Do greater blocks of european vacation time create opportunities for european entrepreneurs to conduct R&D for themselves (for new ventures) while working with their existing employers?

Ray Garcia
1/6/2017,
Ray Garcia  replied:
It potential could but I have not found that this is the case at all.  It has to do with the cultural priorities where down-time with family is taken very seriously and is sacred therefore when on holiday people completely turn-off.   This is a generality so it is possible to find examples where this is not the case, a young person who is not in a committed relationship and is living away from their immediate family.  For example, if someone decides to move to Berlin from another city and they work for a company but they have a focus to be there to create a business themselves.  These are the exception, not the rule.

The broader question is one of whether a social safety net, regulated labor conditions, can foster entrepreneurial activity when the circumstances leave time to work on goals that are beyond the primary employment.  I have observed that this seems to be the case in some countries but it is more a function of adversity versus opportunity.  Adversity is a strong motivator, often much more than opportunity. 

Do greater blocks of european vacation time create opportunities for european entrepreneurs to conduct R&D for themselves (for new ventures) while working with their existing employers?

American tends to think of the Europeans as having vast amounts of vacation time from their employers. If true, do greater blocks of european vacation time create opportunities for european entrepreneurs to conduct R&D for themselves (for new ventures) while working with their existing employers? 
Ray Garcia
1/6/2017,
Ray Garcia  replied:
It potential could but I have not found that this is the case at all.  It has to do with the cultural priorities where down-time with family is taken very seriously and is sacred therefore when on holiday people completely turn-off.   This is a generality so it is possible to find examples where this is not the case, a young person who is not in a committed relationship and is living away from their immediate family.  For example, if someone decides to move to Berlin from another city and they work for a company but they have a focus to be there to create a business themselves.  These are the exception, not the rule.

The broader question is one of whether a social safety net, regulated labor conditions, can foster entrepreneurial activity when the circumstances leave time to work on goals that are beyond the primary employment.  I have observed that this seems to be the case in some countries but it is more a function of adversity versus opportunity.  Adversity is a strong motivator, often much more than opportunity.