Lesson 1

Experience: The main experience I wish to remember this week was reading and watching the videos in the “Business in a Global Environment” powerpoint. During these past two weeks I also spent a lot of time trying to figure out the CapSim program and getting used to how it works and is played.

Reflection: Looking back, I see that I have already come a long way into understanding the CapSim program. At first, I made so many mistakes like filling out the wrong programs and repeating the same tutorials over and over. I continually reminded myself to trust the instructor and what other students had said about not worrying if you don’t understand it right away. It will come slowly but surely. Finally, after watching the adobe connect recording, it is finally making a bit of sense to me. Concerning the other material, it all came very naturally to me (mainly because we’re going over the exact same stuff in both my accounting and economics classes). I never thought that I would be learning the same principles in classes that are so varied. It gives me many opportunities to reflect and apply what I learned in one class to help me in another.

Identify Key Learning: The Guy Kawasaki videos really stood out to me because it taught me what my main goal in business should be. He said that as entrepreneurs we need to make meaning by either righting a wrong, preventing something good from ending, or improve the lives of others. I wish to always remember when he explained that if we try to make meaning we will make money, but if we try to make money we will not make meaning or money. Even if this is a bit naïve, I think it is a wonderful idea for anyone not only in business but in life as well. This is a key lesson for me because I know it will help me in my future endeavors as a business owner. I will be able to look back on my learning and remember the insights I had to make me a better entrepreneur. Other key learnings were about the U.S. GDP and our trading with other countries. I spent a while just exploring the suggested websites on the powerpoint and become fascinated with what they had to offer in terms of information.

Action Planning: Because I have learned these great things this week, I plan to first write them down in my learning blog http://paigeentrepreneur.blogspot.com. By doing this, these lessons will always be easily accessible to me whenever I am in need of insight or guidance. Next, I have decided to create my own mantra, like Guy Kawasaki suggested. However, because I don’t have a start-up business yet, I plan on writing a mantra for my own life. I want to take a few days, think about my life/studies/goals and really think about which few words best describe my essence. I will give myself a time limit of one week and post my final manta on my blog by next Friday at 10 pm.

Applying: I am creating this project for myself to help guide myself through life and business. I want to be able to create a personal mantra which will always be an inspiration to me and what I believe in. I hope this will help me determine what I want to do in life and who exactly I want to be. But, more importantly, I hope my mantra will always remind me of who I am and what I stand for. I will monitor my success by actually writing it down by the given time and having my family members give input of how well it describes me. To help me follow through, I plan to set aside 15 minutes each day to ponder about my mantra. I will take a walk to the beach every morning at 8 and spend that time in thought. I will bring a notepad and write down my rough drafts and finally come up with my lasting mantra. 

Last Lecture

To someone wanting to begin their own entrepreneurial journey, I would recommend to firstly, learn how to spell all forms of the word entrepreneur. Looking back, I would have saved so much time by simply taking two minutes to learn how to spell this word instead of constantly searching for the assignment title, typing it (wrongly) into Google, or using my spell check option. If you’re anything like me, do yourself a favor and don’t put off studying this word until the last week of class. And if you’re nothing like me, let yourself chuckle at how people like me go through life.

Secondly, do what you want. I have found that when it comes to your career it is okay to focus exclusively on yourself. What a shame it is to meet someone who doesn’t like what they do, and come to find out that the most influential people in their lives pressured them into going to boring law school, taking strenuous dance classes, or even not ‘letting’ them invest their own money towards another possible career or business choice. I’m not saying that if you have a hobby to paint and a family of six, you should quit your job and start water coloring on famous bridges. But, if you have a dream to start an art studio-do it. If you dream of becoming an art dealer-make it happen. The way I see it, you have two options: (1) Do that ‘thing’ that you’ve been dreaming about for years or (2) end up wishing that you had. President Monson quoted John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem in the April 2014 general conference. He said, “For of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: "It might have been!”

Thirdly, make those around you the center of your business. Throughout my short time of actually studying business management, I have learned that people are the most important factor. People loan you money, people give advice, people become partners, people buy your product, and people get things done. No matter what sector you get into, people will influence your career and life. It is your choice whether it will be a positive or negative influence. I watched Kevin Shiley’s faculty interview on marketing. He spoke about an experience where he was in a tough spot during his internship. He needed to find a way to stick out to the employers, but continue to stay true to himself. After a while he began to create more sincere relationships with the designers (people who his competitors often looked over). From doing this, he received their best work, in turn creating a better product for him to supply. He was eventually one of few to be offered a permanent position. This story proved to me that creating relationships with those around you will give the greatest advantage in business and life.

Lastly, go for it! If your idea is as good as you say it is, then why not do it already? You have the drive, passion, and persistence. And, thanks to Google, have all of the information you need. Personally, I have found that the hard part is just getting started. It can be nerve-wrecking and you may continually be putting it off. But once you learn about the different business options, start filing your forms and committing yourself by paying the filing fees-you’ll be so excited that you can’t wait to take on all of the risks that once panicked you. Before then, I would also suggest that you read So You Think You Want to Be an Entrepreneur? by Jon Gillespie-Brown. This book teaches the pros and cons of starting your own business. I have learned many important lessons from actively engaging in the readings and activities, and I know that you will, too.  There is no age that is considered a hindrance, no financial circumstance that you can’t overcome, and no reason not to take a leap of faith to start your own entrepreneurial journey.

Sincerely,
   Paige Cooper

Week 12

I really enjoyed watching Stan Christensen’s e-corner video Avoid the Wrong Job. I found myself making some of the mistakes mentioned. I recently moved locations and needed to find a job quickly. All of the applications I filled out were requiring me to have tons of different skills and experiences that I did not have. So I concentrated on trying to find a job that would give me some skills that managers wanted-money handling experience, customer service, assistant experience, etc. I finally ended up with a job that is giving me some additional experience to put on my resume, but I don’t find it to be all that exciting and would not pursue a career in this field. It is a shame that I focused so much on what I thought other people wanted for me, that I wasn’t focusing on who would want what I already have. We finished the wonderful book So You Want to be An Entrepreneur this week! I’m a bit sad to have finished simply because I felt like I was learning something new each week. But I’m grateful for everything I have learned so far and will be putting it all to use soon (I just took the first step in starting my company, yay!).

Week 11

I cannot believe how perfect Muhammad Yunus’ article, “Microlending: toward a poverty free world” was for me. Everything he said applied to me personally and I know that I will be able to incorporate his ideas into my future business. My whole business idea revolves around loaning less fortunate people money to help them create their business, like Kiva. With the input from Muhammad, I feel like my idea is becoming stronger and worth all of my effort. Sheryl Sandberg’s video “Make it Personal and Make it Work” was so insightful. What I took from her video is that I should always remember and stand by my visions. It is important to have a vision that is good for the present day, but also something that will stand the test of time. It made me think that if I did have an idea that wouldn’t work for the future, I probably shouldn’t do it or continually evolve it (which we should do anyway).

I need to include these quotes by Muhammad so that I don’t forget them:

“An individual’s social consciousness and the urge to do good things for people on this planet can be as burning and even a more burning desire than personal gain.”

“I strongly believe that we can create a poverty free world if we want to. We can create a world where there won’t be a single human being who may be described as a poor person. In that kind of a world the only place you could see poverty would be in the museums. School children on tour in the poverty museums would be horrified to see the misery and indignity of human beings in the past. They would blame their ancestors in a massive way for allowing this inhuman condition to continue.”

”Don’t give up dreaming. Be a dreamer. And keep on trying to make the dream come true. Dream about the world you would like to have. If we all dream about a better world, I can guarantee you that we will create a better world.”

“I simply wish to encourage all of you to remember: irrespective of what you learn in school always be ready to unlearn and relearn.”

Week 10

This week we read the article Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. “The secret is that most of us are already quite happy.” I love this quote because it reminded me to be thankful for my present life and to not always look toward the future for my happiness. We all have the choice to be happy in this very moment. “Giving your time and your money to another human being is one of the most powerful ways to develop your own sense of gratitude.” This quote makes me thankful for the guidance we receive from our prophets today. We are constantly told that if we want to be happier, we should go serve someone. This advice perfectly corresponds with what the article taught us. I have a testimony that service is the cure to being unhappy and not loving someone as much as we should. “You finally will see that it’s only by losing yourself in a quest to serve others that you find your true self.” I’d like to always remember this guidance: “’How can I be happy?’ is the wrong question. ‘How can I create something meaningful for others?’ is the right question because it helps others and will change you in a profound way.” I also really enjoyed the e-corner videos about balancing our lives with work and family. I think that this is one of the most important things we should learn in this life in order to become truly successful-both financially and personally. 

Week 9

I feel like chapter 6 in “So You Want to be an Entrepreneur” was the most beneficial to me so far. It talked a lot about the reasons people use for not starting their business. I have found that I was using some of those same reasons. One major concern for me was that I’m so young and inexperienced! I know that I’m able to handle difficult things, but I just didn’t know if I was ready. The book taught me that if I think like this, I’ll never be ready. I have so many advantages of starting early-why waste them?! I don’t have family relying on me, I have a husband who is doing well and starting law school soon, and I’m not tied down to any one career path. If I’m going to start something, now is the perfect time. I can’t believe I’ve been putting it off for a busier, more hectic future ahead. One thing I’d like to remember from reading “The Heart of Entrepreneurship” is this question: How can I make innovation, flexibility, and creativity operational? This stood out to me because it summarizes where our thoughts should be when building a business. I don’t want to retain the “administrator” mindset, but keep innovating and creating new things for people to enjoy. I loved this week so much because it gave me hope that I can actually do this! Now I just need to keep to momentum…

Week 8

This week was great! My favorite thing was reading “The Start Up of You” because it let me think about my future goals and aspirations. I outlined exactly what I want out of my life, which to put it simply, is to create a happy and successful family and business. Doing these exercises gave me time to think about if what I want to do…is actually what I REALLY want to do. I get super excited when thinking about my future, which I take as a good sign to being on the right track. I loved the article “How to Start an Entrepreneurial Revolution” because it incorporated my previous studies in political science to what I’m currently studying, business management. As I wrote earlier, I was never excited about studying business because I’ve always been so dedicated to my love for politics and international studies. I learned this week that you don’t really ever have to choose just one thing you love. You can always find a way to learn and do things that involve your favorite things, just like how the article involved politics and business. I have always been worried that I’d have to give up my dreams of international relations, but now I realize that it has just given me a better background to improve upon.

Week 7

This week taught me many great lessons. First, I read in So You Want to Be an Entrepreneur about how important it is to ask friends and family for advice and investments. Honestly, I’m not comfortable at all in asking people for money, but I guess in this business it is expected. I need to really come out of my shell and make connections and don’t be afraid to ask people for advice. The Heath Bradley e-corner video taught me that people want to help us in our goals and endeavors; we just need to ask! Elder Holland’s talk However Long and Hard the Road really impressed me. He spoke with such authority and learned from his own experiences that what he is saying is true. He spoke about a quote from Winston Churchill that never impacted me until today: “We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” I love this quote by Winston Churchill because he conveys just how far he is willing to go to protect what is his. No matter what conditions, he was willing to press forward. I want to remember the feeling I had when watching Elder Holland speak this quote. I know that I must never give up on what I believe, or on my dream of creating a business. 

Week 6

I loved reading “What’s Business For?” by Charles Handy. One thing that stood out to me was when he said currently, major companies treat their employees like liabilities, not assets. I want to make sure that my business never takes advantage of an employee’s time and effort. I want my workers to feel that they belong doing what they are doing, and want to make them love it as possible. My goal is to always keep my perspective as it is now-not as a corporate robot. My whole reason to building my company is to help people in my community and around the world. I don’t want to ever forget that or trade it in for money. Before I forget, I want to mention something I actually learned last week but forgot to include it. During a marketing video, I learned the Japanese word otaku. To me, this means someone being someone totally obsessed with what you’re selling that they are willing to tell everyone they know about you. These are the people I want to market to-not the most common person in my area. I really enjoyed answering the mentor questions from reading “So You Want To Be An Entrepreneur” this week. I used my imagination and created a little future business in my head. It was so nice to forget about all of the technical aspects of building a business and focus on the fun stuff. 

Week 5

This week I read Success Is Gauged by Self-Mastery by N. Eldon Tanner. There are so many things that stood out me, and I feel that the best way I can remember my thought are through sharing some provoking quotes. In the future, whenever I may be feeling down or inadequate as an entrepreneur, I’m going to force myself to read, “I am in earnest—I will not equivocate—I will not excuse—I will not retreat a single inch—and I will be heard!” (William Lloyd Garrison, Salutory Address of the Liberator, 1 Jan. 1831.) What an inspiring speech! It motivates me to never give up and work hard-no matter what. During this course, we have read many different articles on how to balance family life and career life. While both things are very important, I feel that this quote (also from Tanner) gives us the perfect advice. He said, “If you wish to achieve financial success, if you wish to be happy, if you wish to be healthy, if you would be morally clean, if you wish to find religious peace of mind, there is only one sure way, and that is the straight and narrow path—the way of honor, the way of industry, of moderation, simplicity, and virtue.” It is so simple if you think about it, if you keep to the straight and narrow path, we will be taken care of. Lastly, I’d like to write down the most important lesson I learned from the Rich Dad Poor Dad video. He drew a diagram of the difference between broke, middle class, and rich people. Broke people receive income then spend it. Middle class people receive income, create liabilities (house, car), then spend money. Rich people receive income, create assets, and then spend money. What a great guide to live by!

Week 4

I really enjoyed this week’s reading about Erica Mills. I appreciated learning about an entrepreneur that is caught between being a full-time business person and a full-time mother. I, and I’m sure many other women in the class, could relate to the decisions she had to make. All of the reading has been inspiring thus far in the course, but those have all been about men who are able to dedicate their careers to pursuing the things they want to accomplish. That isn’t very realist for a woman, like me, who wants to dedicate her life to her family, as well as start a business. It’s just different. I also enjoyed answering the questions from the book “So You Want to be an Entrepreneur”. I was able to take time and think about who I am and what I want in life. The ten characteristics of successful entrepreneurs gave me courage to pursue my career in business. At first, I didn’t think I had that many traits in common with successful business people, but I learned that all you need is: Courage, Vision, Confidence, Action, Persistence, Dedication, Faith, Communication, Integrity and Adaptability. I then realized that if I work on all of these traits, one at a time, I could eventually exhibit them all! I’m excited to see where that book will take me and how my answers will change over the course of the chapters. I would like to share a quote so I don’t forget it, Mark Twain said, “All you need is ignorance and confidence and the success is sure.”

Week 3

We’ve read and watched a few videos about living your life in a way that will make you the happiest, at least that it what stood out to me. The video “Do What You Love” outlined what we should be doing with our lives when he explained ‘the three circles’. He talked about balancing our lives and career between doing something that you’re good at, something that you’re born to do, and something that someone will pay you for. If you hit all three of these circles right in the center, I believe that you would have a happier career and personal life. This week, I learned a very important lesson about myself and what I want to do with my life. I lived in the UK with my husband for a year and a half and never had the chance to visit any family or friends. I was rarely even able to call anyone! Right before I started this new online semester at BYUI, we moved back to California and we are constantly around (most of) my family. It has been great, but I realized this week that I have been putting work over some people dearest to me. I have always been very close to my sister, who lives in Utah. Since I’ve been back, she has called me multiple times, but I have always cut the conversation short because I was either on my way to one of my two jobs or doing homework. I promised myself that I never want to be so busy that I forget who and what is most important for me. I know that there are times in life where you need to work even harder than usual, but what is the point in working so hard, for whatever reason, when you can’t even spend time with the ones you love? In the article “How Will You Measure Your Life?”, Clayton Christensen said that he always made time to have breakfast and dinner with his family. What a great example this is to me! Family is first, so I should act like it!

Week 2

This week was all about honestly and business ethics! So many things stood out to me during my studies and I am re-dedicating myself to always being honest in my life and dealings with other people. In my previous point of view, I pictured “businessmen” as slimy car dealers who rip honest people off. Obviously this was a terrible perspective, but I am so glad that I have made a full turn around. There are so many great business people in the world today, many of whom are completely trustworthy. I’m blessed to be able to learn about so many examples of what I want to be during my time in this class. “Making a Living and a Life” by Lynn G. Robbins must be one of the best business related devotionals I have read. I loved how he talked about the primary motivations of different sorts of people. The one that I want to be is A: Having a love for God and fellowmen before money. This reminds me of the scripture Jacob 2:18-19, “Before you seek for riches, seek the kingdom of God.  And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good.” If we seek God before riches, we will be taken care of. It may not be in the ways that we expect, but we will be blessed. Lastly, I enjoyed the video by Jan Newman. He spoke about having “skin in the game”. If we do not fully commit ourselves to our business or goals, it will take much longer to succeed. He taught me to always treat money as my own and, very importantly, take risks!

Week 1

It is rare that I have such an inspiring week of lessons as I did this week. In Randy Haykin: The Making of an Entrepreneur, he talked briefly about failing and how it is inevitable. The e-corner video, Treat Life As an Experiment also talked about “fail forward” and learning from your mistakes. This week I have made a huge mistake that has definitely taught me a lot about myself and this class. Being the first real week of classes, I decided to do all of my homework for my Entrepreneurial Journey class on Saturday, today, which it is all due. I really cheated myself. Even though I did take the time to read and watch everything, I didn’t have a chance to ponder the material throughout the week. I seriously regret this because I fell in love with every video and article that I read, and I was so rushed that I couldn’t fully enjoy the things that I was learning. So my first lesson: Leave time to enjoy and ponder the lessons of my own entrepreneurial journey.

As I stated, everything was such an inspiration to me this week. But I feel that I got the most from, “What is your Calling in Life?" - BYU Devotional by Jeffery Thompson. I realized that I should look out for my calling in life, and make whatever calling I hold, the calling of my life. Everyone always says, “Don’t get a job for money”, but I never believed that it could be that easy. We live in a world where we need money. But after this speech, I truly believe that can be happy, successful and well-off if we do what we love and trust in Heavenly Father.

I have a new favorite quote by Randy Pausch, “The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.” What an inspiration! I hope to never forget this quote. I’m pretty sure that I am going to frame this. This has taught me to change my perspective about what I can and cannot do. No one is trying to stop me from getting that perfect job, or getting into the best school, they are trying to stop everyone else who don’t want it badly enough.

Week 0

I just finished my first week in the Entrepreneur Journey class and it went great! I especially enjoyed the LDS Perspective section where I was able to read A Disciple Preparation Center and Your Whole Souls as an Offering Unto Him by Elder David A. Bednar. I was able to gain a deeper appreciation for Brigham Young University-Idaho, the curriculum, faculty and peers. I am thankful to have the opportunity to study at this “temple of learning” and will try my best to put their advice to practice as I go through this class. I also benefited from the clip Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow by Guy Kawasaki. I’m pleased that we were instructed to watch this clip early on in the semester because it made me think of why I want to start a business. This made me more certain that I am going into the business industry for the right reasons; I believe in my product and want to share it with the world. Finally, the task that stood out most to me most was the video clip of President Hinckley dedicating the Hinckley building at BYUI. He gave such an inspirational talk and I hope to always remember the guidance he gave to us as students, “There is no end in sight for the good you can do. Do you know it? You are just simple kids. You are not geniuses. I know that. But the work of the world isn't done by geniuses. It is done by ordinary people who have learned to work in an extraordinary way, people of your kind who can do these things”.