Professionals use the word “amateur” as a term of derision for those who lack formal training and qualifications. I think such condescension is a mistake. One day that amateur might just create a new industry.

After all, almost all entrepreneurs embody the amateur spirit, starting as a tinkerer in a garage, running a market stall or writing computer code in a bedroom somewhere. There is no guild of entrepreneurs, and no protective body that sets exams and standards. Instead there is the free-for-all of the market, a battlefield where only the fittest survive.

This lack of a rigid structure is a healthy state of affairs. Breaking down barriers to welcome all-comers creates a more dynamic and fluid order. For amateurs don’t suffer from the hierarchy, exclusion and ritual