The Importance of Enterprise Case Study Wood you believe it?
Joseph Walsh grew up on a farm in Co. Cork. When he was a child he was given some carpentry tools as a gift from his grandfather and began making simple pieces of wooden furniture. A long illness that kept him out of school allowed him time to learn and practise his woodwork skills. He paid great attention to detail and always put a lot of time and effort into his work.
As his skills got better, Joseph began to sell his furniture. By the time he was just 16, he was taking in orders and even needed some help to complete them on time. Not, he says, because he had suddenly become a super confident entrepreneur: ‘It wasn’t about confidence. I was getting more and more work and I needed someone to help me. It was as simple as that.’ Joseph was now constantly looking for inspiration for his furniture and artistic creations. He describes himself as being like a sponge soaking up as much information and knowledge as possible. By the age of 20 he had established his own furniture design business called the Joseph Walsh Studio. Through his entrepreneurial talent, he has now become a world famous designer and employs people from Ireland and overseas in his successful design studio. His furniture and wood creations are now highly sought after by many international collectors of works of art and design.
Discuss your answers to the following questions: 1. Where did Joseph get the idea for his business? 2. Identify four benefits to Joseph of becoming an entrepreneur. 3. Identify two risks for Joseph of running his own business. 4. Identify five characteristics that an entrepreneur needs to have.
