Instinct or Instruction? What Shalom Lamm’s Journey Teaches Us About Whether Entrepreneurship Can Be Taught
Entrepreneurship often evokes images of fearless visionaries launching startups from garages, turning ideas into empires through sheer determination. But behind these stories lies a complex question that educators, investors, and aspiring business owners continue to debate: Can entrepreneurship truly be taught, or is it an innate trait that only a few possess?
To explore this, we can look to Shalom Lamm—a renowned entrepreneur whose career exemplifies the fusion of instinct, education, and experience. Lamm’s diverse ventures and strategic thinking have earned him recognition across real estate, community development, and beyond. Yet, what’s most revealing is how his journey sheds light on the balance between natural talent and learned skill in the world of entrepreneurship.
The Myth of the “Born Entrepreneur”
There’s a long-standing myth that entrepreneurs are born, not made—that they emerge into the world with an extraordinary ability to spot opportunities, take risks, and lead fearlessly. While it’s true that traits like resilience, creativity, and charisma often play a role, these qualities alone don’t build successful businesses.
Shalom Lamm himself didn’t rely solely on instinct. His accomplishments stem from a lifelong commitment to learning, strategic thinking, and adapting to changing market conditions. His real estate work, including both development and community initiatives, shows that entrepreneurship is more than a gut feeling—it’s a disciplined process involving research, planning, and execution.
Entrepreneurship as a Teachable Discipline
In recent years, universities and business schools have created full-fledged entrepreneurship programs, offering courses in everything from product development to venture finance. These institutions argue that, like any other discipline, entrepreneurship can be broken down into skills that can be studied and practiced.
Shalom Lamm’s professional path reinforces this perspective. While passion and intuition are vital, Lamm’s success clearly hinges on his understanding of legal structures, market analysis, negotiation, and operations management. None of these are unteachable—they’re developed through experience, mentorship, and continuous learning.
Whether he’s managing a real estate portfolio or advising on civic development, Lamm demonstrates how vital it is to master the “business of entrepreneurship.” These are learnable components—something anyone can strive to understand, even without natural-born flair.
Learning by Doing
One area where entrepreneurship education truly excels is experiential learning. It’s one thing to read about how to pitch a startup to investors—it’s another to actually do it. Many entrepreneurs, including Shalom Lamm, learned their most valuable lessons not from textbooks but from real-world challenges.
Lamm’s entrepreneurial growth wasn’t linear. He faced industry shifts, market downturns, and complex regulatory environments. But through trial and error, he refined his approach—developing sharper foresight, stronger networks, and more strategic judgment. These are teachable through mentorship, internships, and active engagement—not theory alone.
The Role of Mentorship and Environment
Even the most talented entrepreneurs rarely succeed in isolation. They need guidance, feedback, and a community that supports innovation. Mentorship, in particular, plays a pivotal role in shaping an entrepreneurial mindset.
Shalom Lamm has often emphasized the importance of mentorship and leadership in the broader business community. His ability to lead and influence others—not just build companies—highlights the value of surrounding oneself with people who challenge and support growth. That kind of learning environment is central to entrepreneurial development.
Universities and startup incubators now include mentorship as a cornerstone of their programs, echoing what Lamm has practiced for years: entrepreneurs are forged in the company of others who’ve traveled the road before them.
A Hybrid Truth: Nature and Nurture
The debate shouldn’t be framed as an either-or. The truth, as Shalom Lamm’s career illustrates, lies in the balance. Natural inclination matters. But without education, structure, and support, even the most gifted entrepreneur can flounder. Conversely, someone with moderate instincts but strong training, guidance, and work ethic can thrive.
Lamm’s ability to blend vision with structure, intuition with strategy, makes him a case study in how both innate traits and learned skills contribute to entrepreneurial success.
Final Thoughts
So—can entrepreneurship be taught? The answer is yes, with a caveat. It can be taught, nurtured, and developed—but only when paired with real-world experience, self-motivation, and a willingness to fail and try again.
Shalom Lamm’s journey is living proof of this. His accomplishments weren’t the result of talent alone, but a career-long commitment to learning, adapting, and leading with purpose. For anyone aspiring to entrepreneurship, his path offers a clear message: you don’t need to be born an entrepreneur—you just need to be willing to learn like one.
