Final Week

It's the final week of this semester. I feel relieved and accomplished but, in some ways, I feel a bit melancholy about the fact that these set of classes are over. This post is supposed to be a last lecture and the things I would say to aspiring entrepreneurs about what I have learned in this class. I guess the first thing that I would tell them is to follow their passion. If their passion is being an entrepreneur then by all means do it. Make sure that you are doing it for the right reason though. Money isn't a good enough reason. You have to truly want to see changes in the world. You have to have passion past the money. If you are looking just to make money then find a good trade, start a retirement account, save and pay tithing. However, if you have a plan that you feel will change the world and your passion is to see that plan carried out then don't let anything stop you. Expect to fail but don't let failure stop you. If you can do this then you will be a successful entrepreneur. The next thing that I would tell someone is always do good work. Make sure that the work you do, whatever it is, is something that you can be proud of. You may not be the best at everything you do but if you always do your best you won’t have regrets looking back. Going along with this don’t be afraid to make mistakes. If you are doing your best and you make mistakes those can be some of the best learning experiences you can have. Cherish these experiences and don’t regret them. Keep moving forward and learn from every mistake you make. The last thing that I would say to someone seeking to be an entrepreneur is always put God first. It can be difficult to focus on two things at once and so when the choice comes up between choosing God and choosing something else if you have already decided to always put God first you will know the decision that you need to make. Doing this will make you more successful than anything else. It will give you more joy than anything else and it will of course lead to eternal happiness. The journey through this life is hard but it can be rewarding. Go forward! Thank you so much for everything that I have learned in this class. This information that I learned here will be a blessing throughout my life!

Week 13

This is the end of week 13 and the semester. Looking back at all I've learned in this class, I've been thankful for the advice of so many great business leaders and teachers. I've enjoyed being able to take a look inside of their lives and minds, getting a glimpse of what makes people successful entrepreneurs. I enjoyed the reading this week on Randy Haykin. I was really impressed by the steps he took to become successful. A lot of people will tell you not to settle for working in corporate America or to be your own boss. What those people don't realize is that sometimes those unwanted steps are necessary in order to get where you want. If you do it right, you'll end up like Haykin who used his experience and networking skills to take advantage of working for someone else before venturing off on his own. He learned a lot from his experience working at Apple and Paramount. I just feel like a lot of entrepreneurs have a bad taste in their mouth for working for someone else, where I see it more like Haykin- working for other companies gives us an opportunity to see how they run, what can be changed, and teaches us how to manage people and lead. While it's best not to get stuck in Corporate America (and those with an entrepreneurial spirit won't), we can learn from it our experiences in it. I think this class did a great job in telling people what the nitty gritty parts are of owning a business. It taught us the attitude we need to have and what it takes to be successful in it. I think a lot of people who were considering starting up a business may not do so now after taking this class, which is probably for the best. My wife and I, however, have started our own and are working well with it. I don't know if it's something we'll do for the rest of our lives, but we enjoy it and are learning from it.

Week 12

It is the end of week 12 and we are coming up on the end of the semester. This class has taught me a lot of good principles I can use in business and life. This week we read a piece called What's a Business For? by Charles Handy. I found it to be pretty dry and difficult to get through. I had to read it a couple of times to get the idea of it and to focus on it. In the beginning he talks about the importance of integrity and virtue in business and its effect on the economy. These principles drive our economy. Handy tells us, "Markets rely on rules and laws, but those rules and laws in turn depend on truth and trust. Conceal truth or erode trust, and the game becomes so unreliable that no one will want to play."(pg 3) He goes on to talk about leaders of corporations and their attitudes towards subordinates. The leaders are paid more than 400 times more than their lowest paid worker. There is also the feeling that when business "takes care of itself before it cares for others only fuels the latent distrust." (pg 4) I don't necessarily agree with his perspective on this. I feel like it's important for business to not be an emotional thing, drawn to people's feelings, so as to avoid favortism and offense. While business should be run ethically, I feel like its main priority needs to be focused on itself and increasing profits to stay alive. According to Handy, this is not the only reason for businesses. Their "real justification" for existence, he says, is "to make a profit so that the business can do something more or better." (pg 5) I can agree with this. I think businesses have a responsibility to make the world better. With power (and money) come responsibility. Seeking a solution to improve businesses, Handy tells us, "More honesty and reality in the reporting of results would help,for a start." (pg 6) Another solution he offers in order for businesses to overcome the stigma of being "the enemy" to progress in the world is described as follows: "Business needs to take the lead in areas such as environmental and social sustainability instead of forever letting itself be pushed onto the defensive." I agree that both of these points will help improve the perception of businesses in our economy and will help improve the communities surrounding them. I think that when a business does things ethically and for the right reasons, following proper rules and laws, profits will follow.

Week 11

I am at the end of week 11 and feel like it was a good week to reflect on what I really want from a future of entrepreneurship. I enjoyed the videos about work/life/family balance. The piece by Stephen Gibson called Attitude on Money was also really good. I enjoyed his comparison to viewing money through a filter or lens like his glasses. I think that when we view money the right way, we can use it the right way. I actually felt a little bad after reading the piece Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: A Cautionary Tale. I didn't agree with a lot of what was mentioned in it and feel like it offered very little faith in humanity to overcome emotion, passions, and habits. I just didn't connect with it. I don't feel like I fit the bill with most of the attributes they were describing and don't agree with our level of  happiness being something that's ingrained in our DNA. I feel like we can learn to be happy through practicing gratitude and through prayer. I also actually do believe, in many cases, money can buy some happiness. My attitude on money is similar to that of Stephen Gibson. He talks about money as a way to help people, like how in the Good Samaritan parable he takes the injured man to a hotel and pays for his care. A poor person would not have been able to provide such service. I see money as a tool to use for good. I see it as a way to live comfortably, travel, help people, get an education, get necessary medical care, and more. I feel like it is has an incredibly positive affect on my life. All of this is dependent upon me following the rules of it. I feel like, in order to prosper, I must pay tithing. Money should be used to help those in need and for good. Gibson talked about how even the Prophet needs to think about money and use it wisely for the welfare of the church. I agree with Gibson where he says, "Money can make good men better". I think with the opportunity to serve we see an opportunity to grow. I am excited as I acquire more wealth throughout my life to be able to help those around me and lift them up.

Week 10

I am at the end of week 10. This week I was able to interview Scott Bloomfield. I was able to learn a lot about what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. I found it interesting how many failures it can take to lead to success. In order to be a successful entrepreneur, I need to be ready to fail. We also discussed organization of time and staying focused on the goals that we set. I enjoyed the conversation and I hope to be able to mimic some of the habits that he has acquired through his hard work. I also really enjoyed the readings this week. Specifically, the talk by Elder Oaks "The Challenge to Become". I found it interesting how he discussed the difference between having a testimony and being converted. He said, "to testify is to know and declare" but being converted is becoming like Christ. I think my goal as I work every day is to become something more than what I was yesterday. The ultimate goal is to become like Christ but the distance makes that goal difficult to even comprehend. If I can look back at who I was yesterday and see myself as being a little closer to Christ today than I was yesterday then I can truly say that I am becoming like Christ.

Week 9

This is the end of week nine of the semester. This week I took some time to ponder about who I should interview next week. I have a few options I am considering and am grateful for this fact. As I went through the reading this week a few things stood out to me. The first thing that struck me was "lead by example". This was the first principal mentioned in Leadership with a Small "L" by Kim B Clark. This section stood out to me. "It is important to talk with them and tell them what you are doing and why. But it is in the doing that there is real power to shape their lives." Being a new parent and thinking now about the best way to teach my daughter I have to be very thoughtful about this. I can't say one thing and do another. Looking back at my childhood and the things I learned from my father and mother, the things that I remember are what they did much more than what they said. I need to ensure that my actions are those that I would like my daughter to emulate or those that I want her to seek after in a future (hopefully far future) husband. The next thing that stuck out to me was Guy Kawasaki's discussion on trust. I specifically liked the idea that in order to get others to trust us we have to trust them. This is sometimes difficult to do because we think others might take advantage of us but if more trust is given more trust will be received. Overall excellent lessons this week and I hope that I can apply some of the principals learned into my life.

Week 8

We have come to the end of week 8. There were some really great readings this week. I loved the address by Elder Holland and his wife, However Long and Hard the Road. It’s fun to hear the wives of the authorities speak. They have great insight and it’s interesting to see how they compliment their husbands. I specifically liked the part where Patricia Holland says, “too many of us learn only through our heads and not through our hearts! A common man or woman will hear only the commonplace, but a man or a woman connected to the powers of heaven will learn to be an inheritor of those powers.” It reminded me that on my own I cannot accomplish as much as I can when I am listening to the Spirit and heeding the guidance and direction given to me by my Heavenly Father, even if I don’t understand it. I know that as I am going through school, I need to be praying fervently for help to achieve my goals. I also really enjoyed the talk given by President Monson, Looking Back and Moving Forward. I love hearing about the strength of the pioneers and the amazing faith they displayed. One of my favorite quotes is from this talk, “I plead with you to turn to our Heavenly Father in faith. He will lift you and guide you. He will not always take your afflictions from you, but He will comfort and lead you with love through whatever storm you face.” I know that by following Christ our burdens can be lightened, even though they are still there. It is only through trials that we can grow, so I understand their necessity; however, I am thankful for the Savior who helps me through the storms of this life and know that He will always be there to guide me and lift me up.

Week 7

We are at the end of week 7 now. It feels good to be half way through and I am finally starting to feel competent in some of my other classes. This week in B 183 I finished reading Mastery. I thought this was a good book. The way that he described different people (the dabbler, obsessive and hacker) was intresting and I can see myself spending time in each of those areas in my life. Hopefully I will be better prepared moving forward to become a master. The thing that I keep thinking about this week after everything that we read and watched is the step 3 of the 7 habits of highly effective people "Put first things first". His descriptions of the 4 different types of activities has made me examine each activity I do and see where it fits. Thinking about these categories helps me to better analyze myself and how I am spending my time. Is what I am doing urgent but not important? Is it neither urgent nor important? If I keep this in mind going forward it will help me to use my time more wisely and hopefully I will be able to transition more of my time into category 2 and work on things that are important but not urgent. I also really loved the talk from President Hinckley this week. He sure had a way of showing his love and understanding when he spoke. The section where he spoke about us being children of God stood out to me. "You are in very deed a child of God ...He is your Eternal Father. He loves you. You can go to Him in prayer. He has invited you to do so. Every one of you knows this, and what a wonderful thing this is. He is the Greatest of All. He is the Creator and Governor of the universe. And yet He will listen to your prayer!" This is such a comforting statement to me. God is the Creator but He will still listen to my prayers. Overall, this has been a great week and I hope that I can remember the things that I learned moving forward.

Week 6

It is the end of week 6 of this semester. Almost halfway through the semester. I feel like I have stretched myself with the classes that I have taken so far and I am pleased with my growth and progress. This week the video "Locality to God and Family" by Jan Newman really stood out to me. I found it profound the way he described how we use our time. There is a time in our lives when we really only have two things that occupy our time. These two things are school and free time. As we get older more things occupy our time and we will squeeze some of those things to make time for things we want to do. He warns against "squeezing" the wrong things. God and family shouldn't be "squeezed". The last thing that he said really stood out to me. He said, "a thousand years from now no one is going to ask you what company you ran, how much money you made. Your greatest legacy will be your family, and your service in the kingdom of God. Never forget that!" I will try to heed that council and always remember what is truly important and when I "squeeze" time it will be time that would have been spent on things that are less important.

Week 5

This week was very hectic in my other classes. I was grateful for the time that I was able to spend in B 183 as it allowed me to have time for some self-reflection. I really enjoyed the talks given by President Faust and by Jeff Sandefer. Perseverance is difficult when times are tough and getting a reminder about the importance of perseverance was very helpful to me especially due to the difficulties I have been having with school this week. Jeff Sandefer's talk was very thought provoking. The three questions that those over 60 are concerned with were very telling. I have thought deeply this week about who do I love and who loves me. As I think about that it becomes easier to step back from my stress and really examine why I am doing the things that I am doing and the need for perseverance through adversity. I also really enjoyed the video "How do you find your passion and how do you pursue it?". I had never thought about it but, it is much more difficult to choose between multiple right answers. I feel like there should be a definite right and wrong answer to all of life's questions but it doesn't seem to work like that. There are multiple right answers, the hard part is choosing which door to walk through. I think most people are scared about those 9 doors closing when you walk through the 10th but there will always be more opportunities ahead if we step through a door. If we don't make a decision we will never move forward.

Week 4

This week I wanted to focus on the thing that I found the most profound in the learning. I really enjoyed the video, "Do what you love" by Tom Kelly. The diagram that he showed in the video was very profound. Many people of my generation don't seem to understand that you can't just "do what you love, and the money will follow". You have to do what you love that has value to others. I also thought the idea of keeping a lab notebook of all the times when you felt you were at your best is a wonderful idea. This is a practice that I will try in my own life moving forward so that I can better understand what activities put me at my best. I also really appreciate the square around the circle for "who". Even if you have the most amazing job in the world that you love it might not be right for you because the people you work with might not be who you want to spend your time with. More importantly, you should make sure you are not that person for someone else. Don't hurt someone's dream by being the wrong kind of square around their diagram so to speak. These are great things to keep in mind as I continue to move forward with this class and throughout my life.

Week 3

This week in B183 we spent some time learning about personal business ethics and integrity. As I was reading Sheri Dew's talk "True Blue, Through and Through" she mentioned something that I feel is something that I should start doing. She said, "...for the next 30 days take time every night to assess how you did that day. Were you true to yourself and to others? Were you true to God in every situation?" As I read that I felt that is something that I can do in my own life to better evaluate my integrity and make a proper accounting with God. I think this will be beneficial not just for 30 days but as I move forward in life. I feel like this will help me to be honest with myself and more honest with others. We also spent some time reviewing a case study about Magdalena Yesil. This was interesting to me but I didn't feel inspired by this assignment. I was somewhat confused by the questions that I was asked to answer in the essay portion of the assignment which is unfortunate. Perhaps others will get more out of that assignment than I did. The last assignment that I did was the life plan: personal code of conduct. This assignment was really eye opening for me. Putting down on paper my moral do's and don'ts really helped me to better visualize where my priorities are and the guidelines I need to follow. Overall this week was very successful and I am looking forward to my continuing journey in this class.

Week 2

This week I spent some time reading "The Ministry of Business" by Steven Hitz. I had a connection with chapter 3 when he discusses involving your partner in your business. I have always had a strong connection with my wife when it comes to involvement in our dealings. I feel like my wife is my best friend. She is able to see things in a different light then I do and this helps me to succeed. I really liked when he said "Although we had different duties and responsibilities, we were still on the same team, working toward the same goal." My situation currently mirrors that. My wife is busy raising our first child and I am busy going to school and we are working together to run our business. By having different duties and responsibilities but common goals we are able to move forward together.

Next I will be discussing Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams. As I skimmed through this lecture and watched the video synopsis I became captivated by his story. I think he was able to achieve his childhood dreams for many reasons. For one, he was able to dream as a child. I think so many children come to a point where they are told to "grow up". This can stifle creativity and cause children to settle rather than reach for their dreams. I also feel because his dreams were allowed to flourish he was able to gain the passion necessary to overcome adversity.  I think dreaming is very important. Dreaming is a concept of a goal. It allows us to see a destination that we have to stretch ourselves to reach. One of my childhood dreams was to make video games. I remember as a child sitting next to my sister and watching her play games. The idea that you could travel to other worlds and experience their lives captivated me. Games are fun. I have always dreamed about creating new worlds that others could explore and enjoy. I am on the path to be able to achieve this dream. I may have a long road ahead filled with many brick walls but if I persist I know that I can climb them.

Quote taken from:

Hitz, Steven. The Ministry of Business (Kindle Locations 955-957). The Ministry of Business LLC. Kindle Edition.

The Beginning

This week was an introduction to the things that I would be learning in my B183 class for BYU-Idaho. I feel like there will be a lot to cover in this class and that my learning from this class will not end when the class ends. After viewing the introduction content, I feel hopeful that the content of this class will help me to break through personal barriers. I feel encouraged to move forward with my own development and to hold myself to a higher standard. I am looking forward to learning more about myself and on becoming more that I am. I learned from my readings this week that life will rarely be fair but overcoming these challenges will strengthen me and move me to higher places that would have been impossible to reach otherwise. One thing this week that stood out to me this week was the words of Elder McConkie in Elder Bednar’s talk concerning sacrifice “Sacrifice involves giving up the things of this world because of the promises of blessings to be gained in a better world.  In the eternal perspective there is no sacrifice in giving up all things—even including the laying down of one's life—if eternal life is gained through such a course.” This quote helped me to better understand that the sacrifices that I will make for God, my family and myself will not be eternal. Some things in life will be enjoyed and others endured but it will make me the person that I need to be eternally!