ESSAY

Entrepreneurs are resilient people who take the risk in starting their own businesses. They
see an opportunity or have an idea for a new business that will earn them an income and
possibly satisfy other personal goals. However, not all businesses are successful. Many
entrepreneurs risk losing the time, effort and money that they have invested in the business
idea if it doesn’t work out. Successful entrepreneurs are usually equipped with the following
characteristics:
• willingness to take calculated risks
• resilience or the willingness to bounce back from failures
• strong work ethic
• passion for the business they are in
• understanding of finances.

Yves Saint Laurent was an important entrepreneur of his time. He was born on the 1st of
August 1936, in Oran Algeria. He was brought up in Oran and spent most of his childhood
there with his parents, Lucienne (mother), and Charles Mathieu-Saint-Laurent (father), and
his two sisters, Michèle and Brigitte. Laurent had always shown interest in fashion from his
younger years. When he was about 10, he used to hold his own fashion show with paper
dolls and his sisters as clients. When Laurent was 17 years old, he started to work for
Christian Dior and became his assistant. Soon after, when he was 21, he was destined to
become Dior's successor but got fired. Six years later when he was 26, he started YSL, his
brand with his spouse, Perrie Berge. Yves Saint Laurent died of brain cancer on the 1 st of
June 2008.

Just because Yves Saint Laurent opened a successful business brand, that doesn’t mean that
he didn’t have a hard time running the business. Laurent faced difficulty at the start of his
business, as he wasn’t accustomed to being in the middle of large crowds, so initially he
suffered a bit. Laurent had great success in the 1960s when all of his fashion trends were at
their highest. But after all the famous times, Laurent got exhausted from working, and Perrie
Berge, his business partner could keep up with the business, so he eventually retired in 2002.
Laurent also received awards for his work, the International Fashion Award from the Council
of Fashion Designers of America in 1982, the Oscar de la Mode in 1985 and an Award of
Honor in 1999.

YSL was a very important business at the time. Laurent created fashion trends that continue
today such as the beatnik look, safari jackets for men and women, pea coats, tall, thigh-high
boots and the most famous classic tuxedo suit for women (Le Smoking). The YSL brand was
also important in the economy as it was, and still is, a global luxury brand. In the 19
hundreds, it was worth $1.07 billion, but now in modern times, it is worth around $2.85
billion. Laurent must have been proud of his brand. And if he would give advice to someone
starting their own business, he would probably tell them to start their business out of passion,
that will make that business a success.

Yves Saint Laurent was a remarkable entrepreneur who changed the fashion industry with his
innovative and creative designs. He demonstrated the characteristics of a successful
entrepreneur, such as willingness to take calculated risks, resilience, strong work ethic,
passion, and understanding of finances. He also overcame many challenges and difficulties
in his career, such as being fired from Dior, suffering from mental and physical exhaustion,
and facing competition from other designers. He also achieved many accomplishments and
honours, such as launching his own brand, creating iconic trends, and being awarded the
Legion of Honour. He was an amazing person who followed his passion and made his
dreams come true.