How Will I Create the Future?

Professor William Gartner
Listen

Through the years, William Gartner has met thousands of entrepreneurs. With very few exceptions, he finds them to be positive, upbeat people.

“I can’t think of any other group of people I’d rather be with,” says Babson’s Bertarelli Foundation Distinguished Professor of Family Entrepreneurship. “They are the happiest people I’ve ever been around.”

Perhaps that shouldn’t be surprising. Entrepreneurs can’t help but be joyful and optimistic. Through their ideas and ventures, they’re hoping to remake how we live. “They have some say on how the future will be created,” says Gartner. “They are involved in new and interesting things, and they are involved in changing the world in really interesting ways. People become entrepreneurs because they want to make something cool happen.”

Gartner has been looking at the lives of entrepreneurs for roughly 40 years. At Babson, where he joined the faculty in 2017, he is part of the Institute for Family Entrepreneurship, a hub for research, resources, and programming focused on entrepreneurial students and their families.

Gartner is interested in how families start businesses, pass them from generation to generation, and support each other through the ups and downs. In all family matters, communication is critical. “The family dynamics are often more important than the business dynamics,” he says.

William Gartner Says the Answer Is Yes

At Babson, Gartner comes to a place that proclaims that everyone can be an entrepreneur, something that he has long believed. Far too often, he says, people think entrepreneurs are born with certain unique traits that enable them to do what they do. “I never want a student to ask, ‘Am I an entrepreneur?’” Gartner says. “The answer is yes. The question should be, what kind of entrepreneur am I? How will I create the future?”

Gartner remembers well his introduction to entrepreneurship education. The first entrepreneurship course he took was as an MBA student in 1977, a time before the entrepreneurial success of Apple, Microsoft, and other tech giants captured the public’s imagination. Six students started the course at the University of Washington. By the end of the semester, two were left. “That’s how much interest there was,” says Gartner. “The 1970s were about corporate America.”


“I never want a student to ask, ‘Am I an entrepreneur?’ The answer is yes. The question should be, what kind of entrepreneur am I? How will I create the future?”
William Gartner, professor

Much has changed since those times. At Babson, Gartner relishes the emphasis on the humanities. “The humanities have a lot to say about entrepreneurs,” says Gartner, who believes philosophy, history, and literature can all help to understand an entrepreneur’s way of thinking. “The humanities, especially literature, are about the imagination. In order to be an entrepreneur, you have to be imaginative.”

Just consider the way entrepreneurs talk about their ventures. “Entrepreneurs are linguistic innovators,” Gartner says. “In order to make the future happen, you have to talk in new and interesting ways. You exercise your imagination to get people to understand what you’re talking about.”

A Transformation

Gartner’s love of the humanities was evident when he was interviewing to come to Babson. When giving a presentation of his research, he had everyone in the room play a part in act 1, scene 1, of Shakespeare’s King Lear. “What better way to teach family dynamics than talk about King Lear?” says Gartner.

The play illustrates one of the common issues that family businesses face: succession.

In its offerings, the Institute for Family Entrepreneurship focuses on enabling the next generation of a family business to act entrepreneurially. “Succession is not an issue of transfer. It’s an issue of transformation,” says Gartner. “Once you think of transformation as an opportunity, not a threat, you see everything differently. You see the successors differently. They want to succeed and make their own mark in the world.”

Once families start thinking and acting entrepreneurially, their businesses may be taken in unexpected directions, or they may start a new venture altogether. “Families see themselves in new ways,” says Gartner. “It is very energizing. That is the genius of entrepreneurship. You just never know where it is going to take you.”

Posted in Community, Insights

More from Community »

Latest Stories

Three entrepreneurs featured in BostInno 25 under 25 list.
Babson Entrepreneurs Lead the Way on BostInno’s 25 Under 25 List From fashion to tech, 12 Babson entrepreneurs made BostInno’s 25 Under 25, reflecting the College’s leadership in innovation.
By
Hillary Chabot
Writer
Hillary Chabot
Hillary Chabot is a writer for Babson Thought & Action and Babson Magazine. An award-winning journalist, she is known for her insightful reporting and dedication to detailed storytelling. With a career spanning over two decades, she has covered a wide range of topics, from presidential campaigns and government policy to neighborhood issues and investigative series. As a reporter for The Boston Herald, Hillary earned a reputation for tenacity and integrity. Her work at Babson College fuels her passions—to learn something new every day and conduct thoughtful, empathic interviews. She’s thrilled to be at Babson College, where students, faculty, staff members and classes provide compelling copy daily.
September 16, 2025

Posted in Community

Three creative business people look at a window filled with post-it notes
What Is Creative Thinking in the Workplace? And How Does It Fuel Innovation and Problem Solving? Creative thinking is one of the most essential skills for the workforce. Here’s why those skills are so important, especially in this era of rapid change.
By
September 12, 2025

Posted in Insights

Babson Alumnus speaks with Babson College students about sales.
How Babson Is Reimagining Sales Education—and Launching Careers Along the Way The Sept. 17 Sales Leadership Summit celebrates Babson’s ongoing growth in sales education and alumni engagement, a winning combination that translated to jobs for two recent Babson alumni.
By
Hillary Chabot
Writer
Hillary Chabot
Hillary Chabot is a writer for Babson Thought & Action and Babson Magazine. An award-winning journalist, she is known for her insightful reporting and dedication to detailed storytelling. With a career spanning over two decades, she has covered a wide range of topics, from presidential campaigns and government policy to neighborhood issues and investigative series. As a reporter for The Boston Herald, Hillary earned a reputation for tenacity and integrity. Her work at Babson College fuels her passions—to learn something new every day and conduct thoughtful, empathic interviews. She’s thrilled to be at Babson College, where students, faculty, staff members and classes provide compelling copy daily.
September 11, 2025

Posted in Community, Outcomes