What happens in this movie, with whom, and why is it entrepreneurial?
In this movie, "The Fountainhead", architect, Howard Roark has an eye for modern architecture and is very good at designing modern buildings. However, society is totally against him because the architectural establishment is still traditionally minded, for that's all they know. This is a common problem as an entrepreneur, not everyone can see value as entrepreneurs can. Roark never settled for designing traditional buildings no matter what because he believed in his work. He finally got an offer from Gail Wynand for a new building project and from there built his way up and even got complete freedom to build the Wynand Building, soon to be the greatest structure of all time. Entrepreneurship is rarely ever a straight path upward.
Discuss why it is interesting.
The key point that stuck out to me was how much Roark went through and gave up simply because he believed in himself and his work and would not change it for anything or anyone. This is a great example of entrepreneurship; entrepreneurs create things others don't think about, therefore it is often a shock to society and can take time for others to see the value it brings. It is important to have an open mind as an entrepreneur but to also stand firm in the idea created if it has potential to bring much value. I enjoyed watching how firm Roark was in his work and never once thought of giving up or changing his creativity because of other's lack of imagination. He also knew how to be patient and trust that his time would come. Being an entrepreneur takes a lot of effort, time, patients, and confidence, which Roark showed perfectly.
How does this aspect of entrepreneurship affect society?
Roark was attempting to find people who would allow him to design their buildings with a total new look. This was a huge change to society; architectural establishment kept wanting to add traditional touches to his modern designs because of the way the look of their building would affect them. Being in complete charge of designing a company's building is a huge task and a very important piece of businesses. Which is why Roark had so much trouble finding someone to welcome him with no skepticism. Society did not yet see that Roark's creativity and new designs would bring much satisfaction and take over traditional architecture. Even today, building structures is necessary and will always be a need, finding someone reliable and who can suit every need is always at the top of customers list.
How does society affect this aspect of entrepreneurship?
Society had total control over Roark, as long as no one wanted to hire him and his new designs then he was out of the business. These are the stakes for all entrepreneurs, customers are what controls businesses and profits. Roark had no chance and no income until someone decided to take a chance on him and allow this new modern form of architecture. Roark's career depended on society. How successful he was reflected how many businesses chose him as their architecture and believed in the new modern designs. Roark's creativity will not mean anything until society finds it valuable as well, this is the case for every form of entrepreneurship.
What is the interaction between this aspect of entrepreneurship and society?
The first interaction between architect, Howard Roark, and society is finding a job opportunity and then getting accepted or denied. If he is denied then there isn't much interaction that is going to take place. However, when someone accepts him there is a huge interaction to occur. He is working with businesses to create and design their buildings. This is a very important task that business spend a lot of money on. Buildings are also very important to businesses, they are the foundation of their company and need to be appealing to customers and convenient for workers. Even if it is a house or some other type of structure, there is going to be someone who wants to find it valuable and suitable for their needs. Also, this could be a building that will be displayed in a certain town and the society in that area is going to want the building to be acceptable and valuable. Creating buildings is a huge responsibility and creating them with a brand new design the eye has never seen before is an even bigger task.
