Being entrepreneurial is an important 21st century competence. People with an entrepreneurial attitude know how to make a virtue of necessity and create new opportunities.
The corona crisis brought business to a standstill in many SMEs. Entrepreneurs were no longer receiving orders and therefore had no income. An uncertain future, because nobody knows how long this situation will last.
Creative entrepreneurship: 3D printed splash masks
I read a wonderful report in the Volkskrant of 2 April. Creative entrepreneurs in the The Hague/Delft region did not throw in the towel when their business activities came to a standstill and have come up with a way to make themselves useful. They put their unemployed 3D printers to work printing frames for splash masks. These frames can be quite easily fitted with hoods made from sheets for overhead projectors, available in office supply stores. The design for these splash masks was made by students from Singapore and found online.
The masks were intended for staff in nursing homes, in home care and for midwives. These protective devices were more than welcome in the care sector. Printed door handle holders were also made with the 3D printer.
Entrepreneurship is rewarded
The number of entrepreneurs who committed themselves with their 3D printers grew thanks to an appeal on social media. Fundraisers, meanwhile, helped them to finance the cost of materials. In this way, these entrepreneurs helped fight corona. A whole new angle for 3D printing had thus been created. A change of business and a new opportunity for creative entrepreneurs.
How do you think things will continue after Corona?
Many more such wonderful initiatives have emerged in a short time. Which ones have you noticed and which ones do you think will come in future in certain sectors? Will these new entrepreneurial initiatives continue to exist and develop even after the corona crisis? What do you think?