The Entrepreneur Journal: Last Lecture

Taking “Introduction to Entrepreneurship” was the first step to help me find myself in the entrepreneurship world, and my time was not wasted. In this class, I' ve become a better person, and more reflective of myself and others.

My advice for someone that wants to start the entrepreneur journey is to search as much information as possible about it. I had the blessing to learn many things about entrepreneurship  in this course, but also I had the opportunity to interview or talk with some entrepreneurs.

I also learned from incredible mentors, such as Elder Holland, James W. Ritchie, George Leonard, Sandefer, Rev. Sirico, Yunus, and Pres. Monson. I created my guardrails, I defined steppingstones along the road I am taking, established stars I want to reach, and I learned principles and concepts to better enjoy and endure the entrepreneur journey.

One of the most important readings was "What is your calling in life" by Jeffrey A. Thompson because it seemed he was talking to me. And I would like to share what stood out the most in his speech. It was the answer of the wife of his mission president, about finding purpose in our life:

“ As near as I can recall, she said, “When I do the laundry, I am building the kingdom of God. When I scrub the floors, I am serving the Lord. When I tidy the clutter, I’m an instrument in His hands. I do a lot of mundane jobs, but if my eye is single to God and I’m trying to serve my family, then I feel as much purpose in my work as a missionary can.”  (Jeffrey A. Thompson)

The concept that has most impacted my life personally was the “Bucket List”. I have heard about this principle of living as we would die tomorrow, but I have never created this list. I created my list after thinking deeply over my life and things I would like to do while I am still health. This assignment inspired me to improve and gave me more meaning insomuch that I started sharing it with my family, friends, people I lead at Church, and etc. I feel the responsibility to help other people be aware about it. For this reason, I would like to give you two advices.

• First, imagine how you would like to be when you are seventy years old, and then create one list of fifty things you would like to accomplish while you still have time and health in order to become this person you want to.
• Second, reach to great mentors to help you in your journey. It can be books, people you admire and respect, and or faith, God, inner peace, etc.

In essence, I think we all enter in a stage of life that we yearn for something to impact others, and since I entered this stage this course offered me the best ways to find out this something.

The principles learned filled lots of empty places in myself. Probably each person knows himself/herself, but when we say or write about ourselves is fascinating, and this course offered this opportunity of learning about ourselves, which is fundamental in the entrepreneur journey: Give the first step, know yourself in order to find out your business, mission, or calling.

13th Entrepreneur Post: Gratitude and Opportunity

Reflect upon the things that you are learning and experiencing so far in this course.

I thought I was learn how to create a business in this class, but I am gaining even more that. The principles presented through the Readings and Videos are shaping myself.

Learned

What did you learn from the readings and videos this week? Include any course concepts that resonated with you during the week.

Gratitude was one of the principles that stood out the most to me this week. An attitude of gratitude lines our perspective in the right direction when we feel lost or angry with life. Besides many others benefits of having a spirit of gratitude, we can reach other people. I know I will not be able to grow without positive people around me.

Which reminded of the inspiring story of Larry North. Because of his early experience with an alcoholic father, he would have many excuses to not be a great person and so a successful entrepreneur. But instead, he chose to learn with great mentors. He escaped from a negative person and attained positive ones.

Not Learned

What are you looking forward to learning and experiencing?

I am looking forward to reach people and have good ideas through a positive perspective. A positive attitude can capture positive people, and increase my network in order to make opportunities in business. Even though I still have a lot to learn about how to turn good ideas into an opportunity.  I hope to recognize positive people to help me create good opportunities.

12th Entrepreneur Post: Entrepreneurship and Consecration & What a Business for?

What an inspiring week I am having because of the words of Elder Gay, Elder Holland, Larry Brilliant, and Muhammad Yunus.

I have always thought to open a business that will improve and enrich other people's lives. The readings and videos of this week guided me and answered me why this is important. Even more, the advices directed and inspired me.

Learned
It's clear to me that money itself, without purpose has no power to gives us happiness, but instead can injure and destroy us overtime. That does not mean money is not good and dangerous. Money is only a tool that can be used to make good things and bad things. Instead of be one more person in this world to use money unwisely, I feel the urge to use money in order to help others.
It touched my heart listening the talk of Elder Gay  teaching that it's the time to use business to "benefit the whole people and rescue them from poverty."
What another great example was reading Muhammad Yunus's talk! I was impressed with his story and the impact he is doing in the life of many people with the Grameen Bank, because he decided to think outside of the box.

Not Learned
It's clear that companies and people can fall in the trap of the profit and power at such levels that causes hard damages. I don't understand why companies and people haven't created ways to avoid full trust into the hands of people, such as softwares or machines. Perhaps the technology is already available, but not the support to do.

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?

   Virtue and integrity is crucial to an economy, and the lack of them is caos.  When people realize that the economy is destabilized because of the lack of truth, then people feel deceived, stop spending money, and so the revolt start. Companies stop to invest millions of money because the economy is not stable and that's when business decrease staff, produce less, there are less products in the market, and prices grow. 

    This is exactly what's happening in my Country today. It's sad to receive emails every week from close friends asking help to find a job. There are many families in my stake without job more than a year. When I think that this started because of lies, selfishness, and greed from the Govern and big companies, it's clear that virtue and integrity are fundamental to make economy grows and remains. 

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

The real justification for the business is to make profit in order to accomplish great things. I think he meant the culture of the business, the why and purpose of the business. A company cannot be created only to make profit because it would be like wild humans fighting only for the food. We are created for better, and so the businesses.

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

In my limited knowledge of business I think Handy suggested that it should be incorporated truth in a employe qualifications: "If, however, this new requirement pushes accountability for truth telling down the line, some good may result".

And second, that should be created a purpose based in people: "If a company takes seriously the idea of itself as a wealth-creating community, with members rather than employees".  

I agree that those solutions would help because more trustful people would be accountable, and a business with purpose based to improve people and communities would direct and give meaning to big entrepreneurs. But I am not quite sure that those solutions are enough. We are still dealing with imperfect people, and it should have other ways to forearm process when dealing with great amounts of money, maybe more transparency inside a company. Again, that's my humble opinion.

11th Entrepreneur post: Work and Life Harmony

I look forward for Mondays because of the Readings and Videos Quiz assignment. Not because I am a geek and like quizzes, but because I have always something new to learn.

Learned

This week I learned that balance professional life and family is a matter of priority. Depending of what I want in that moment of my life I will focus more on one part, because it's hard to maintain a balanced life being a CEO, for example. 

Once I did a Family and Work class with my husband, and we had to make a project about balancing work and family. I recall that was used an analogy of puzzle pieces to show that we can achieve balance by fitting the priorities together. The final result is a big picture. My husband and I used in our project the analogy of notes of a song. Instead of finding balance we searched for harmony because there will be times when our family will need more attention and time than our business and vice-versa. 

 Not Learned

The entrepreneur life seems to be a hard way, as our life is. Sometimes I think that to open a business we need to give up of so much in our lives, but it does not need to be that way. I think our work should be part of our lives, and we should feel that’s the way I want to live when talking about work.  But these are only my impressions; I know I have a lot to learn regarding work/life balance.

"Attitude on Money" 

•    What is your attitude toward money?

    I had dificulty to deal with money in the pass feeling bad to not have money, to have and use it, or have money while other didn't, but now I am more aware of the importance of money and at the same time it's not the center of my life. 

•    How can your view of money affect the way you live?

    It helps me work for a specific amount of money to only supply our needs, not more than that. I don't feel the obligation to have a lot of money in order to be happy and in peace because money is not a provider of happiness, it only provides means to survive or make things. 

•    What rules are recommended for prospering?

    There are other important things, rather than money, that I can strive to have that are eternal. But I also know the power that money has in this mortal stage of our lives and how much good contributions I can do if I have a lot of money.  My only intent to search for money would be to improve other people's lives, or in other words, to use money with a good purpose. This would be one of the rules to propering, and I add it to: paying the tithing, investing, wasting less than we earn, and staying away of debts. 

10th Entrepreneur Post - Becoming an Entrepreneur

In this week's lesson, I felt inspired to start soon my own business, due to the many instructions I have been receiving. It would be a waste to not put in practice after all.

Learned

According to the talk of Elder Dallin H. Oaks, the gospel challenges us to become instead of only knowing the gospel. I feel challenged to become the person I was made to be, when I read so many good things in this talk. 

I was starting to think that entrepreneurship didn't choose me, because I am not fearless or venturesome. But the article "The heart of Entrepreneurship" helped finally understand that I can become an entrepreneur. It's fair that we all can become innovative, flexible, and creative, and most important is that we can develop the ability to know how to use these skills in the variety of situations.

Not learned

I was reflecting over learning and not learning, and I came to a conclusion that as  I think I am learning, actually I will really know if I learned to be entrepreneur when I start to apply the knowledge. 

There are moments in our lives that readings will not make a lot difference than making the readings real. I hope I am applying in my day-to-day life the content I so treasure, to be able to use in my future business. I am looking forward to experience the stories of entrepreneurs I have been listening.

9th Entrepreneur post - Leadership

Being a member of the Church is one advantage when thinking about running a business because Jesus Christ has taught us how to be a leader. And this is a summary of the readings and videos of this week.

Learned

Guy Kawasaki mentioned Amazon, as example of trust to show the importance to be trustworthy to have success in business. Frank Levinson also said that an ethical worker is vital to a team or company because this avoid unnecessary and unpleasant issues. A valuable work is the one the does what he or she needs to do quickly and efficiently, such as Colonel Andrew Rowan.

Why be good if we can be great? Being trustworthy, ethical, or quick and efficient are good qualities in a worker, but these elements do not make of the worker one leader. To be a leader is required more than being great at something, but being great at “taking people at a higher ground without interest”. (Jim Ritchie)

Not learned

I loved learning about leadership, but it took me some time to ponder how this differs from management.

While I still don’t understand exactly the differences, I came a conclusion that if I want to have my own business, I need to develop leadership because that’s what entrepreneurship is all about.

My 8th Entrepreneur post: Keep walking having God by your side

This week's reading was a balm to my soul. I already can see how challenging will be to interview successful entrepreneurs, but for someone that is feeling discouraged, I think this will be a good exercise to prove to myself that I can make it.  


Learned
I loved to receive the councils of Elder Holland and Patricia Holland again. They are great and always help me to see my potential. The most important thing I learn with their message was to keep walking. Taylor Richards also confirmed what Elder Holland said when he mentioned how Nephi was always doing the right choice no matter difficulties he passed. Even when Nephi's brothers told him to give up, he continued to choose God. 

Continue to walk, but even better, with God by my side. That was such an important part of my reading this week because it reminded me to always include Heavenly Father in my endeavors. When things are getting hard, we have the bad habit to rationalize, when in fact we are feeling the burden of the process of change. I hope always to remember what Elder Holland said: "...it is simply a truism that nothing very valuable can come without significant sacrifice and effort and patience on our part."


Not learned
I thought the concept of the "Five Why's" was a little difficult to understand, but I am assuming that I will know how to apply when the situation comes. I am not quite sure if I can apply the five questions in any situation, but I will try and maybe with practice I will understand better. 

The 7th Entrepreneur post - Habits

This week I love learning again the 7 habits of Highly effective people. I have read many excerpts relate this book more than ten years ago and felt that I learned even more now.

The habit that has more meaning to me is “Be proactive” because the power we have to make things happen by ourselves. I have faced situations in my life when I so badly wanted something and as a light bulb moment I went and got what I wanted. I have been learning how important is to be proactive, take the lead, move forward, to fulfill our missions on Earth. When I start to feel discouraged, I remember to say to myself: “If I don’t do this, it’s not going to happen, then I must do.”

Learned

I studied the talk given by Gordon B. Hinckley this week, and it was worth reading it. It gave me more certainty that the more we learn and grow, the more near to God we need to be. The advises given in the talk helped me focus who I really am and want to become when I am planning my business.

I also thought it was very important when Guy Kawasaki explained that we should go after the things because we love and want to make a difference, not because we want to be rich. The money will come as a consequence, but should not be the main purpose.

Not learned

But it was not clear to me that we should only go after things we love in our career life. I think there are more aspects we should consider, instead of going on what we love. I love to sleep for example, but I am realistic and know I can’t earn money with it.

My 6th entrepreneur post: Preparation and self-mastery

The readings of lesson 6 helped to focus in what I need to learn in order to be an entrepreneur.

Learned

I liked reading "So you want to be an Entrepreneur?" since I have many friends that started their company without any understanding of business and entrepreneurship, but only knowing their product and customers. They learned with their trials as they are running their business, but many problems could be avoided if they had studied some principles. I confirmed that is important to have a preparation before to launch a business. The advices in this article helped me narrow the most important things I should be searching to develop:

1- In-depth knowledge of the competitive structure of an industry and a network of contacts within that industry;

2- The skills to run the daily operations of a small, rapidly growing company;

3- The ability to raise money

Not learned

In the readings “How Entrepreneurs Craft Strategies That Work” I was intrigued that to achieve great goals is necessary great creativity. I don’t consider myself a creative person and I am glad that creativity is not one of the most important strategies in building a company. Now that I am learning about self-mastery, I don’t need to feel incapable for not having creativity, but be determined to walk toward this strategy.

My fifth Entrepreneur post - Failure and Success

I am amazed with the readings content because I relate to some of the thinking, and even fears.
In the “Hero’s Journey” video, I was inspired by the questions presented, and the practical tips.

Learning so many different perspectives about entrepreneurship, making my life plan, and the concepts, all of this has been a great experience and a changing mind to me. Unfortunately now I have been dealing with fear of failure. One specific topic was talked about in the video that I identified myself. When Joseph Campbell said: “People who believe will be lucky, actually are the one to be lucky”.

What I learned
So listening by Campbell that fear of failure is not my greatest fear, but realizing someday that I did not use my time to try, that I have wasted my time and my potential.
Learning a different point of view about success also helped me to face my fear, and understand that success is having freedom to try, freedom to make experiments, and try many different ways to achieve one thing until I find the right one.
I hope to remember these concepts when I feel this way again. Not fear failure and success, because they are not the most important thing when I am following my journey.

Not learned
Perhaps because I still have to learn technical things such as marketing, finances, production, I feel incapable to make a business and so fear the unexpected.

Fourth Entrepreneur Post - Life Plan and Personal Constitution

Each learning week I feel the strength and desire to put in practice my goals. There have been moments of inspirations but also moments of uncertainty in my struggling to be prepared to start my entrepreneurial career.

Things learned

One concept that resonate the most this week was taught in the “How Will You Measure Your Life? “, which says that we should create a “Life Plan”.  I have learned about this years ago, and my husband and I have been working to implement our life plan. Reading again Clayton M. Christensen gave me more clarity of the importance of this concept of not wasting my time or worrying with other things that are not going to help in our final objective. The “Life Plan” and “Personal Constitution” are the perfect parameter to help us succeed with our projects. They avoid possible disconnections of the way and a successful achievement of our purposes. Having a conscious Life Plan give us meaning and the personal constitution protect us along the way.

Things not learned

I liked learning with Jeff Hawkins in the “Effective choices, Not longer days” but this concept intrigues me because it seems that it cannot be applied in all types of job or Entrepreneur Company. However I would like to learn more about this because it makes more sense, from my perspective, that we all should enjoy life, make professional achievements, and at the same time make our contributions, without waiting until we retire.

My third Post - Learning and Experiencing

This class has been of great inspiration and learning. This week's reading helped me to have a good perspective of the complexity when funding a business, and how prepared we need to be. I am glad that the people created business and faced challenges decided to help others with instructions, information, and training. I hope to have my own experiences to be able to help others.

Things learned

I learned the importance of integrity and have a purpose in everything, even in our business. In the book of Ministry much has been talked about our personal mission and to listen to the Spirit of God to know this mission. When we have a final purpose regarding our business, it will be less hard to deal with the hardships accompanying our journey. Even this purpose being to "give back", our ability to overcome our trials and work through our goal will be clearer than live without any purpose. I am looking forward to find out my personal missions and to work to achieve them.

Things not learned

There were some skills talked in this week's readings about start-up and business that I would like to understand with more confidence.  Dealing with customers, for example, is one point in the business that seems to be complex. I hope to learn more about this because I need to improve my concept and attitude  to raise my chances to do right. Good thing this class has helped me to think about my weaknesses and strengths in advance in order to work on this.

Second Journal Entry about my Entrepreneurial path

This week learnings were amazing and I could not learn more about my life’s principles and objectives with the “What Is Your Calling in Life?” by Jeffrey A. Thompson. For a long time I have been thinking about the contributions I can make in this world, and the activities of this week were of great help to shape the process to achieve this. I still haven’t find my calling in life, but I am optimistic to find it.

Things learned

The most important thing I learned this week was to narrow my priorities, goals, stars, objectives, and guardrails. A self reflection and prayer are helpful to find our important objectives.There are different levels of importance in the goals I would like to achieve in life, and I am afraid to left the most important goals. That’s why I think is so important to find our calling in life.  I learned with the Stars and Steppingstones Chart to focus on the most important achievements I would like to do in life.

Things not learned

I learned some important principles in the readings of this week, but one that stood out the most to me was about failures. The ability to have a good attitude up to failures is something I still need to learn. Randy Pausch’s last lecture made it clear the importance of failures when it confronts our dreams and objectives. The hard situations happens so we can rethink about our motivations towards that goal. If our motivations and goals remain the same then we have certainty of what we want. That’s easy to say, but in real life situation, it’s required more than a rational thinking. In “Treat life as an experiment”,Tom Kelley said about the vacuum guru James Dyson: “He was willing to tolerate lots of failures and it worked it out pretty well for him in the end.”

My thoughts about Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

• Why do you think Randy Pausch was able to achieve so many of his childhood dreams?

I think He was able to achieve many of his dreams because he set goals and didn’t give up of them when facing challenges or failures.

• Do you feel that dreaming is important? Why or why not?

Yes, it’s important to dream because it’s when we are able to ponder about what we want or what we don’t want. That would be the first step to creativity and later on to goals and achievements.

• Discuss at least one of your childhood dreams. Explain why you believe you can or cannot achieve this dream.

One of my childhood dream was to be a doctor. I can say it was my childhood dream because that was all I talked about and I studied for. Until someday I realized that dream was my parent’s dream, not mine. When I reached the age to dream by myself this dream confronted my real dream, to have an eternal family, having a man of God as husband and be a full time mother. This may sound cliche being a member of the Church, but from a child that grew up without a proper family, having a family with father mother and children going to Church was a dream to me. 

Be a doctor is not possible first because it was not really my dream, but my parent’s dream, which was important until a certain point due the fact that it helped to occupy my mind with something good, I had good grades because of that, and it motivated me to be anything I wanted be.  Second, I cannot be a doctor because I learned after I became mother that I am too sensitive to deal with blood and everything else. I am grateful for people that are strong to follow their dream to be doctor because I need their knowledge.

My first Entrepreneur Post

My first week taking "Introduction to Entrepreneurship" class and I am already passionate about every skill on this subject.

I must confess that I was sleepy and dizzy (because of São Paulo heat), when I was starting my readings this week, but I so relate to the "Living a Life as an Entrepreneur Hero" and all the subsequent readings that I did not want to sleep anymore. It was mid-night when I finished them, and I realized that my mind was full of energy.

Learned

It was amazing reading about do what you love, live a life with intent, prioritize people you love, the path is not easy, get used with failures, never give up, and etc. Everything that was said about how to become an Entrepreneur I agree. But what caught up my attention the most was said by Jim Ritchie: “Have great friends: People, who lead others to a higher ground and, at the same time, help us enjoy the journey!”  Jim Ritchie also said that I need to have lots of friends, and even better, I need to learn how to choose them.

Not learned

That is one skill I will need to develop. My network is not that great! I have good friends, but just a few because I feel that social life is so tiring. But for the first time I understand how important is to be surrounded by many good people, not only a few, if I want to be an entrepreneur. I learned that my journey as entrepreneur will more likely be enjoyable if I have good friends to support me. The more good friends I have, the more good perspective and influences I will have. I hope always remember this!