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.