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Introduction:

Entrepreneurship is the drive of the economies in the world today. Most innovations are

made and implemented by entrepreneurs. The role of entrepreneurs today is not just for

self fulfilment but for contributing to the economies and helping to solve many of the

problems in society.

In today's generation, starting a small business presents many challenges and struggles

especially when you are young and not familiar in the business world. It is evident that

majority of today's generation of students are not business minded. We all know that

starting a business is open for any ages that some adolescents have been selling their

products for themselves or to support their family. But as times came by, the number of

young entrepreneurs has grown and most of them encounter many obstacles and some of

them may be successful but some of them are not.

Authors as Shane & Venkataraman (2000) defined it as a set of opportunities that

individuals grab. Kirzner (1997) also associate entrepreneurship with profit maximization

but also competition between individuals. While entrepreneurship is associated with

business creation and much of the media created this image of entrepreneur as an

inspirational figure of our age, this concept goes far beyond the act of starting a business

(Naong, 2011). According to Marinič (2016), entrepreneurship is a powerful driver of

economic growth but also a source of job creation. But it also gathers people together,

thanks to the several forms it can take.

Indeed, the thesis’ authors take in consideration in their understanding that

entrepreneurship is not just about making money or running a business. It is mainly

undertaking something that creates value for itself or for the others. It may be a passion or

a particular activity rather than a direct source of money. For we know, that when it comes

to business money is one of the necessary things we should have.

One of the main problems in being a young entrepreneur is the lack of trust of the people

for they want those who have more experiences. One of the economic problems here in

the Philippines is the out of school youth. According to the 2016 Annual Poverty

Indicators Survey (Apis) "The country has about 3.8 million out-of-school children and

youth or about 10 percent of the 39 million Filipinos with age range six to 24 years old."

Indeed, this is one of the reasons why some of the young entrepreneur tends to have

business at a young age to help support their needs financially.

According to Naong (2011), "Entrepreneurship is also a way of getting experience." This

experience may be beneficial in order to succeed in the labor market. Today’s recruiters

seek for young students that gathered experience through summer job or projects

undertaken during their studies or those who have experiences when it comes to business.

Furthermore, it can help them to be more creative and self-confident in whatever they are

engaged in, but also to be more responsible. It is also a way of thinking innovatively to

their future career as well as how they can contribute to the society. Within a permanent

developing world where the social networks are rapidly evolving, young students are more
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willing to carry out creative and innovative projects on their own. Such innovative ideas

are brought into the entrepreneurship concept.

With that in mind, the researchers will interview young entrepreneurs in Calamba, Laguna

in order to determine the challenges they are experiencing as a young entrepreneur. This

study also wants to know how the entrepreneurs at a young age cope with the difficulties

they have experience.

Theoretical Framework

There are various researches about why people especially the young ones choose

the path of entrepreneurship. Some of these are relevantly connected to our study.

Such a theory is called Achievement motivation theory by David McCLelland, a

Harvard emeritus professor, suggests that entrepreneurs possess a need for achievement

that drives their activity. It also states that entrepreneurs must have a reason to strive for

success. It could be for satisfaction, it could be for their needs, or it could be to support

their family. All in all, the theory states that if there is a need of achievement, it will drive

them to excel, advance, and grow.

Conceptual Framework

This figure shows the flow of concepts in conducting this study. The respondents

will state their experiences and give tips and tricks on how they cope up strategies and

how they maintain their businesses.

THE LIVED EXPERIENCES

EXPERIENCES

POSITIVE NEGATIVE

COPING UP STRATEGIES

MAINTENANCE

ANALYSIS

CONCLUSION

RECOMMENDATION
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Statement of the Problem

This study aims to unveil the experiences of student-entrepreneurs in our area here

in Calamba, Laguna.

The purpose of the study is to answer this central question:

“What is the essence of lived experiences of student-entrepreneur in managing

their businesses?”

The corollary problems of this study are:

1. What are their experiences on managing their business? It could be positive or

negative.

2. How do they cope strategies and processes when faced with challenges?

3. What are their practices of maintenance of good business?

Scope & Limitation

The study focuses on young entrepreneurs in Calamba, Laguna. The research is

limited to interviewing 3 respondents on high school and 3 respondents on college. This

may be a small number of respondents but, it will still give some information on how they

manage their businesses.

Significance of the Study

This study shows the lived experiences of young entrepreneurs here in Calamba,

Laguna. The importance of this study is that this give information about how the

respondents deal about problems regarding their age on managing their business. This also

reminds people that age doesn’t matter when starting a new business.

These are the people who will benefit from our research:

Students. This study will give them information and data that will help the, on

how to manage businesses.

Entrepreneurs. This study will give them tips on how to improve and innovate

their business. It can also give them more ideas on maintaining a good business and coping

up strategies when facing a problem.

Researchers. This study will enlighten them on how student can become an

entrepreneur despite of busy schedule.

Future Researchers. This study will serve as a guide regarding the experiences

of student-entrepreneurs.
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Definition of Terms

Entrepreneur. A person who organizes and operates a business or businesses,

taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so.

Business. A business is an organization or enterprising entity engaged in

commercial, industrial, or professional activities. Business is also the organized efforts

and activities of individuals to produce and sell goods and services for profit.

Product. A product is the item offered for sale. A product can be a service or an

item. It can be physical or in virtual or cyber form. Every product is made at a cost and

each is sold at a price. The price that can be charged depends on the market, the quality,

the marketing and the segment that is targeted.

Entrepreneurship. The activity of setting up a business or businesses, taking on

financial risks in the hope of profit.

Labor Market. A labor market is the place where workers and employees interact

with each other. In the labor market, employers compete to hire the best, and the workers

compete for the best satisfying job.