FINAL WEEK #14

This week we are to write as if giving a final lecture to future students of this course.
Welcome to your Introduction to Entrepreneurship.  This will be the beginning of your discovery into whether or not entrepreneurship is right for you.  There are many who say that anyone can own their own business, and that may be so, but everyone cannot be successful and happy owning their own businesses.  It is okay to not know right now.  I was not sure if I wanted to be a business owner.  I came into this course having started my own business but stopping it to further school.  I was not sure if I wanted to start it up again later or not.  After this course, I am fairly certain I will not be doing that again.  It takes a lot more to own and run a business than I had imagined.  Through this class I was able to discover more about myself.  More about what I want from my education and a career.  What I want in life and what I do not want in life.  What I will always choose to do and what I will choose to never do.  This course also helped me realize that as a disciple of Christ, through whatever I choose to do in my life, I am to build His kingdom.  Whether I am at home with my children, or out in the business world, I need to be His disciple in all that I do.  I ask you to look at what your interests are.  Is there something that you truly enjoy that you could help the world be better?  Could you be happy being in charge of all aspects of a business?  This semester you will learn about what you need before you become an entrepreneur.  Do you have a plan in place?  Have you thought of your possibilities?  There are so many turns that a business can take that you need to be prepared for.  This will help you prepare yourself for these situations.  You will interview an entrepreneur that you know.  This interview can be extremely helpful if you allow it.  Your questions that you ask and the conversation that you have, can help guide you towards the right path for your future.  Let this entrepreneur be a mentor to you and help you in your path towards or away from entrepreneurship, depending on what your feelings are at that time in the course. Through this semester’s studies of successful entrepreneurs, I was able to learn that entrepreneurship is not the right fit for me.  I am grateful that this course helped me learn that now, rather than realizing it later in my future.  Make sure you work on your portfolio early on and go by the weekly guide.  It is much easier than procrastinating and trying to do everything in a short amount of time at the end of the semester.  Good luck in this course and good luck in your future. 

Week #13

As we come nearer to the end of the semester, I feel the need to remind myself of many things I have learned.  This week is about gratitude and we read a talk from Pres. Monson.  He discusses six people or things to encourage our gratitude.  One, be grateful for our mothers.  Two, be grateful for our fathers.  Three, be grateful for our teachers.  Four, be grateful for our friends.  Five, be grateful for our country.  Six, be grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ.  In addition to being grateful for these things, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to attend BYU-I and expand upon my knowledge in this life.  I know that this school and programs have been brought about by revelation and are great blessings unto many.  I know that they are blessings to my family as I am able to continue my university experience when I thought I would not be able to finish. 
I am grateful for our living prophets who are in tune with the Spirit and able to receive revelations for the Church. I am grateful for daily revelation from our Heavenly Father.  I am eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father for all that He has given me as I live this test on earth.  

Week #12

This week we finished reading the book "A Field Guide for the Hero's Journey".  As I read this book, I came to realize that it is a fantastic book to close out this course.  It summarizes many of the things that we have learned and done throughout the semester.  It discusses how to start the journey by stopping the excuses and keeping a journal.  We did this by starting this blog to track our progress each week.  This blog has helped me to realize the things that I have learned and grown from.  Also, I now am able to look back at this later on in my journey through business and see what concepts I can continue to learn and grow from.   The book continues through discovering who you want to be (not what you want to be), setting guardrails (the stars and stepping stones we created earlier this semester), choosing friends and companions wisely along this path (we created our personal board of directors to remind us of these important things), encounter and growing from obstacles & learning to overcome your fears (we did deconstructing our fears), making sure that you make time for rest and relaxation and lastly, encountering the challenge that will change your life.  All of these items together help guide us on our path through being an entrepreneur, but also are steps that will help guide us throughout our entire lives.


Now for questions regarding a reading "What's a Business For?" by Charles Handy

• Based on what you read in the first two pages (pages 3 and 4), why are virtue and integrity so vital to an economy?

The future of our economy is based on the choices of today.  We are saving now for our futures tomorrow.  For those in charge of corporations it is important for them to show integrity and virtue so that their employees and the public shareholders know they can depend upon them to make choices in the best interest of everyone, not just themselves.  If honesty is betrayed, it is hard to earn back.  Many people do not trust businesses with many fall outs that have happened and continue to be shown in the news.  Those in charge often are feeding their own interests before the interest of their shareholders or employees.  They are taking care of their retirement accounts and stock options now so they don't have to trust in those who take over for them when they retire.  With this lack of trust, comes the decline of money circulating throughout.  Without trust, why would we want to let go of our money?  

• According to Charles Handy, what is the “real justification” for the existence of businesses?

The "real justification" is that businesses need to make a profit so that they can do more or be better. 

• What are two solutions proposed by Handy that you agree with? Why?

I think that Handy's suggestion that businesses need to be involved with charitable giving is an excellent idea.  I know that many large corporations are involved with charities.  Hander says, "To survive, even to prosper, is not enough.  We hanker to leave a footprint in the sands of time".  Associating with giving back is something that builds up trust from the community. 

I also like his thoughts on compensating those who work harder through their skills and talents to for such.  The balance of working harder for your money would be more equal than currently when employees get compensated regardless of them doing just enough or whether they go above and beyond.  Spreading this I think would increase productivity in companies. 

Week #11

This week we read and watched many items regarding balancing work and family life.  Rather just having a balanced life that is satisfying and makes you happy.  "Money doesn't buy happiness" is the phrase that constantly was either heard or came into my mind.  There will always be many different things begging for your time, the main thing is to know what order your priorities are in.  As we read over some case studies, I was able to ponder on my thoughts of having my own business and how it would interfere with my family time.  Would I have to miss out on some performances or some games?  Or would I make my family a priority over my business?  I came to realize that if I did start up a business, this would definitely have to be a discussion between myself and my husband.  A self owned business would definitely have to have many decisions decided between both of us so as not to create any contention in the family.  We are a family first and the business would come afterward. 
I realized that not everyone had the same views on this.  I hope and pray that I do not ever have to have any issues with this, but I know that if we pray for help that Heavenly Father will help us.  He is with us in our marriages, we have made covenants to Him as we have with each other.  He wants our families to succeed and we will report at the judgement seat to Him about our families.  We will not be asked how much money we made or how successful our businesses were.  I do feel like we will be asked how we made our families feel or how we raised our children.  Did we teach our families the gospel?  Did we teach them to pray and study the scriptures?  How can we teach these principles if we are absent and always at work?  

Week #10

This week we had to write up our paper about our interview on an entrepreneur.  I actually interviewed a few so I could get advice and help from many different people in different careers.  However, I wrote my paper on my interview of Dr. Jonathan Powell, DDS.  My bishop, longtime friend, neighbor, and of course my dentist.  He told me about when he attended BYU, he really enjoyed biological science courses and this helped him realize he wanted to go into dentistry.  His biggest advice was to make sure I fully understand the field I want to go into before trying to start a business.  There are so many hidden things that business owners do not speak about on a regular basis.  He has paid for coaching that has really helped him learn how to better run his business and be happy.
I think Dr. Powell is a great example of a successful entrepreneur.  Over the past 8 years, I have watched his clientele base grow constantly.  His office staff has grown over the years also.  He has started marketing more, or at least I have just noticed it more.  As the owner, he is responsible not only for the dentist procedures, but the growth of the business, the marketing, the finances, the insurance, the maintenance, and so much more.  Yet he says the benefits definitely outweigh the challenges.  He is able to see his talent and skill bring smiles and happiness to many who used to hide those smiles due to self-consciousness.  What a great thing to know that you are helping make a difference in someone else’s life.

Week #9

This week is titled "Disciple Leadership".  What hit me most this week was going through the readings made me think about my calling.  In the readings, I read about delegation and how much of the world nowadays is not full of "go-getters".  There are many who will ask a million questions if asked to complete a task, so we will want to do it ourselves instead of constantly asking and answering more questions in order to get a task completed.  It sure would be faster and simpler for us to complete it ourselves.  But does that allow for growth in the "employee" or the company?  As I compared this to my calling in Primary, I realize that my hardship with delegation and trying to do everything on my own does not allow anyone else to grow as leaders or within the ward and church.  I am possibly stunting the spiritual growth of the children and leaders, and possibly even myself.   In “Leadership with a Small “L”” by Pres. Clark, I recall reading this when I started Pathway last year.  I thought it was very interesting at that time and yet it still is wonderful today.  The principles he teaches are: Lead by example, Lead with vision, and lead with love.  I know if I follow these principles I can be a good leader in business and in other areas of my life. 

Week #8

This week we studied about entrepreneur overcoming challenges or hurdles in their way.  Many different stories.  One story about an engineer that stated behind every technical problem is a human problem, it just may be down the line a few steps.  A programming code error, why?  Because it was input wrong by the coder.  Why?  Because he is new and wasn't trained.  Why?  Because his manager doesn't believe in training.  And there is the real problem to confront. 
Another story about Elder Holland as a young father.  As moving across the country with his little family, their car breaks down.  He has to hike miles back to the nearest town for help.  After getting towed back to town and car being fine, they start the journey again.  Same spot and same problem with car again.  The young father again sets to walking back to the town for help.  The setback could cause many to decide to not make this trek, yet he still made it.  Just had to figure out a way to make it happen.  Without the old car. 
I know there will be many hiccups along the way of building a business.  It will not be easy and breezy.  Yet Heavenly Father is always there to help us be comforted and guided in righteousness through the difficult times.