
Giorgos Kalfas
Managing Director and HR Consultant
in
A.TL.AS Consulting