Entrepreneurial Journey

  If you had one final lecture to share with a group of students on what you have learned from this course, what would you share? Take this course seriously. Dig deep, really applying what you are reading to your personal life. In doing so you will find out or begin to find out your path and purpose. Treat this class as the beginning of a journey of discovery. What would be your last bit of advice to someone wanting to begin the entrepreneur journey? If you know without a doubt that this journey is the right one for you. I would first find a group of mentors who you trust to be “real”. People who will not be afraid to call you out for what you are doing right and wrong. People who will be honest with you. I would then set a list of priorities in your life. Make a list of “I Will Never’s” and “I Will always” keep it somewhere safe and refer to it frequently. What words of advice, direction, or caution would you give him or her if you had only one chance to give your own last lecture...

       This week’s readings were on the importance of gratitude. We read a case study of Randy Raykins. During this case study, he reflects on his own strengths and weaknesses. One weakness that he touched on was his ability to appreciate people and really reward them in real-time. He talked about being caught up in his endeavors of beginning a startup company and being so focused on that, that he neglected to see and appreciate the efforts of everyone around him. He commented on how during those early years, "Everything is shifting. And in that shifting environment, you have got to remember to thank people. It is not so easy. I think a good leader is able to reward people at the appropriate times and keep people motivated."       I really feel that the key to life is noticing and appreciating the little things that make our lives better and the people who have impacted our lives. Everyone wants to be appreciated and noticed.      W...

     This week we were asked to read the article "What's a Business for?" By Charles Handy. It was an interesting article to read about the ethics and values that large corporations are putting aside to make a larger profit. The biggest questions that kept coming to my mind were "But at who's cost"?  and "How is this going to play out in the long run?"       Many claim that the focus of many of the large corporations has changed from customer service to profits rather than leaving a mark on the work. Shockingly many smaller companies are following suit. The customer is no longer right, the product integrity is being compromised to save a buck or two and the value of its employees has changed to view them as a cost rather than assets. 1.   Why are virtue and integrity so vital to an economy? • Value and integrity create a check and balance for a company. When you forget that, you forget what you stand for and why you started the company in t...