Entrepreneurship works in all kinds of circumstances, even when officially forbidden like under Soviet rule.
Here's a story.
Just as we were leaving the USSR in 1990 to move to Israel, my dad was called in for reserve duty in the army. He'd never been called in before and it was a very transparent move by the state to hamper our move.
He knew two key people - someone who worked as a cachier at the theater and could get restricted tickets even when they were sold out, and a mechanic who worked for the state auto shop (there was no other kind) who could get a car looked at ahead of a year long usual wait for service.
The military commander in charge of reserve duty needed his car looked at, the theater cashier wanted a bottle of cognac to celebrate with her husband, and my dad had a bottle of something good from previous dealings.
The cashier got the cognac, the mechanic got the tickets, the official got his car looked at, and my dad got off the reserve duty so we could get on the plane and leave.
It's entrepreneurship in everything but the money exchanging hands: same kinds of sales skills are required - figuring out who needs what and figuring out a way to get it for them for a fee (or a favor).