Are entrepreneurs born?

I don’t quite see myself as an entrepreneur with a capital E — not yet, at least.

But I’ve actually founded two companies, so I’ve asked myself the question many times: was I born this way, or did I become it?

Looking back, as a kid I wasn’t thinking “I’ll run a business.” I had a simpler question: how can I earn a bit on the side, build some independence, buy what I need without asking for money?

Summers in the fields

My parents had me work in the summers — fruit picking in the Emilian countryside.

Back then it felt almost like a duty; today I see it as a lesson. You don’t learn the value of money and sacrifice from books.

Passion, then a micro-business

Then I noticed something: whenever I got obsessed with something, I ended up turning it into a micro-business.

The first real obsession was engines.

I had a Piaggio Ciao and gradually learned to tune it, fix it, figure out how to make it go faster.

At some point my scooter was among the fastest in town, and friends wanted the same kind of setup.

So I started doing it for them — for a fee.

And every euro that came in didn’t get spent: I saved it and/or reinvested it in tools.

I milled crankcases, took things apart, put them back together, and engraved “Giacco” inside with the mill — my nickname back then. Same story with a Vespa soon after.

Online

When the internet took off, I moved that mindset online. Selling scooter parts on eBay felt natural.

Then I did the same with PCs: tweaks, builds, upgrades — I resold components and bought the next ones.

Same pattern: passion → skill → exchange → reinvestment.

In between, as a self-taught web designer, I built Flash sites for local bands.

There too I learned by doing, failing, trying again — and something always came out of it.

Opportunity

I’ve always liked getting my hands dirty.

And almost always, what excited me became a way to bring in money.

Not because I was a genius, but because it felt natural to spot opportunity wherever there was value to create.

Born or made?

Was I born an entrepreneur?

Maybe partly — if only by imprinting.

My parents were craftspeople; they always worked for themselves; there was a family bakery. They passed on two things without ever spelling them out: money doesn’t fall from the sky, and if you want to build something you plant seeds, work hard, and stack skills even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed.

That mindset never left me.

I still spend months learning new things even when they’re not my core job.

Lately, for example, I learned to create content and edit video. It wasn’t my trade, but I felt I had to understand it properly — get my hands on it, own it.

Today I’m bringing the same spirit to what matters most to me: figuring out how to combine AI technologies with real software products.

The context changes; the tools evolve — but the mindset and the way of working stay the same.