The Last Lecture

            It is hard to choose what to say for your last words. However, now that I have completed this course, I feel like I could actually give advice to an aspiring entrepreneur that might benefit them. I would tell them to talk with current entrepreneurs that they know to find out what day-to-day life is like working and running your own business. After they have a real understanding of the dedication it takes to be an entrepreneur, then I would invite them to decide if their entrepreneurial cravings would best be satisfied working for himself or working for someone else.

            One thing that I learned in this class is that you don’t necessarily have to own your own business to be an entrepreneur. You can apply the same skills that are required in running your own business as you could any larger company. Applying these skills in a larger company might actually help you and be less stressful than running your own business.

            The next piece of advice that I would give an aspiring entrepreneur is if all that they want is money, you are making a mistake. There is much more to being an entrepreneur than the potential of making more money. Actually, if that is your main motivation, you will most likely fail! I say this because if this is at your core, you will be more willing to lie, cheat, steal and give up any other morals you have, just to earn a buck. This kind of entrepreneurship will neither bring happiness, nor financial stability.

            The last piece of advice that I would give would be to involve yourself in something that you not only love and are passionate about, but also something you feel will help benefit others. When you don’t enjoy what you are doing, and are not helping other people do the same, there will be a void in your life that you will seek to fill. Entrepreneurship will bring you freedom, happiness, and satisfaction for not only yourself, but your family, your friends and your customers.

            In my personal opinion, living a life of entrepreneurship is one worth the risk as well as the reward. Be patient, smart and understanding. I wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors.

Money Doesn't Buy Happiness

This week I had the opportunity to experience what I have learned and how I have grown in the past few weeks. In this class we have been doing mentor sessions where we evaluate ourselves, our strengths, our weaknesses and our views on entrepreneurship. I don’t know when or where the transition happened, but somewhere along the way, my views started to shift.

There are many reasons I would want to be an entrepreneur. Among these are: freedom, flexibility, choosing what I do, and money. At first, most of my responses had some sort of financial reasoning behind them. But as time went by, I realized that the finances will come if I am doing what I am good at and meant to be doing.

Don’t get me wrong—from the beginning I have wanted to do something that I enjoy. However, this was further down the list than money and freedom. As I took this journey of discovering what an entrepreneur is, I realized that at my core, I wanted above all to be happy and have the ability to reach my full potential than I did want money.

Don't Be Blinded, Follow the Guidance From God

This last week I took my family on a little adventure. We traveled eight hours to look into a potential work opportunity. I was able to meet with an entrepreneur looking for someone to help grow his business. I was very excited to see his company in greater detail and to pitch some of my ideas to him.

 He is in sports marketing and has been doing it for 20 years. I met with him for two hours looking over what made his company money and what didn’t. He showed me things he is planning to do in the near future and other potential business opportunities. He loved meeting with me and offered me a position in his business. This being said I was shocked at the feelings I had from this meeting.

I prayed all the way to the meeting and also after. One of my main concerns is that I would only see the positive and that I would be blinded by the industry it was in. After being offered the job I was overwhelmed with the feeling not to take the job. This came as a shock to me and so I told him I would get back to him. After praying and speaking to my wife I felt very strongly that I should decline the position, but move to the area. My wife and I have both received the same answer and are excited for what lies ahead for us. We know that we will find success where we are headed and are glad that the Lord is guiding us more than he ever has before.

Reaching Dreams May Take Some Stretching

This week has made me think a lot about my current situation and my future. I have read and watched inspirational videos and read articles on taking time to work on projects that you are really interested in and also avoiding the temptation to shut off dreams and think that they are impossible to attain.  This really made me think about where I want my education to lead me- and right this very second, that has put me on this 8.5 hour road trip.

I have always loved sports. I feel a big part of who I am today is because of sports. Since the beginning of this class, I have been actively pursuing different business possibilities. At the same time, I have been able to learn about my strengths and my weaknesses. My desire to be an entrepreneur is very great. However, I also feel that I have much to learn before going on my own into an industry I know too little about.

A few weeks ago, my work decided to cut hours for everyone holding my position. While this is a scary thought, it has freed up time and allowed me to collect my thought and refocus my energy. I called a business where I felt might give me an opportunity to learn, stretch my capabilities and who might take a shot on someone with limited experience. The company is ran by about three people. They hold basketball events for high school, college, and even seniors. They have connections with the NBA and have NBA players teaching basketball clinics for individuals desiring to improve their game.

While on the phone with the owner, I realized that they had no sales or marketing team and that he had recently tried to start one. The kid that he had hired previously for this was too shy to speak to others, and two days before I had called him, the kid decided that he wanted to leave the business. Thirty minutes into the phone call, I felt like I had been able to show him a little of my personality, and he offered to meet with me. He wanted me to come to the location of his business, and discuss the possibility of me building his sales and marketing portion of the business.

While this opportunity sounds amazing, it does come with a lot of risk. He cannot offer me a starting salary, but desperately wanted to show me what his business is and does. He said that he will pay me for the clients that I bring to the company and said that once I see the potential of bringing new clients and ideas in, that I will see the financial possibilities. If successful in my endeavors, I will be offered equity in the business.

So today is step one. Right now I am on my way down to see him, and his business. I am not getting my hopes up, but I am also not going to shut down the opportunity without learning more about it. After evaluating his company and the potential it has, my family and I will pray and follow the guidance of the Spirit.

I am grateful for the material that we were presented with this week, and for the inspiration that this class has given me to strengthen my desire to follow through with my dream. I don’t know where this weekend meeting will take me, but even if nothing becomes of it, I made progress in myself. I made the call and I talked to the man. I drove my family to check things out. I put myself out there as a candidate that may not have experience, but has a desire. It might not amount to a lot financially, but it could be the start of my dream proving that it isn’t too big for r

Limited Resources Brings Limitless Potential

This has been a crazy week! I think one of my biggest problems when it come to entrepreneurship is pulling the trigger. I have always enjoyed thinking of new ideas and discussing them with others. However, when it come to actually doing the idea it is hard for me to do (at least alone). On Thursday I walked into work and found out that they would be cutting hours for everyone that held my position. This was horrible news. I knew that without those hours I would have trouble covering my financial responsibilities. I felt like I was losing too much too quickly and that I had limited resources to turn to.

When I came home and told my wife she was not scared. All she said was you'll figure it out, you always do. After she had said this I completely forgot the feelings I had from before and now I was feeling freedom and true potential. It has given me motivation and the extra nudge I need to start seriously acting as an entrepreneur would and find ways to provide my own paycheck. I can really make a difference and do something I want to do. Lucky for me I still have a job and will still have steady pay. Lucky for me even more so I have some extra time to progress. With my resources becoming more and more limited it brought the feeling of limitless potential. And since I have the choice on which one I will focus on I think I will choose the more positive road.

Craving Criticism

This week I had the chance to read about some myths on entrepreneurship. Some of these myths I felt I already knew and some I previously believed. After reading these myths I was able to have a clearer idea of what an entrepreneur actually was. I then took these myths and shared them with family, friends, and colleagues. The individuals I shared them with were also able to develop a better understanding of entrepreneurship. Then after sharing these myths I asked them to compare me to a successful entrepreneur. The shock didn’t come in the actual results, but it came in the results I wanted to hear.

Everyone loves to hear how well they do things, and they love hearing the positives things people have to say about them. Hearing these compliments is necessary to help people develop, but also builds confidence. However, as I have gone through this course I have been able to find my strengths, which is very valuable, but unlike in previous times in my life I salivate at the thought of hearing something negative about myself.

During this course I have sought constructive criticism and found that is where I have learned the most. As I have attempted to change behaviors, apply new concepts, and stretch my limits I have seen more progression in myself than ever before. I see myself more comfortable and confident doing things I would have avoided before. I am more aggressive with my success and see more hope and a brighter future. These results and feelings make me crave criticism like I never have before. As I continue to apply my strengths and work on my weaknesses I will be more capable of helping myself and others.