Lesson 14

Taking this course later in my schooling has had many benefits for me. I can see how this course would be important for those just beginning in the business management degree path, however, I really felt like I was able to self reflect and experience a deeper purpose to some of the activities. I was surprised to find this was a course focused on me, as opposed to the 101 of how to begin a business. Because I have taken other business courses in the past few semesters, I was able to take the knowledge I have learned and apply it directly to me personally as I completed the assignments in this course.

I feel like the focus of this course was to discover ourselves; meaning our talents, our ambitions, our weaknesses. This same discovering is imperative to anyone who wants to be successful in their career, or even their life, whether they decide to begin their own company or not. Reading about the way successful people think and act, as well as some of their failures enables us to pattern our efforts after their experiences. The opportunity to feel as though a mentor as been where you are and to see how they have overcome hurdles and challenges is invaluable in our individual growth.

In providing my last words of advice or direction, I would say to someone who wants to travel on a crazy entrepreneur journey would be to enjoy the ride! Learn all you can about the decisions you will need to make, but then trust your gut (or the promptings of the Holy Ghost). After interviewing my brother for this class about his own business endeavors, I learned a valuable lesson of being prepared. Preparation allows you to have the advantage or the upper hand, so to speak. Preparation allows decisions to be made confidently and intentionally, as opposed to reacting to a situation. Even though finding the time to balance everything, taking the time to prepare will yield more benefits than rash decision making.

Finding a passion is always the goal when starting a business. It seems more fun to work for yourself than for someone else. However, having your own business is a lot of hard work. Probably more so than people imagine when they are going into it. Keep your eyes open and don’t be afraid to be flexible, if needed. Strive to find the balance necessary for you to feel like you can be in control. Good luck!

Lesson 13

I liked reading the case study about Randy Haykin. To me, the most interesting and useful parts of the case study were his personal reflections about leadership. Reading about his toughest hurdle as a leader where he felt like he let people down in start up company. Even though the risks of being an entrepreneur are apparent, it is still difficult for all involved when the company doesn't perform as expected. I also liked Haykin's rawness about finding a balance between his work life and personal life. I too, often times feel as he described in doing the simplest things take so much effort as there is so much going on. In the different classes I have taken, the concept of learning to prioritize and sticking to the top priorities is so important. Each person must decide where to spend their time and how to balance all they have going in their life.

Lesson 12

During the reading, I really liked the quote by Muhammad Yunus, "before I conclude my remarks I simply wish to encourage all of you to remember irrespective of what you learn in school always be ready to unlearn and relearn." Wow! Love this! The older I get, I see how this statement is so true; especially the relearning part. We don't want to sit idly by believing that we know all there is to know. It is so important to keep developing and learning and even more so when in business for yourself. There will always be ways to improve and do things more efficiently and more effectively.

I love the word unlearn. I think we might get set in learned ways that may be simply traditions or something of ease, but through unlearning that particulate way of doing something, we can learn a new way, even a better way.

Lesson 11

This week's material got me to think about my own family and the sacrifices my children and husband have had to make while I worked outside the home, volunteered in their school and held demanding church callings. Often times, I was dragging the kids with me somewhere and they would just have to deal with it. However, I think it taught them that service and giving to others were a good thing. I remember having special traditions or moments that we could share. This helped make the harder times a little easier. Luckily, I was able to have some flexibility when working so that I could be with my children when they really needed me, and conversely, when I really needed to be or do something else, they understood that also.

Lesson 10

This week I was able to interview my brother about a business that he has owned. He is my little brother by many years and he matured long after I was out of the house living with my own family. It was awesome to talk to him about something that he is so passionate about and loves. His hard work was definitely noticed. We were able to discuss some different business concepts and goals. It was a very special interview I was able to have with him.